February 22, 1723 Earthquake: Lefkada, Greece

1723, February 18. Kefalonia. Another violent shock occurred in Kefalonia at 2 in the night of 18 February 1723 (O.S.). It caused no damage but, according to a local note, the sea flooded the land. Strong shocks continued to be felt until 15 May (Tsitselis, 1904, 428-429). AD 1723 Feb 20 Kefalonia. An earthquake in the Ionian Islands caused houses to collapse at Erisos and Paliki, Kefalonia, with many fatalities and injuries, and there were also great losses at Lixouri and Argostoli. On Zante a few houses collapsed and many were cracked, and the earthquake was strongly felt on Lefkas, where it caused panic and seems to have damaged the church of San Demetrio. It was perceptible in Corfu, and also on the mainland in Arta and in the Morea (Peloponnese). This event is found in a contemporary note written in Lefkas, which says that it occurred on Saturday at night, on 9 February 1723 (O.S.). The date is conf irmed in an eye-witness account from Amaxiki (9 February O.S. = 20 February N.S.) […] In Lefkas it lasted a long time, but fortunately no house fell. It was followed by many smaller shocks, the strongest of which happened on 22 February, causing considerable additional damage in Kefalonia. (reference #9116)

1723, February 22, 02h. 38.6 N, 20.65 E, magnitude 6.7, intensity VIII (Leukada). In a note of the priest Kontarini (from Lixuri) it is written that on 9 February in the evening a very violent earthquake occurred which lasted much time and shook all houses of the island. On 11 February at 2h in the night a very strong earthquake occurred and pulled down many houses in Leukada. The place set apart for women in the church of Evagelistria collapsed. Many parts of Saint Minas, the tower bell of Sotiros and the wall of Saint Paraskeve were fissured. Large damage occurred in the capital Amaxike. As it results from a memorial tablet in the wall of the Latin church Pantokrator, which was located in the fortress of Leukada and was built by Varbarigo Balbo in 1733, this church was pulled down by the earthquake. In the same note of Kontarini, it is written that at 2h in the night an earthquake occurred and it was near to destroy all houses in Lixuri. The sea rushed in the land and then withdrew. It caused damage in the northern and western part of Cephallonia, mainly in Palike, in Erisos, and in Argostoli. In Zante and Arta the earthquake was felt as very violent and as violent in Patra. This is considered by Stamatelos as the seventh destruction ofLeukada since 1612. (reference #4408)

Earthquake on 11/22 February 1723, 8:00 a.m.. From the earthquake archive by Zampelios, we learned that a strong earthquake shook the island of Lefkada and caused extensive destruction at around 8:00 a.m.. Many houses and churches fell, while others fissured in Amaxiki, in Ayia Mavra, and in other places. Damage was also caused in Zakynthos, and in Cephalonia, the earthquake was strongly felt. It is very likely that the earthquake on 11/22 February 1723 was an aftershock of the very strong earthquake that occurred at dawn towards Saturday 9/20 February 1723. The island of Lefkada was shaken for a long time, which indicates a relatively distant source, but no damage was reported. On the contrary, the earthquake caused destruction and many fatalities and injuries in the islands of Cephalonia, while it was also felt in Zakynthos and Corfu islands and as far as the Greek mainland, e.g., in the city of Arta. Apparently, the 9/20 February 1723 earthquake had its maximum intensity in Cephalonia, very likely in Lixouri town. The epicenter of the aftershock of 11/22 February 1723 possibly was located to the north of the epicenter of the mainshock, and this is the reason that the aftershock caused significant damage in Lefkada. (reference #14265)