Greek Orthodox Church. Greek temple architecture. Piety and non-resistance to evil

Greek church , in other words - the Greek kingdom, the church, until 1821 was part of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, recognized the unconditional power of the ecumenical patriarch over itself and lived a common life with the great Church of Christ. In 1821, an uprising broke out in Greece against the hated Turkish yoke, engulfing all sectors of society and placing under the banner of the national army and representatives of the church, parish clergy and monks. Due to the difficult circumstances of wartime, church life in the provinces of modern Greece also fell into disarray. The clergy, engaged in the struggle for national freedom, broke off relations with the Patriarchate of Constantinople, although they did not reject their dependence on the patriarch. The patriarchs of Constantinople, who were rapidly changing on the throne and preoccupied with the improvement of immediate affairs, considered it useless to send ordinary sociable letters to the rebellious areas where there was neither church nor civil authority, but limited themselves to letters of exhortation, calling on the people to submit to the Turkish government. Under such conditions, the Greek bishops and clerics commemorated "any Orthodox episcopacy", or simply "any episcopacy" during divine services. In view of the complete disorder of church affairs in Greece, at first the so-called people's assemblies, consisting of secular and clergy persons and temporarily acquiring administrative rights, were engaged in streamlining them. But these meetings (in Epidaurus in 1822, in Astra - in 1823, in Hermione and Troezen - 1827) did not come to any specific forms of church government and were limited to projects, although the jurisdiction of the ecumenical patriarch over dioceses of Greece officially and did not reject. During the reign of Count John Kapodistrias (since April 11, 1827), an epitropy of five bishops was first elected to manage church affairs, and then a ministry was established, and canonical communion with the ecumenical patriarch was also restored. But the unexpected death of Kapodistrias (1831) broke his ecclesiastical activity from the very beginning. In January 1833, the new king Friedrich Otto, a seventeen-year-old Bavarian prince, settled in Greece. In view of his minority, a regency of Bavarian dignitaries was established, headed by Maurer. For the organization of church affairs, the regency formed a special seven-member commission, headed by the Minister of Church Affairs Trikupis. The commission was inspired to carry on the business on a Protestant basis. Unfortunately, even among the Greeks there were people who sincerely shared the Protestant views on the position of the church in the state and zealously tried to implement them in their own country. Such was the secretary of the commission, Hieromonk Theoclitus Pharmakid, who studied in Germany, an educated and energetic man, who was the soul of the commission. He was the first to suggest to the regency the idea of ​​declaring the Greek Church autocephalous, under the leadership of the king, and without any intercourse with the Patriarch of Constantinople. In this sense, the commission in 1833 drew up a project for the construction of the church. The government first considered this project in the council of ministers, then secretly asked the bishops about the autocephaly of the church, and finally convened a council of 22 bishops to discuss the project. On July 23, 1833, the Greek church was declared independent of the Patriarch of Constantinople, and soon a synod was appointed to manage its affairs. The essence of the canonism of 1833 on the church structure in Greece was as follows. The Orthodox Church of the Kingdom of Greece, spiritually not recognizing any other head but the Lord Jesus Christ, and in governmental terms having the King of Greece as its supreme head, is autocephalous and independent of any other authority, with strict observance of dogmatic unity in everything, since ancient times revered by the entire Orthodox Eastern Church. The supreme ecclesiastical authority is in the hands of a permanent synod, called the "Holy Synod of the Kingdom of Greece" and subject to the supreme supervision of the king; the king, by special order, establishes a state ministry with the rights of supreme power, to which the synod will be subordinate. The synod consists of five members, of which one chairman and four advisers; they are appointed by the government for a period of one year and receive a salary. Matters in the synod are decided by a majority vote, the decisions are recorded in the protocol, which is signed by everyone. In the synod there is a representative of the government - the royal prosecutor, without whose participation the synod does not have the power to make decisive decisions. Members of the synod and officials of its office take the oath according to a special formula. In all the internal affairs of the church, the synod acts independently of any secular authority. But since the highest state authority has supreme supervision over all matters arising in the state, not a single matter subject to the jurisdiction of the synod is considered or decided without prior communication with the government and without its approval. This applies both to the internal affairs of the church, such as the preservation of the purity of the teachings of the faith, the correct performance of divine services, the fulfillment by clergy of their duties, the religious enlightenment of the people, church discipline, the ordination of clergy, the consecration of church utensils and church buildings, and jurisdiction in purely church affairs, so especially to matters of a mixed nature, such as: the appointment of the time and place of worship, the founding and abolition of monasteries, the appointment and cancellation of religious processions, the appointment to church positions, the indication of the boundaries of dioceses, orders regarding educational and charitable institutions, etc. n. Diocesan bishops are under the authority of the synod and are subordinate to it, are appointed to the cathedra and deposed by the government at the proposal of the synod, and receive decent maintenance from the government. The number and location of dioceses and parishes is determined by the government according to the report of the synod. The synod owns the supreme court over the clergy and laity in purely ecclesiastical matters, and its decisions are submitted for government approval, while civil cases of clerics (for example, on the property of churches and monasteries, on the construction of temples) are subject to the competence of the secular government. The king has the right to convene ecclesiastical councils under his patronage. During divine services, the bishops first commemorate the king, and then the synod. So, by virtue of the canonism of 1833, all government power in the church was given to the king, who was recognized as its head and supreme head, and the synod turned out to be nothing more than one of the civil institutions, therefore it was called the sacred "synod of the kingdom of Greece"; in canonism, contrary to the definition of the council of bishops (1833), nothing was said that the participation of the king in church administration should not contradict church canons, and on the other hand, it did not mention that the synod itself should manage the affairs of church rules. The synod, despite its administrative nature, was subject to dual tutelage - the ministry of church affairs and the royal epitrop; its members were appointed only for one year, so that the government could conveniently remove from it restless and unpleasant members.

Time very quickly proved all the abnormalities of the newly established church system in Greece and convinced the local Holy Synod of its complete dependence on the secular authorities. About a month after the issuance of the canonism of 1833, the synod found it necessary to raise the question with the government in which cases it could correspond directly with various churches and civil authorities of the state and in which cases it must first seek the permission of the government. It was explained to the Synod that in internal church affairs, the approval of the government (placet) is required only when it comes to issuing new laws and orders, and in all other cases, a prosecutor’s “watch” is sufficient. In cases of a mixed ecclesiastical-public nature, the approval of the prosecutor or the ministry is required, depending on the importance of the case. Judicial verdicts of the court, all without exception, need the approval of the government. From this government addition to canonism, the synod clearly saw that it was subordinate to the government not only in external church affairs, but also in internal ones, and was bitterly disappointed in its hopes to base church government on the canons. In vain did the synod ask the government to change the first paragraphs of canonism in the spirit of the conciliar decision of 1833 and give it some independence in administration: the government replied that the introduction into canonism of resolutions that church rules should serve as the basis for church administration could give rise to many and harmful to reinterpretations regarding royal supremacy (χυριἁρχια), and to the general objections of the synod, the government responded in a harsh, rudely threatening tone, with an accusation of treason, which prompted the members of the synod to bring a humiliating and pathetic excuse. And a strong dissatisfaction arose in society with the new canonism, which legitimized Caesaropapism in the church, that is, the king, contrary to the canons, was given headship in the church and power even over the holy synod; many did not like the fact that the proclamation of the independence of the Greek Church took place without the consent of the Patriarch of Constantinople, etc.

