Case file · Apparition / miracle
Saint Spyridon and the siege of Corfu
When a large Ottoman army abandoned the siege of Corfu in August 1716, Corfiots credited their patron Saint Spyridon, who was said to have appeared over the ramparts during a violent storm.
1716 CE · 39.62, 19.92 · status: legend
The account
The Venetian garrison under Count von der Schulenburg held the fortress for weeks; after a failed assault and a storm on the night of 19–20 August, the besiegers withdrew. The Venetian Senate rewarded the defenders, and Corfu still carries the saint's relics in procession every 11 August in thanks.
The sceptical view
Military historians point to the garrison's defence, the storm and the Austrian victory at Petrovaradin two weeks earlier, which made the Ottomans withdraw.