Η ΑΠΟΝΟΜΗ ΤΗΣ ΕΚΚΛΗΣΙΑΣΤΙΚΗΣ ΔΙΚΑΙΟΣΥΝΗΣ ΑΠΟ ΤΟΝ ΜΕΓΑ ΠΡΩΤΟΠΑΠΑ ΤΗΣ ΚΕΡΚΥΡΑΣ ΙΩΑΝΝΗ ΒΟΥΛΓΑΡΗ (1738-1749)

Files no. 35 and 36 from the archive of the Grand Protopapas of Corfu, Ioannis Voulgaris, which comprise the basic source for the present study are titled as “records of criminal cases, marriages, etc.” and contain a total of 58 case files from the Christian orthodoxy justice. These records refer to Venetian-held Corfu during the period 1738-1748 and document transgressive behaviors of the clergy, as well as private disputes related to marriage (mainly divorce petitions), offering valuable insights into the island’s history and more specifically, into the local Christian The objective of this study is to examine the function of the Christian orthodoxy law. archbishopric. It begins with an introduction to the orthodoxy court within the broader framework of its coexistence with Venetian civil courts and the Christian catholic historical context of the church and the legal status that prevailed in Venetian Corfu and then categorizes and analyzes the case files in order to shed light on the judicial and penal jurisdiction exercised by the head of Christian orthodoxy justice, Grand Protopapas Ioannis Voulgaris.