In 1843 a revolution broke out in Greece and the kingdom was declared a constitutional state. The change in the form of government also gave rise to a revision of the legal provisions of the former government regarding the structure and management of the church. At the meeting of deputies in 1844, the following two provisions were introduced into the constitution:
1) “The dominant religion in Greece is the faith of the Eastern Orthodox Church of Christ, and any other known religion is tolerant and its liturgical actions are performed without hindrance under the supervision of laws, but proselytism and any other attack on the dominant religion is prohibited.
2) The Orthodox Church of Greece, recognizing as the head of our Lord Jesus Christ, exists inseparably united dogmatically with the great Church of Constantinople and every other Orthodox Church of Christ, invariably preserving, like them, the sacred apostolic and conciliar canons, remains autocephalous, acting independently of any other church in administrative their duties, and is governed by the Holy Synod of Bishops. These two provisions destroyed the first members of the canonism of 1833, but otherwise this canonism remained unchanged.

About twenty years have passed since the time when the Church of the Kingdom of Greece was proclaimed autocephalous, but it still remained in an indefinite position, since it did not receive consent to its autonomous government from the Patriarch of Constantinople, to whom it had previously been subordinate, and was not recognized in independent of other local Orthodox churches. The Greek government, not recognizing power behind church rules, considered its church to be legally existing, but the hierarchy could not take the point of view of secular power and continued to be vividly aware of its former canonical connection with the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the need for its consent to the autocephaly of the Greek Church. Eloquent evidence of this is the fact that throughout this long period of time, the Greek bishops did not allow themselves to ordain a single bishop, although the need for this was great. In view of this state of church affairs, the government and the synod of Greece repeatedly made cunning attempts to establish relations with the Patriarch of Constantinople and, as if by chance, achieve from him recognition of the independence of the Greek Church. But in Constantinople they well understood the significance of these attempts and did not make any concessions. Then Athens became convinced of the need for direct action. In 1850 the government and the synod sent to the patriarch of Constantinople letters identical in content, in which they asked the patriarch only to consider the ecclesiastical statute established in Greece. But the patriarchate correctly understood the true state of church affairs in Greece and the meaning of both letters, therefore, when discussing these matters at the council of 1850, its members held the following basic point of view: the Greek dioceses had long been under the jurisdiction of the ecumenical throne, but then they got lost and now again seeking acceptance into church unity. The Council expressed its joy at the restoration of broken communion with the ecumenical patriarch, who alone has the canonical right to recognize the Greek Church as independent, and, after a thorough discussion of the matter, decided in the Holy Spirit the following definition. “The Orthodox Church in the Kingdom of Greece, which has its Head Leader and Head, like the entire Catholic Orthodox Church, Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ, will henceforth be lawfully independent, and recognize as its supreme church government a permanent synod consisting of bishops who are successively called by seniority of ordination, under the presidency of the Most Reverend Metropolitan of Athens, and managing the affairs of the church according to divine and sacred rules, free and unhindered from any worldly interference. The holy synod established by this conciliar act in Greece we recognize and proclaim as our brother in spirit, proclaiming to all the pious and Orthodox children everywhere of the one holy catholic and apostolic church, let it be recognized as such and commemorated under the name of the holy synod of the Greek church. We also grant him all the powers of authority that befit the highest church government, so that he would henceforth be commemorated during divine services by the Hellenic bishops in their dioceses, and his chairman would commemorate the entire bishopric of the Orthodox, and so that all canonical actions regarding the ordination of bishops belong to this synod. But in order to preserve its lawful unity with the Great Church of Constantinople and with the other Orthodox Churches of Christ, according to the divine and sacred rules and customs of the Catholic Orthodox Church, betrayed from the fathers, he must commemorate in the sacred diptychs precisely the ecumenical patriarch and the other three patriarchs in order, as well as the whole bishopric of the Orthodox, and also to receive as much as necessary, and holy chrism from Christ's holy great church. The Chairman of the Holy Synod, according to conciliar and betrayed orders from the fathers, upon entering into this title, undertakes to send ordinary conciliar letters to the ecumenical and other patriarchs, just as they, upon their entry, will do the same. In addition, when ecclesiastical matters require joint consideration and mutual assistance for the better organization and establishment of the Orthodox Church, it is necessary that the Hellenic Holy Synod belong to the Ecumenical Patriarch and the Holy Synod that is with him. And the ecumenical patriarch, together with his synod, will willingly render his assistance, informing the Holy Synod of the Hellenic Church about what is necessary. But matters related to internal church administration, such as the election and ordination of bishops, their number, the name of their chairs, the ordination of priests and deacons, the combination and dissolution of marriages, the management of monasteries, deanery, supervision of the clergy, the preaching of the word of God, the prohibition of those contrary to faith books - all this and the like should be decided by the Holy Synod by a Synodal decision, without in any way violating the sacred rules of St. cathedrals, the customs and precepts of the Eastern Orthodox Church betrayed by the fathers. After the Greek Church was recognized as autocephalous, the local government was to draw up a new regulation on church administration, in the spirit of the decree of the Council of Constantinople in 1850 and in accordance with church canons, and the canonism of 1833, as contrary to both, naturally had to lose legislative force and give way to another statute completely different from the previous one. The Greek synod understood the matter in this way and in this sense, on behalf of the government, drew up a bill, which in February 1852 was submitted to the minister for consideration and approval. Minister Vlachos reviewed and amended the bill in May and returned it to the synod. The Synod was surprised to see that its bill was completely distorted and revised in the spirit of the canonism of 1833. The members of the synod made detailed remarks on the ministerial draft and demanded that it be changed in accordance with church canons. The demands of the synod and its remarks brought Vlachos into great anger; he made it clear to the members of the synod that civil authority was offended in his person, and refused to give the case a quick move, since the meetings of the synod allegedly show that the bill is not urgently needed. The synod had to renounce some of its remarks, but asked the minister to pass the draft through legislation as soon as possible, since it was urgently needed. But the minister did not yield until the synod was forced to express its consent to the adoption of the ministerial bill in its entirety and in the wording given to it. The minister easily carried it through all legislative instances, and on September 10, 1852, he sent it to all the ecclesiastical authorities of the kingdom for execution. This law on the organization of government in the Church of Greece, without any significant change, is still in force today. It's called like this: Νὁμος χαταστιχὁς τἡς ἱερἁς συνὁδου τἡς ἑχχλησἱας τἡς ῾Ελλἁδος ". In its spirit and very presentation, it resembles the regulation of 1833, but it also has such expressions that were introduced into it under the influence of the definition of the Patriarchal Synod of Constantinople in 1850. Hence, the duality of principles is observed in the law. In it, the Hellenic church is recognized as a new social union, distinct from the state, is considered a member of the universal church, recognizing the Lord Jesus Christ as its head, it is said that it is spiritually governed by bishops, who are guided by the apostolic and conciliar canons and patristic traditions, and the highest management is entrusted to the "sacred Synod of the Church of Greece”, consisting of five members, headed by the Metropolitan of Athens. But at the same time, the members of the synod, upon taking office, swear to be faithful to the constitution and unquestioningly obey the laws of the state, are summoned to the synod by the government for one year, after which they return to their dioceses, and the government can retain two of them for a second term, at your discretion; secretaries of the synod - clerics are also determined by the king, on the proposal of the Minister of Church Affairs. At the meetings of the synod, the royal epitrop, a representative of the civil authority, is obligatory present, and subscribes to all its decisions, no matter what they concern; any matter decided by the synod in the absence of the bishop or not signed by him, has no force. Cases subject to consideration by the synod are divided into internal or ecclesiastical and external, having a connection with public interests; in internal affairs, the synod acts independently of civil authority, and it performs external duties with the assistance and approval of the government. But what is said above about the royal epitrop destroys all freedom of the synod in matters and internal affairs, deprives him of initiative in the purely ecclesiastical area, creates a complete impossibility to do and undertake anything at his own discretion and in the interests of the church. This means that, in essence, the difference between these and other subjects of the synod's jurisdiction is smoothed out in practice. Further, the synod has supreme jurisdiction over all clerics and it is the highest instance in matters of ecclesiastical legal proceedings, but again all decisions of the synod in judicial matters, as well as those of diocesan bishops, are carried out only after the preliminary approval of the king or minister. Excommunication of the laity is carried out only after the prior permission of the government. Marriage affairs are considered by the synod only in relation to their ecclesiastical element, and in relation to the civil one they are subject to secular authority. A complaint against the synod is brought to the highest civil government. The synod communicates with local and foreign civil or ecclesiastical authorities through the minister of ecclesiastical affairs. During the service, the synod is commemorated after the king and queen.

