Corgialenios Museum
The Corgialenios Historical and Cultural Museum located in Argostoli, span the history of Kefalonia, from the Venetian Conquest (circa 1500 A.D.) to the destruction of the cultural heritage by the 1953 earthquakes, from the point of view of everyday life of island people which is interposed and dynamically affected by historical developments (consecutive occupations by foreign powers, union with Greece, wars, earthquakes, etc).
The Museum’s purpose is not simply to safe keep the historic memory of a world forever lost, but to showcase the life and developing cultural idiosyncrasy of the land, having as a base the rich cultural heritage intertwined with the promotion of scientific historical research.
The Corgialenios Historical and Cultural Museum studies and promotes all facets of urban and rural life (i.e. dress code, costumes, household furnishings and fittings, family and social life, entertainment, folk and popular art, etc), as well as ecclesiastic art and the worship rituals of Kefalonians. Furthermore, the Museum covers pre-earthquake architecture and civic planning, the destruction by the 1953 earthquakes and the reconstruction which followed, and, honours prominent personalities – of Kefalonian or other origins – who left their impression on the island’s history.
The Museum is housed on the ground floor of the preservable post-earthquake building of the Corgialenios Library of Argostoli. Two of its halls are housed on the ground floor of the New Wing of the building. The Museum, the General National Archives – Archives of Kefalonia which are also housed in this building, and the Corgialenios Library, comprise a significant intellectual and scientific attraction on an international level.
The Museum’s permanent exhibition is divided into thematic collections (urban, rural, ecclesiastic art, and the Civic Plan of Argostoli), in an effort to showcase the local cultural significance in its entirety. The philosophy behind this classification is for the visitor to feel that they are entering a warm family atmosphere rather than an exhibition hall. In order to make the visitor’s experience more than an aesthetic journey, a true-to-life tour, the transition through the different sections is done in such a way as to give a holistic feeling and a coherent and sequential link between the different entities of this world lost. The two separate exhibits (Byzantine Icon Collection of Sp. Harokopos and the Frangiskos and Stefanos Vallianos Collection) have been classified autonomously using the same philosophy – especially the latter.
In the museum you can visit the informative Corgialeneios Library where a lot of children’s activities are hosted in the summer months (check their fb page for upcoming events)
Contact Info
Please mention Kefalonia By Anna when you contact