Byzantine Museum

The Byzantine Museum on Solomos Square is one of the most important collections of post-Byzantine and Ionian school art in Greece. Its holdings come largely from the churches of Zakynthos that were damaged or destroyed in the catastrophic 1953 earthquake, and the collection reflects the island's particular artistic tradition — a blend of Byzantine iconographic conventions with Renaissance naturalism, the result of Venetian rule from 1484 to 1797.

The highlight is the section devoted to the Ionian School painters, particularly Panagiotis Doxaras, who introduced oil painting and three-dimensional perspective to Greek religious art in the early 18th century. There are also carved wooden iconostases rescued from destroyed churches, gold and silver ecclesiastical objects, illuminated manuscripts, and a scale model of Zakynthos Town as it looked before the earthquake. The museum is well organised and has good English labelling throughout.

things to do museum
A story
When the 1953 earthquake destroyed most of Zakynthos Town, rescue teams made a point of salvaging the icons and carved wooden iconostases from ruined churches before clearing the rubble. Many of these pieces ended up here, making the museum an inadvertent beneficiary of the disaster. Some of the rescued works date to the 14th century and would otherwise have been lost entirely.