Thus, the law of 1852 on the organization of the synod of the Greek Church, which is distinguished by its duality of beginnings, completely restricted the freedom of action of the synod and placed the Hellenic Church in complete dependence and even slavery on civil power. The manager in the church is not the synod, but the minister of church affairs, who has extensive rights created at the expense and to the detriment of church authority; without his permission, the synod cannot perform a single deed, not only of an external nature, but also of an internal one. The same duality of principles and the subordination of the church to the state are also observed in other ecclesiastical laws of Greece, and above all in the law on bishops and bishops, published in the same 1852. Here the bishop is called the spiritual head of the bishopric entrusted to him; according to his rank, he is the natural primate of the clergy subordinate to him, undertakes to observe the sacred canons, obey the synod, and ensures that his flock is guided in his life by church rules. But on the other hand, bishops are also thought of as government officials. After ordination, the law says, bishops are confirmed by royal order, so that they are recognized as such by the secular authorities of the kingdom. Before taking office, the bishop makes a solemn promise to be faithful to the constitution and to observe the laws of the state. In his pastoral activity, the bishop is limited by secular authorities; thus, the members of the episcopal court are appointed by royal decree; the bishop cannot issue so-called anonymous penances, that is, pastoral rebukes and exhortations about vices and errors, without the prior consent of the local secular authorities. And in the very order of legislation on church affairs in Greece, duality is noticed. The laws on the synod and bishops, contrary to the definition of the Patriarchal Synod of Constantinople in 1850, are not ecclesiastical in the narrow sense, but state laws relating to ecclesiastical affairs. This character of theirs is explicitly stated in the conclusion of their text: “this law, determined by the Chamber of Deputies and the Gerousia and approved by us, must be published in the government newspaper and must be implemented as a state law.”

After the issuance of laws on the synod and bishops, the Greek government in the same 1852 published a law on the division of the kingdom into 24 dioceses, of which one (Athenian) was elevated to the degree of metropolia, ten to the degree of archdioceses, and the rest were named bishops. By the law of 1856, the dioceses were divided into parishes. The division was carried out very unevenly; rural parishes were very small and poor. In 1852, episcopal courts were established under the diocesan bishops ( ἑπισχοπιχἁ διχαστἡρια ), the permanent members of which were appointed officials who were with the bishops: econom, sacellarius, hartophylax and protectid, and supernumerary - skevophylax and sakelli, in whose absence the imomymatographer and hieromnimon sit. All these members are appointed by the bishop and confirmed by the synod. The dicastirs consider the court cases of the clergy, the decisions on which are decided by the bishop; in addition, the members of the dicastery, in the event of the death of a bishop, constitute an episcopal epitropy, for the administration of the diocese. Hierokirixes were appointed by the government to instruct the people in the word of God. The lower clergy - priests and deacons were elected by the parishioners themselves, but were appointed by the bishops after their preliminary test. According to the law of 1852, diocesan bishops were assigned salaries from the state treasury: the metropolitan - 6,000 drachmas per year, the archbishop - 5,000, the bishop - 4,000; in addition, the Metropolitan of Athens received 3,000 drachmas a year for presiding over the synod, and the members of the synod received 2,400 drachmas each. Bishops also had occasional incomes - for marriage licenses, for issuing a divorce certificate, etc. The lower clergy received remuneration from parishioners by charging for services, receiving voluntary offerings, etc.

