“The Plague” by Aleko Damaskinos.
For the second time since 1629 the plague appeared again at Lefkimmi in 1815 because of some illegal
merchandise that arrived from an infested part of the world. The nearby village of Marathias was totally
burnt down and on Corfu we still have the saying, “Like Marathias” for anything that is completely burnt
down! The market at Lefkimmi was guarded by soldiers and the market opened when a yellow flag was
raised at 8.00 am in the morning and closed at sunset when the flag was lowered. Whoever passed near
this area and did not answer the military command, “Who goes there?” was shot without any further
questions and any dog or other animal which approached the area was killed on the spot! From the 1st
November 1815 until 15th June 1816, 414 people died and 1,031 were infected by the disease until it was
officially announced that this terrible disease was no longer a threat.
A few kilometres south of Argyrades, on the main Lefkimmi road, there is a well known upmarket
restaurant, on the entrance to the main street to the village. The street meanders along until it brings
you back to the main road after a few hundred metres. All the houses are on different levels with
singles and doubles side by side. Many of the two story houses have a second floor balcony; creating
a canopy of shade for the owners, who sit underneath on the ground floor at their outdoor table
and chairs. Off the main street, the houses tumble down the hill towards the church. Many of these
houses seem to have been built sympathetically, around the olive trees, giving the tree a pride of
place and respect. There is a lovely kafeneion, with a couple of tables outside. There is an insurance
office adjacent to it, where there is a road which will take you past the main church and down to the
beautiful sandy Marathias beach. All this information was kindly supplied from the books written by Steve Ford and the money raised from sales of these goes to Corfu Charities. Please use the link below to download your own copy and find more information on all the villages listed and more from Steve
For the second time since 1629 the plague appeared again at Lefkimmi in 1815 because of some illegal
merchandise that arrived from an infested part of the world. The nearby village of Marathias was totally
burnt down and on Corfu we still have the saying, “Like Marathias” for anything that is completely burnt
down! The market at Lefkimmi was guarded by soldiers and the market opened when a yellow flag was
raised at 8.00 am in the morning and closed at sunset when the flag was lowered. Whoever passed near
this area and did not answer the military command, “Who goes there?” was shot without any further
questions and any dog or other animal which approached the area was killed on the spot! From the 1st
November 1815 until 15th June 1816, 414 people died and 1,031 were infected by the disease until it was
officially announced that this terrible disease was no longer a threat.
A few kilometres south of Argyrades, on the main Lefkimmi road, there is a well known upmarket
restaurant, on the entrance to the main street to the village. The street meanders along until it brings
you back to the main road after a few hundred metres. All the houses are on different levels with
singles and doubles side by side. Many of the two story houses have a second floor balcony; creating
a canopy of shade for the owners, who sit underneath on the ground floor at their outdoor table
and chairs. Off the main street, the houses tumble down the hill towards the church. Many of these
houses seem to have been built sympathetically, around the olive trees, giving the tree a pride of
place and respect. There is a lovely kafeneion, with a couple of tables outside. There is an insurance
office adjacent to it, where there is a road which will take you past the main church and down to the
beautiful sandy Marathias beach. All this information was kindly supplied from the books written by Steve Ford and the money raised from sales of these goes to Corfu Charities. Please use the link below to download your own copy and find more information on all the villages listed and more from Steve
Websitehttps://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=steve+ford+corfu+villages&ref=nb_sb_noss_2
Emailcorfuvillageseu@gmail.com
Location:Unnamed Road, Marathias 490 80, Greece