February 25, 1742 Earthquake: Zakynthos, Greece

14/25 February 1742. Another strong earthquake, which is also known from several sources, caused destruction in Zakynthos (see reviews in [23,42,48]). The church of Faneromeni was again damaged in a way like the damage caused by the 1729 earthquake. (reference #13931)

25 February 1742, Zakynthos. The shock occurred at midnight, on the Sunday of the Prodigal Son, 13-14 February 1742 (O.S.). In the town on Zakynthos, this damaging earthquake, known as the 'Earthquake of the Prodigal Son' after the Sunday on which it occurred, caused the collapse of a number of houses as well as of the bell towers of the churches of San Niccolo and of the Redentore, killing a number of people. The cathedral of San Marco, which had recently been repaired because it was in a bad condition, was damaged, together with other public buildings. and the church of Sta lvlaria di Loreto in the fortress of Zante was ruined. Also, in ,villages in the island, houses and public and military buildings that had been repaired after the earthquake of 1741 were again damaged and many collapsed. The total number of people killed is variously estimated between 22 and 120, but details of the effect of the event outside the capital are lacking in local and Venetian documents. Some damage extended beyond the island of Zante. In the Peloponnese and in the western part of the Gulf of Corinth the earthquake caused damage additional to that already sustained a year previously […] In Vostitse (Aigion) the earthquake was not very strong but some houses collapsed, and the minaret of the mosque of Osman Pa~a was destroyed. A later source adds that at the time of the earthquake a greater boiling of the sea, which rose 150 yards (sic.}, was noticed. However, because the town had been built on elevated ground away from the sea, it did not suffer at that time, and no great damage resulted from the influx of the sea […] The detailed survey of damage carried out on the island is dated to the day after the earthquake, 26 February 1742 (N.S.; ASV f. 987). The earthquake is noted in the papers of the Kattevati family, where it is dated to the night of 14 February 1742 (O.S.; Barbiani and Barbiani 1863), and is also mentioned in undated French diplomatic correspondence […] Total casually estimates vary between 22 and 120. Unfortunately details on damage outside the town of Zante are lacking, but the earthquake was at least strongly fell in Kefalonia. (reference #9116)