The church reform also touched the Greek monasteries. During the era of the Greek uprising against the Turks in Hellas, there were up to 524 male monasteries and 18 female ones. They owned huge real estate, but the management of the latter was extremely disorderly. The total number of monks stretched to 3,000. They were distributed among the monasteries very unevenly. Up to 200 monasteries had less than five monks, and 120 cloisters were completely empty. The internal life of the monasteries was in great decline, and the appointment of the abbots of the monasteries depended not on the diocesan bishops, but on the secular authorities, who, usually for a certain fee, leased the monasteries, as it were, to the monks they pleased, who used the monastic lands as their own property. By undertaking a monastic reform. The government has acted extremely unfairly. It ordered the closure of all empty monasteries with no more than six monks, their property to be confiscated in favor of the national treasury, and the monks to be relocated to other monasteries; monasteries that were not abolished had to pay five percent of their annual income in favor of the said treasury, and persons who sought the monastic rank, and cassocks, who had no more than 25 years of age, had to retire from the monasteries. In 1834, civil officials began to implement this government order. All kinds of lies, deceit and deceit were used to close as many monasteries as possible, expel as many monks as possible and confiscate all their property. The greatest shamelessness took possession of the country - everyone sought to benefit from the plight of the monasteries, everyone tried to either deceive, or hide, or buy at half price. As a result, the state acquired a huge sum of money from the confiscation of monastic property, and the church lost 394 monasteries, of which 16 were for women. Monastic money, contrary to the promise of the government to use it for church needs, began to be spent on the needs of the state, and then completely merged with state revenues. This created great displeasure among the clergy and monks, and then the very confiscation of monastic property seemed to be an insult to the Orthodox faith and the holiness of the monasteries, especially since the measure taken by the government worsened the internal life of the monasteries even more. A formidable movement arose among the monks and the people. In view of this, the government in 1858 issued a new law on monasteries. By this law, the monastic council, consisting of the hegumen and two monks - advisers, was placed at the head of the internal monastic administration. They are elected by the monks themselves from among themselves, for a period of five years, under the leadership of a special commission. The election is made by open voting. The chosen one is approved by the diocesan bishop, who informs the synod and the nomarch about this, and the synod - to the minister of church affairs. The monastic council decides matters collectively. He manages the monks of the monastery and manages its property. In the first respect, the council is subordinate to the diocesan bishop, and in the second, to civil authority in the person of the nomarch, eparch, and minister of church affairs. The monastery council is obliged to keep an accurate and detailed inventory of the possessions of the monastery and its inventory, is obliged to annually submit to the nomarch for approval an estimate of income and expenses and to give reports in the management of the property of the monastery; without the permission of the secular authorities, the council has no right to sell or exchange monastic property, movable and immovable, as well as to lease monastic lands, to take and lend money, to appear in court in economic cases, to spend monastic money for economic needs over 100 drachmas Thus, even in the law on monasteries, the Greek government remained true to its principle of domination in church affairs: it not only seized control of monastic property into its own hands, but also limited the power of the bishop over monasteries, assimilating to itself the right to influence the approval of the elected abbot of the monastery. The Greek monasteries are guided by the above law in their management even at the present time. Now the number of Greek monasteries extends to 175, of which 10 are women's; up to 1,500 monks and 200 nuns labor in them. All monasteries are diocesan. They have an annual income of more than two million drachmas, of which one-fifth, by order of the government, are obliged to contribute to the needs of public education, to the maintenance of hierokiriks, theological schools, etc. Many of the monasteries are remarkable for their venerable antiquity, historical merits, especially in the region enlightenment, wealth, a beneficial effect on the environment, in the sense of raising morality, etc. Such, for example, are the monasteries of Meteora in Thessaly, the Great Cave in the Peloponnese, the Lavra in honor of the Assumption of the Mother of God in the Calovrite diocese, the Archangel in the city of Aegialia, etc. .

Spiritual enlightenment in the country, in the early years of the history of the Greek Church, was very low. The first theological school was founded in 1830 by Kapodistrias in the monastery of the Life-Giving Spring on about. Paros. The preparatory schools for it were the orphanotrophy and the elementary school on Aegina. In 1837, a theological faculty was opened at the University of Athens, organized along the lines of Western ones. At present, eminent learned theologians, who enjoy European fame, teach here. The number of students in the faculty is not large. At the end of their studies, they enter the service of the church with the rank of clergy, hierokiriks, teachers, etc. Another hotbed of theological science in Greece is the Rizary Theological Seminary in Athens, founded in 1843 by the brothers Rizars. The school rendered great services to the country in the field of education. Now it has been made specially by the theological school, the pupils of which, after completing their studies, are obliged to go to the service of the church. Of the other theological schools existed - on the island of Syros, in Chalkis and Tripolis, opened in 1856, and in Kerkyra, founded in 1875. They belonged to the type of lower schools and were soon closed. In 1899, Bishop Theoclitus of Sparta founded a religious school in the town of Arachov. The late Metropolitan of Athens Herman (1896) built a building for a new theological seminary in Athens, but the opening of the school did not follow even now, despite the absolute necessity. In addition to schools, various syllogies, that is, societies or brotherhoods, dealt with the religious and moral education of the people in Greece. They conducted their activities through schools, conversations, readings, the publication of magazines and religious and moral books, the organization of libraries and reading rooms, etc. From the syllogs it is known: “The Brotherhood of the Christ-lovers - ῾Αδελφὁτης τὡν Φιλοχπιστων ”founded by professors at the University of Athens in 1875 and now defunct, - “The Holy Union - ῾Ιερὁς Σὑνδεσμος ", opened by Metropolitan Herman in Athens to educate the clergy and known for outstanding useful activity, -" Revival - ῾Ανἁπλασις", spreading a network of its schools in Athens and neighboring cities and villages, "Οἱχονομἱα", "Society of friends of the people - ῾Εταιρεἱα τὡν Φἱλων τοὑ Λαοὑ ”, “Παρνασσὁς - learned Athenian society”, “Syllog for the publication of useful books - Σὑλλογος πρὁς διἁδοσιν ωφελἱμων βιβλἱων ”, under the auspices of Queen Sophia, “Sillog for the spread of Greek literacy”, “Sillog for the benefit of the education of women”, “Historical and Ethnological Society, Archaeological Society”, “Christian Archaeological Commission”, “Athenian Syllog”. From the provincial syllogies known in Patras - in the name of the Apostle Andrew. Then, numerous theological journals were engaged in the enlightenment of the people in Greece. Finally, theological science had and still has worthy representatives in Greece. Of the Greek learned theologians, the most famous are: Hieromonk Theoclitus Pharmakid (1860). Presbyter Constantine. Economos 1857), Vamvas (1855), Duka (1845), prof. Kontogonis (1878), Alexander Lycurgus 1875), Nikephoros Kalogeras (1876), prof. Diomidis Kyriakos, Archim. Andronicus Dimitrokopulus (1875), John Skaltsunis and many others (there will be a special discussion about some of them in the Encyclopedia). For all that, it cannot be said that religious and moral education in Greece is at the desired height. On the contrary, A. Diomidis Kyriakos, a professor at the University of Athens, says in his Ecclesiastical History that it leaves much to be desired. The Greek clergy is far from being sufficiently educated, and this also affects the common people, who are both ignorant in matters of faith and morality, and superstitious, and indifferent to moral perfection. On the part of the church, even greater and more zealous labors are needed to raise the religious and moral level in the country, although justice requires it to be said that at the end of the 19th century enlightenment in Greece rose significantly in comparison with its position in the middle of the century. Gradually began to rise in Greece and worship. Beautiful temples were built in Athens and other cities, sacred painting began to improve, and church singing returned to the main Byzantine melodies.

