Casa Avero - St. Augustine, FL
N 29° 53.776 W 081° 18.793
17R E 469759 N 3307332
Located just a block off the OST is the historic Casa Avero, also known as the Avero House and the St. Photios National Greek Orthodox Shrine. It is located on historic St. George Street in St. Augustine, Florida.
Waymark Code: WMRDWG
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 06/15/2016
Views: 5
"The Avero House, also known as the Site of Minorcan Chapel or the St. Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine, is a historic home in St. Augustine, Florida, United States. It is located at 41 St. George Street. On June 13, 1972, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
The St. Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine is dedicated to the first colony of Greek people who came to America in 1768. The Shrine includes the St. Photios Chapel which features Byzantine decorations, and a museum with exhibits about the life of early Greek settlers and the development of the Greek Orthodox Church in America."
-- Wikipedia
A plaque on the house provides the following information:
Casa Avero
St. Photios National Greek Orthodox Shrine
Built 1749 - Restored 1979
This shrine is dedicated to the memory of the 400 Greeks who arrived in St. Augustine in 1768. Took on fresh supplies, then journeyed south to help settle the colony of New Smyrna, Florida. After ten difficult years, the survivors of that colony sought refuge in St. Augustine, where they gathered in the Avero House for worship. These pioneers comprised the first permanent settlement of Greeks on this continent. This house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Property of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America
The following information is from the Florida Division of Historical Resources:
"St. Augustine AVERO HOUSE 39 St. George St. Early 18th century. Spanish colonial elements. 2 stories, stuccoed, 1st-floor windows have rejas (bars). 4 vigas (roof beams) on front facade. Among the oldest houses in the district, once used as a private oratory by Catholic Minorcans and as a place of worship for Greeks who migrated from the failed New Smyrna colony. Private. N.R. 1972."