Panayia Neradziha is an important monument which clearly reveals its two construction periods, Classical and Byzantine. The lower part is the only surviving and visible section of the wall of the ancient city of Kerkyra, a fortification tower, and its construction is dated to the Classical period (5th cent. B.C.).

In the Byzantine period, the tower was converted into a small aisleless basilica with a three-sided sanctuary apse and elaborate ornamental brickwork on the exterior. The latter is a typical feature of the Byzantine architecture of the 11th and 12th centuries, when the church was founded. From the period survives almost the entire north side, with two blind arches and an arched opening. In the post-Byzantine period (after 1453), the church was repaired and a narthex was added to the south side.

The church must have been dedicated to the Virgin Mary (Theotokos Hodegetria), the patron of Constantinople, for special prayers are still said every year on the 23rd of August, her feast day, in front of the iconostasis. It probable acquired the epithet “Neradziha”, which is still used today, from the surrounding district.

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