Great confusion was brought into the minds of the Orthodox Greeks by Catholics and Protestants, who settled in the country shortly after its liberation. They tried to influence the Greeks mainly through schools, but when the Greeks realized the danger of teaching their children in Catholic and Protestant schools, they began to counteract propaganda by all means. Therefore, neither Catholics nor Protestants had much success in the country. In addition to heterodox propaganda, in Greece in the 19th century, local heretics, fanatics and liberals erected considerable confusion. Among them are known: Theophilus Kairis, Andrey Laskarat, Manuel Roidis, Christopher Papoulakis, Apostle Makrakis and others. They had a negative attitude towards the teachings of the Orthodox Church, spoke disapprovingly of its institutions, had their own religious and philosophical teachings, with which they seduced many. But the Holy Synod stood vigilantly on guard of its spiritual children, excommunicated these renegades from the church, and strengthened those who wavered in the Orthodox faith with the appropriate epistles.

Among other events in the history of the Greek Church, after its establishment in 1852, the addition of the diocese to it in the Ionian Islands, which took place in 1866, should be noted. In 1864, these islands (Kerkyra, Lefkada, Zakynthos, Kefallinia, Ithaca, Kythera and Naxos), which belonged to the British, were presented by them to the Greek King George I. Political unification, of course, should have led to church unity with Greece of these islands, recognized the jurisdiction of the ecumenical patriarch. Negotiations on this issue began between the churches of Ionian, Hellenic and Constantinople. The case was formalized in canonical terms and the accession took place in July 1866. In 1881, by virtue of the Berlin Treaty of 1878, Thessaly and part of Epirus were annexed to Greece; local dioceses, including nine, after proper relations with the ecumenical patriarch, also became part of the Hellenic church.

In 1900, an important change took place in the internal structure of the Greek Church: the kingdom was again divided into dioceses, the number of which was appointed thirty-two, while before there were more; the new boundaries of the dioceses coincided with those of the civil districts. All diocesan bishops, with the exception of the Metropolitan of Athens, received the title of bishop, with full equality of their rights and duties; those who have the title of archbishop retain it until the end of their lives. In 1901, all the dioceses of the kingdom were replaced by worthy candidates; and this fact is remarkable, since many episcopal sees remained vacant for a long time, others from 20 to 30 years. Then, a permanent hierocyrix was assigned to each cathedra, which was also not the case before, and there were no more than ten preachers of the word of God in the whole kingdom. In November 1901, Metropolitan Procopius of Athens lost his see. The reason for this was not quite usual, namely, a literal translation of the Gospel from the original into the common Greek language, performed by the secular writer Pallis. The translation was executed extremely rudely and ignorantly. The public religious feeling was outraged by the profanation of the holy book, the perversion of its teachings and the damage to the cherished heritage of the Greeks - the only monument of Greek writing and language. A popular revolt arose in Athens, up to and including a bloody skirmish with the troops. Metropolitan Procopius, as he failed to prevent the popular movement by timely prohibition of the translation of Pallis, was forced to abandon the pulpit.

The current state of the Greek Church, as can be seen from the speeches of Metropolitan Procopius delivered by him at the meetings of the Holy Synod, is rather sad and calls for reform. It is necessary, first of all, to change the basic law (χαταστιχὁς νὁμος) on the structure of the synod and the canonism on the diocesan bishops, striking with the duality of principles, as noted above. The monastic administration is also unsatisfactory, without the supreme supervision of the diocesan bishop over the entire system of monastic life. It is also necessary to deprive the monks of the right to vote, which brings discord and enmity to the monasteries, it is also necessary to leave the appointment of abbots and members of the council to the local bishop and synod. It is necessary, further, to add the poor and sparsely populated monasteries to the rich, in order to reduce expenses and improve the internal life of the monasteries. At monasteries, it is necessary to open not only elementary schools, but also secondary ones, for the education of monks and candidates for the priesthood, with the teaching of church music and singing, icon painting and crafts: it would be good to establish printing houses for printing liturgical books and workshops for making sacred utensils and clothes at monasteries . It is also necessary to increase the number of Hierokiriks. The rural clergy are ignorant and poor. It is necessary to multiply the number of theological schools in the kingdom and improve the existing ones, especially the theological faculty at the University of Athens, where there is no full set of professors, and some chairs remain vacant for a long time. The question of the material support of the entire Greek clergy, both higher and lower, is an urgent and extremely important question. It can be successfully solved only if a special church treasury is established; and it will not be difficult to establish such a treasury if the state returns to the church the monastic sums of money it once confiscated; this money will be enough for the church to meet many of its other needs. Further, it is necessary to make a new division of the dioceses into parishes, in order to equalize them, and deprive the civil authorities of the right to appoint the so-called. church councils in charge of parish churches, granting this right to diocesan bishops. The extreme abundance of parish clergy, despite the poverty of parishes, must also be recognized as abnormal: it is necessary to consecrate new clergy only in case of emergency. The Greek people are by nature religious, having inherited piety from Byzantine times, but this religiosity is sometimes complicated by extraneous elements born of ignorance. It is necessary to pay attention to the enlightenment of the people, and the Church alone, without material means, is completely powerless to carry out this difficult and great task: the assistance of the state is necessary, and above all - material. Finally, the construction of new churches, supplying them with decent utensils and icons of good writing, establishing a deanery for worship, and spreading the correct church liturgical tunes should also serve as a matter of concern for the church and the state. Such immediate tasks of the activities of the highest ecclesiastical and civil authority in Greece bequeathed the past century to the twentieth century.

Literature. 1) Archimandrite Stefan Giannopul (Γιαννὁπουλος ), Συλλογη τὡν εγχυχλἱων τἡς ἱερἁς συνὁδου τἡς ἑχχλησἱας τἡς Σλλἁδος . ῾Λθἡωαι . 1901. 2) Prof. E. A. Kurganov, Control device in the church of the Greek kingdom. Kazan. 1871. 3) ῾Α. Διομἡδης Κυριαχὁς, ῾Εχχλησιαστιχἡ ἱστορἱα , v. 3. ῾Αθἡναι. 1898.4) ῾Ε. Κυριαχἱδης, ῾Ιστορἱα τοὑ συγχρὁνου ἑλληνισμοὑ, τὁμοι 1-2. ῾Αθἡνα ι. 1892. 5) I. Sokolov. Essays on the history of the Orthodox Greek-Eastern Church in the 19th century. SPb. 1902 (and in the second volume of The History of the Christian Church in the 19th Century, published by Prof. A.P. Lopukhin).

The predecessors of Procopius Iconomidis in the Metropolitan See of Athens were: Neophyte, Misail, Theophilus, Procopius I (since 1874) and German Kalligas (1889-1896), a very energetic and enlightened hierarch.

