March 23, 1783 Earthquake: Lefkada, Greece

Note: entry is a combination of effects of events from 20-23 March 1783.

Ref #1093: 1783, 20 March a disastrous earthquake on the island of Ste-Maure. In the capital, Amaxiki: extensive destruction and 26 deaths. In the countryside, two villages were completely destroyed.

Ref #9116:

AD 1783 Mar 20, Lefkas. […] houses were destroyed down to their foundations in Athania, Dragano and other villages in the south of the island. In one village, 16 were reported dead. Two public buildings and a barracks were also ruined. In this or one of the earthquakes over the following days 16 people died when the fortress of Santa Maura collapsed or was damaged.

AD 1783 Mar 22 Lefkas A second, larger earthquake occurred on Lefkas. It destroyed totally the southern part of the island: Athani was completely destroyed and the mountainside above the village collapsed; Sivros collapsed, and Ag. Petros and its water mills were destroyed by the shock and by rock falls triggered by the shock, which killed five people. Dragano was destroyed as well. In all 60 people were killed in this part of the island. In Amaxiki and in the castle not a single house was left undamaged, particularly the churches.

AD 1783 Mar 23 Lefkas A third, and larger, shock took place in Lefkas before the morning service on Sunday 12 March 1783 (O.S.). It completed the destruction of the western part of the island. Most of the houses in the villages of Dragano, Komilio, Kalamitsi, Diamiliani, Exanthia, Englovi, Ag. Ilias, Sivros and Vournika were totally destroyed. What was left of Athani and Dragano was razed to the ground and 16 people were killed. In spite of the fact that most of the people had already abandoned their houses, in other villages the earthquake killed 20 people. In Athani, Dragano and Kalamitsi, as well as in Amaxiki, all churches were totally ruined and a few collapsed. In Amaxiki two public buildings and the barracks were destroyed (PFSR 1783, 5.5). In all, the earthquake destroyed 855 houses and 7 churches and killed 36 people.

Ref #14265:

9/20 Mar 1783. A fear-inducing earthquake of long duration was strongly felt around 8:00–8:30 p.m. It is very likely that it was a foreshock of the mainshock on 23 March 1783 (N.S.). […] No damage at all was reported by local documents. However, according to a note in Codex 42 of the Greek Parliament Library, houses in the villages of Athani and Draganon suffered extensive damage from their foundations. A modern author added that the earthquake also caused 16 fatalities. The same author repeated exactly the same information for the mainshock on 12/23 March 1783. A reasonable explanation is that Codex 42, as well as Ambraseys, very likely amalgamated information from the 9/20 March 1783 foreshock and from subsequent earthquakes that occurred the next days, including the mainshock.

11/22 Mar 1783. No damage was reported from this earthquake.

12/23 Mar 1783. It caused extensive destruction, particularly in the villages of the southwestern part of the island. Many buildings collapsed, including 855 houses, 27 churches, and at least two windmills. In the town of Amaxiki, as well as in Ayia Mavra, nearly all the houses were damaged, but only two collapsed. The death toll estimates vary from 35 to 60 […] the main destruction was concentrated in the western part of the island. The village of Draganon was the most heavily hit and rendered a mass of ruins, woods, and stones. The houses of the village, about 100, as well as 3 churches, all collapsed. The number of fatalities was as high as 17, while the number of injuries was nearly the same. […] In Kalamitsi, all buildings, namely, 70 houses and 2 churches, collapsed and buried 12 persons under the ruins, while more than 20 were injured […] five persons were killed in Ayios Petros because a windmill was buried under a massive landslide.