Native name: Λαζαρέτο | |
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| Geography | |
| Coordinates | 39°38′56″N 19°52′50″E / 39.64889°N 19.88056°E |
| Adjacent to | Ionian Sea |
| Administration | |
Lazaretto Island, (Greek: Λαζαρέτο, also Lazareto, formerly known as Aghios Dimitrios) is located two nautical miles northeast of the city of Corfu. The island has an area of 7 ha (17 acres) and is administered by the Greek National Tourist Organization. It gets its name from the lazaretto located there.
During Venetian rule in the early 16th century a monastery was built on the islet and a leprosarium was established there later that century, after which the island was named.
In 1798, during the French occupation, it was occupied by the Russo- Turkish fleet which ran it as a military hospital. During the British occupation, in 1814, the leprosarium was again opened after renovations. After the Union with Greece in 1864 the leprosarium saw occasional use. [1]
During World War II, the Italian occupation authorities established a concentration camp there for the prisoners of the Greek National Resistance movement. [2] There remains today the two-storied building that served as the headquarters of the Italian army, a small church, and the wall against which those condemned to death were shot. [1] [2]