* Ivan Ivanovich Sokolov,
master of theology,
Associate Professor St. Petersburg. spiritual academy.

Text source: Orthodox theological encyclopedia. Volume 4, column. 586. Edition Petrograd. Appendix to the spiritual magazine "Wanderer" for 1903 Spelling modern.

12.1. Greek Orthodox Church before the formation of an independent Greek kingdom

On the territory of modern Greece, the first Christian sermon was delivered in the 40s - 50s. according to R. Kh. thanks to the missionary travels of the holy apostle Paul and his disciples. During his second and third evangelistic journeys, he founded Christian communities in a number of cities in Macedonia and Achaia (Philippi, Thessalonica, Athens and Corinth), writing his letters to them (one to the Philippians and two letters each to the inhabitants of Corinth and Thessalonica). An associate of the Apostle Paul, Apollos (), worked in Corinth. The holy Apostle Andrew preached in Achaia, and the Apostle Philip preached in Athens. The apostle and evangelist Luke also preached on the territory of Greece, and on the island of Patmos, Saint John the Theologian received Divine Revelation. In Crete, the first bishop was a disciple of the Apostle Paul, Titus.

There is no information about the exact structure of church communities in Greece. It is only known that Corinth was the main city of the Roman province of Achaia, as a result of which the bishop of Corinth gradually rose above the other hierarchs of Greece and became a metropolitan.

At the beginning of the IV century. Emperor Constantine the Great carried out an administrative reform, as a result of which the Roman Empire was divided into 4 prefectures - East, Illyria, Italy, Gaul, which in turn were divided into dioceses, and dioceses - into provinces. The territory of Greece became part of the Macedonian diocese (the center is Thessaloniki). As a result, the Corinthian see began to lose its significance, the Bishop of Thessalonica came to the fore, who began to seek recognition of his power by other bishops of his diocese (due to the political significance of Thessalonica).

In 415, Pope Innocent I appointed the Bishop of Thessalonica as his vicar over all of Eastern Illyria. In 421, the emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire Theodosius II conquered Eastern Illyria from the pope and subordinated it to the Patriarch of Constantinople, but soon, at the insistence of the emperor of the Western Roman Empire Honorius, she again became subject to the pope.

At the beginning of the 8th century Byzantium began an iconoclastic movement. Pope Gregory III spoke out in defense of icon veneration. Then, in 732, the Byzantine emperor Leo the Isaurian again conquered Eastern Illyria from the pope and subordinated it to Constantinople, and the Thessalonica vicariate of the pope was abolished.

In 879 - 880 years. Patriarch Photius of Constantinople authorized the inclusion of the Greek Orthodox Church in the jurisdiction of Constantinople. As a result, from 880 to 1821, the Hellenic was part of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, sharing the same fate with it and with the Byzantine Empire as a whole, having experienced the invasion of the Crusaders and the Seljuk Turks. After the fall of Byzantium (1453), the Greek Orthodox Church, like the Patriarchate of Constantinople, came under Ottoman rule.

12.2. Greek Orthodox Church in 19th century

Throughout the entire Turkish period, starting from the second half of the 15th century, national liberation sentiments matured in the Greek environment, since the oppression of the Turks was very heavy. The ideas of political liberation were closely intertwined with the ideas of church independence. During the XV - XVI centuries. these ideas were not destined to come true. Only in the XVIII - XIX centuries, when the Ottoman Empire was seized by a systemic crisis (of administration, land ownership, in the field of the tax system, etc.), some Balkan peoples managed to put their ideas into practice.

At the beginning of the XIX century. in Paris, among the Greek intelligentsia, the literary society "Heterii" ("Friends of the Muses") arose. Soon it acquired a political coloring, setting the main goal of the liberation of Hellas. Other Greeks living in Europe also joined this society. In particular, it included Count John Kapodistrias, who was in the Russian service, and Prince Alexander Ypsilanti.

In 1821, Alexander Ypsilanti led an armed detachment of Greeks who invaded the Danubian principalities and raised an uprising there against the Turks. But it ended in failure.

The uprising of the Greeks in Morea, which began in 1821, culminated in the insurrectionary movement and liberation sentiments. At first, the European powers did not interfere, considering it an internal affair of Turkey. The uprising continued for several years, during which Greece bled. The advantage was on the side of the Ottomans. Then, at the insistence of Russia, England and France took the side of the Greeks in the fight against the Turks, demanding that the Sultan stop the inhuman massacre of the Greeks. For example, in 1822, the Turks killed only on the island of Chios approx. 20 thousand Greeks. In 1827, the Russian-Turkish war began, ending with the victory of Russia and the signing of the Peace of Adrianople, among the conditions of which was the recognition of the independence of Greece by Turkey. Thus, Greece became the first state in the Balkans to gain independence from the Porte.

During the years of the bloody Morean uprising, the Greek Orthodox Church played an invaluable role. First of all, the Church, of course, came out in defense of the enslaved Greek people and in a terrible time was able to unite national self-consciousness. The interests of the Greek Church were the interests of the people and vice versa.

Throughout the 1820s. meetings of four people's assemblies of the Greeks took place (in 1821, 1823, 1827 and 1829), at which issues of further church administration of the Helladic dioceses were discussed. For, while rebelling against Turkish domination, the Helladic dioceses had not yet rejected their canonical dependence on Constantinople. In 1829, at the fourth national assembly of the Greeks, the Ministry of Church Affairs and Public Education (the highest church authority with the rights of state power) was established, headed by a civil official Nikolai Chrysogelos. But still, as a result of the endless wars of the 1820s. relations between the Greek Church and Constantinople actually broke off.

Since Greece gained independence, its own state power appeared there, headed by the President of the Hellenic Republic, Count Kapodistrias. In this regard, in 1830, Patriarch Constantinople Constantius I addressed him with a letter, where he expressed the hope that the Helladic dioceses would again enter into communion with Constantinople.

In 1833, at the insistence of England, the king erected by the Western powers arrived in Hellas - the 17-year-old Bavarian prince Friedrich Otto, who, having reached the age of majority, became the ruler of Greece. One of the main concerns of the new government was the resolution of the church question. With the permission of Friedrich Otton, a commission was formed from representatives of the clergy (Bishops Paisius of Eleia and Ignatius of Ardameria and Hieromonk Theoclitus Pharmakid) and laity, chaired by the Minister of Church Affairs Spyridon Trikoupis. Soon the commission worked out a project for the structure of the Greek Orthodox Church, which was based on the idea of ​​the Church's autocephaly.

As a result, on July 23, 1833, the government issued a special declaration, according to which the Greek Orthodox Church was declared autocephalous.

