Palace of Saints Michael and George (Palea of Anaktora), also known as the Royal Palace, is the largest monument of British rule on the island of Corfu. Huge architectural complex was built in 1819-1824 years as the residence of sir Thomas Maitland (British high Commissioner, the Governor of the Ionian Islands). The Palace also housed the Ionian Senate and the headquarters of the order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of knighthood, founded in 1818. The Palace was designed by the English engineer Colonel sir George Whitmore in the ancient Roman style and is made of Maltese limestone.

The three-storey building has an impressive facade, which is decorated with Doric columns. On the sides are two symmetrical wings, made in the form of covered galleries. One of the galleries is named in honor of St. George and leads to the Venetian harbour. The second part, named in honor of St. Michael, goes to the Palace Park. Before the main entrance on the square is the bronze monument to Frederick Adams, who was Governor of the Ionian Islands in 1824-1831. The Palace complex is surrounded by beautiful gardens with ponds and lush vegetation.

After the British left Corfu in 1864, in the Palace for some time lived the Royal family of Greece. Then the building was abandoned, and the wonderful architectural ensemble fell into disrepair. During the Second World war the building miraculously survived the bombing by the Italians of the city of Corfu. In 50-ies of the 20 century on the initiative of the English Ambassador in Greece, the Palace was restored. Also major restoration was carried out in 1992-1994.

Today in the Palace of Saint Michael and Saint George is a Museum of Asian art. The collection consists of 10,000 artifacts that were collected by diplomat G. Manos (born Kerkyra) during his travels in China, Japan, India and other countries. There is also the archives of the Ionian Senate, Classical antiquities Inspectorate and a public library with a collection of over 60,000 volumes of Greek and foreign books. In the Palace Park is "Art cafe", which houses an art gallery. It regularly hosts exhibitions of Greek and foreign artists.

Palace of Saints Michael and George is a historical heritage and an important architectural monument. The Palace is also used as a venue for official diplomatic events. In 1994, there were a summit of the European Union, and in 2002 a meeting of the Council of the UNESCO world heritage.