The Declaration of 1833 proclaimed the basic principles of the structure of the Greek Church. The supreme ecclesiastical authority is under the control of the king in the hands of the Holy Synod of the Kingdom of Greece. The synod consists of 5 members-bishops. The government has the right to introduce additional assessors to the Synod. The Synod can make a final decision only with the participation of the Crown Prosecutor. In all internal affairs of the Church, the Synod acts independently of secular authority. However, all cases are decided with the approval of the government. During the service, it was prescribed to first commemorate the king, and then the Synod.

Thus, in fact, by the declaration of 1833, all the ruling power in the Greek Orthodox Church was given to the king. completely dependent on the state.

Metropolitan Kirill of Corinth was appointed chairman of the newly established Synod in 1833.

The Patriarch of Constantinople, however, like all other Local Orthodox Churches, assessed the proclamation of the independence of the Church of Greece as anti-canonical. There was a rupture of the Greek Church with the Orthodox fullness and, above all, with Constantinople for 17 years. Moreover, it is necessary to pay due respect to the Hellenic bishops: during the years of the break (in fact, the schism) in the Greek Church, not a single episcopal consecration took place. The clergy themselves were interested in the official recognition of their autocephaly.

Only in 1850 did Patriarch Anfim of Constantinople convene a Council, at which he affirmed the independence of the Greek Church. On this occasion, a special Tomos was issued and all Local Orthodox Churches were officially notified. Thus, the date of autocephaly of the Church of Greece is considered to be 1850, and not 1833. Contrary to the declaration of 1833, the Council decided that the Synod of Greece should consist only of bishops and decide church affairs without secular interference.

In 1852, a new law was adopted on the structure of the Synod of the Greek Church. Despite the decisions of Constantinople, it inherited the ideas of the declaration of 1833. The new law also restricted the freedom of action of the members of the Synod and made them dependent on civil authorities. Changes occurred only in the composition of the Synod: only bishops of the kingdom could be its members.

In 1852, an administrative reform was carried out - the kingdom was divided into 24 dioceses, one of which (Athens) was elevated to the degree of metropolia, 9 - to the degree of archbishoprics, the rest - to the degree of bishops. In 1856 the dioceses were divided into parishes.

In the second half of the XIX century. the canonical territory of the Church is expanding. In 1866, the flock of the Ionian Islands, which had previously been under the rule of the British, joined the Greek Orthodox Church. After their annexation to Greece, the question naturally arose of the entry of the population living on them into the jurisdiction of the Greek Church.

After the end of the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878. Thessaly and part of Epirus (Arta) were annexed to Greece, the dioceses of which also became part of the Greek Church.

During the second half of the XIX century. the number of dioceses has changed. In 1900, under a new law, the Kingdom of Greece was divided into 32 dioceses, of which 1 was the metropolis of Athens.

12.3. Greek Orthodox Church in 20th century

After the end of the First World War, the Greek hierarchs begin a movement for liberation from state guardianship.

In 1923, a council of the Greek Orthodox Church was convened, which made changes to the structure of the Church. From now on, the Council of Bishops began to govern under the chairmanship of the Archbishop of Athens with the title of "His Beatitude" (before that there was a metropolitan), and all diocesan bishops received the title of metropolitans. This order continues to this day.

In 1925, the dictatorship of Theodoros Pangalos was established in Greece. He issued a new church law, where he repeated the main provisions of the law of 1852. A Permanent Synod was established (7 members-bishops), which has the highest administrative church authority. Pangalos appointed a state commissioner to the Synod, who approved synodal resolutions, with the exception of those relating to faith and worship. Soon the number of members of the Synod was increased to 13. This provision was in effect until 1967.

In April 1967, a military coup took place in Greece. In May 1967, the Greek government issued a number of decrees concerning church life. The former composition of the Synod was dissolved, the number of its members was reduced to 9. The post of government commissioner at the Holy Synod was abolished. From now on, only a Greek could be a bishop of the Greek Church. The age limit for metropolitans and the Athenian Archbishops was determined - 80 years. This forced the 89-year-old Archbishop Chrysostomos II (1962-1967) to retire. Of course, such a gross and unjustified interference of the government in church affairs caused grief and discontent not only in Greece itself, but also in the rest of the Orthodox world, since the above-mentioned decisions were made by the government without taking into account the opinions of the entire episcopate of the Greek Church.

According to the results of the election of a new primate in 1967, Archbishop Jerome of Athens (1967-1973), one of the most educated hierarchs of the Greek Church, became head of the Greek Church. He graduated from the Faculty of Theology at the University of Athens, and also studied in Munich, Berlin, Bonn, and Oxford. In 1950 - 1956 was General Secretary of the Cyprus Liberation Commission. Since 1952 he has been a member of the Central Committee of the All-Russian Central Committee, and has shown himself to be an active ecumenical figure. Archbishop Jerome represented the Greek Orthodox Church at various inter-Christian meetings in Western Europe, America, Africa and the Middle East. On May 17, 1967, Archimandrite Jerome was enthroned as Archbishop of Athens.

After his accession to the Athenian see, Jerome proposed a project for the reorganization of the Greek Church, which included a clear establishment of the boundaries of the metropolises. In June 1967, Archbishop Jerome was in Constantinople. During the meeting with Patriarch Athenagoras, there was a conversation about the future of Orthodoxy and relations with Catholicism. Archbishop Jerome emphasized that the Orthodox Churches are moving together along the path of solving contemporary problems. Patriarch Athenagoras and Archbishop Jerome have set a course for joint action regarding ecumenical initiatives.

During his presidency, Archbishop Jerome visited the Orthodox Churches of Constantinople (1967), Romanian (1968), Bulgarian (19690), Alexandria (1971) and Serbian (1972) Orthodox Churches.

November 25, 1973 there was another military coup and a new change of government. On December 9, 1973, Archbishop Jerome publicly announced his decision to retire, which followed on December 19 of the same year.

Before Helladskaya, the question arose of electing a new primate. On January 11, 1974, the law “On determining the method of electing the Primate of the Church and putting some church affairs in order” was issued, according to which the new composition of the Synod was determined, which included only 32 out of 66 possible metropolitans, and the immediate election of the Primate of the Greek Empire was to take place. Orthodox Church in the presence of the Minister of Education and Religion. On January 12, 1974, a meeting of the Synod took place in the Petraki Monastery (Athens), at which Archbishop Seraphim, who headed the Greek Orthodox Church until 1998, was elected by a majority of votes to the post of head of the Church.

From 1998 to the present, the head of the Greek Church has been the Archbishop of Athens and all Hellas Christodoulos (in the world - Christos Paraskeviadis). He was born in 1939 in Xanthi (Greece). Graduated from the Faculty of Law and Theology of the University of Athens. In 1965, he defended his doctoral thesis in ecclesiastical law and received the degree of professor of theology. In 1974 he was elected Metropolitan of Dimitriad and Almira with a cathedra in the city of Volos. Archbishop Christodoulos is one of the most educated hierarchs of the Greek Orthodox Church. He is fluent in four foreign languages ​​and teaches canon law at the University of Thessaloniki. The scientific works of the Archbishop are highly valued in the scientific world.

The principle of subordination of the Greek Orthodox Church, as an institution, to the Greek government, laid down in the 19th century, continues to operate today. This is especially noticeable when the Greek government changes from time to time. The following fact can serve as a clear confirmation. In 1987, the country's parliament adopted a law on church property. The church in Greece owned large land plots and real estate. The new law deprived the Greek Church of the right to own property, and transferred the management of the metropolitan and parish councils to the hands of local authorities, which grossly violated the independence of the Church. The clergy announced their strong protest. An emergency meeting of the Synod regarded this as direct interference in the affairs of the Church in order to deprive her of her independence. As a result, in 1988, the ill-fated law was repealed, and the government entered into an agreement with non-interference in its affairs.

The highest administrative bodies of the Hellenic Orthodox Church are:

1 . the Holy Synod of Hierarchs, consisting of all the ruling bishops;

2 . Permanent Holy Synod, which includes 12 bishops; it sits between sessions of the Holy Synod of the Hierarchy;

3 . The General Church Assembly (General Church Assembly), consisting of permanent (bishops and representatives of church organizations) and elected (one layman from each diocese for 3 years) members. It is convened once a year and mainly resolves financial issues.

The highest executive bodies of the Greek Church are:

1 . the Central Church Council, consisting of permanent and elected members and performing part of the functions of the General Church Assembly in the period between its meetings;

2 . Synodal Administration, consisting of various committees (the Main Secretariat of the Holy Synod; on dogmatic and canonical issues; on church legislation; on external church relations, etc.).

All decisions of church administrative bodies are binding on church authorities from the moment they are published in the official organ of the Greek Orthodox Church "Ekklisia".

The chairman of all administrative and executive bodies of the Greek Church is the Archbishop of Athens and all Hellas.

The system of church administration also includes the Synodal Courts. Office of the Holy Synod, various church organizations, including the Theological boarding school, the Spiritual Institute of the clergy, the Apostolic Diaconia. The last organization - the Apostolic Diaconia - was established in 1936. Its tasks include the systematic study and dissemination of the Holy Gospel in all areas of public life, the revitalization of the activity and training of confessors, the dissemination and preservation of Orthodox consciousness by all possible means among the Christian flock and publishing activities. The Apostolic Diaconia creates schools of preachers and catechesis, contributing to the improvement of spiritual education.

The hierarchs of the Greek Church are divided into two groups: 1) hierarchs of the Greek Church (metropolises in "Old Greece") and 2) hierarchs of the Ecumenical Throne (in the so-called "new territories" - "neon horon"). Thus, the Greek Orthodox includes, firstly, the Autocephalous Church of Hellas and, secondly, the metropolitanates of the Ecumenical Patriarchate included in it, with the exception of the Cretan Church (which is autonomous in canonical dependence on the Ecumenical Patriarch) and the monasteries of Mount Athos ( are also under the jurisdiction of the Patriarch of Constantinople).

The Hellenic Orthodox Church conducts a large educational work, has a wide network of theological educational institutions: 2 Theological faculties (at the universities in Athens and Thessaloniki), 8 Theological Seminaries with a six-year course of study, a school of teachers of the Law of God.

In 1970, by decision of the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece, the Institute of Byzantine Musicology was founded, where the sources of Byzantine music and the development of Byzantine musical notation are studied.

It is also important that in Greece it is inseparable from the secondary general education school, and the study of the Orthodox faith is mandatory for all students.

The Hellenic Orthodox Church is actively engaged in publishing activities. Since 1923, the Holy Synod of the Greek Church has been publishing the journal Theology. The official bulletin of the Church of Greece is the magazine "Ekklisia" ("Church"), published since 1923, and since 1952 an appendix has been published to it - the magazine "Priest". In addition, the Holy Synod annually publishes the "Calendar of the Greek Church" (since 1954).

The Apostolic Diaconia publishes the magazines "Joyful House" intended for reading to the Christian family, "Joyful Children" - for children of parochial schools and "Church Calendar", which contains daily sermons for the Greek family.

Most metropolitans publish their own bulletins and publications.

Monasticism and monasteries. Today, monasticism in Greece is experiencing its heyday. Dozens of new monasteries open every year.

Before 1833 there were 3 types of monasteries in Greece:

- stauropegial, subordinate directly to the Patriarch of Constantinople;

- Diocesan, dependent on local bishops;

- private (ktitor), owned by individuals, and under the authority of the Ecumenical Patriarch.

Until the 30s. 19th century There were two types of monasteries: coenobitic and idiorhythmic. In the early 1830s the government decreed that only coenobitic monasteries should remain in Greece. Each cenovia had to have at least 30 monks. Monasticism was only allowed after the age of 30.

As of 1991, in Greece, with the exception of Athos, there were approx. 200 male and 150 female monasteries. Basically, these are small monasteries of 5-10 monks.

The largest monastery in Greece is the Pendeli Monastery (near Athens), founded in 1578. In 1971, the “Inter-Orthodox Athens Center” was opened here, the purpose of which is to strengthen the relationship of the Orthodox Churches through a common study of the problems encountered today in the world.

For 1960 - 1990 Helladic numbered the saints of the new saints of God. For example, in 1960, the relics of the Martyrs Raphael, Nicholas and the maiden Irina, who suffered for the faith of Christ in the 15th century, were miraculously found and glorified. on the island of Mytilini. In 1961 St. Nectarios, Bishop of Pentapolis (d. 1920), was canonized.

The jurisdiction of the Greek Orthodox Church extends to the territory of Greece. The episcopate of the Greek Church has 93 bishops (2000). The number of believers is approx. 9 million people (1996).

The ties between the Greek Orthodox Church and the Russian one are very strong. Recently, contacts between the two Churches have been actively maintained at all levels, from official visits by delegations of the Churches to pilgrimages. Among the last official visits, we can mention the visit of Archbishop Christodoulos to Moscow in May 2001.

12.4. Greek "Church of True Orthodox Christians"

This one exists in Greece independently of the Greek Orthodox Church, having separated from it in the 1920s.

The reason for its emergence was the introduction in 1924 in the Greek Orthodox Church of the New Julian calendar. Some of the clergy and laity did not recognize this innovation and formed their own "Orthodox Society". In 1926 it was renamed the "Greek Religious Society of True Orthodox Christians" with parishes throughout Greece.

In 1935, it completely severed the canonical connection with Greek Orthodoxy and, consequently, with Universal Orthodoxy. At the head of this society was formed its own Synod. At present, this Church is headed by the "Archbishop of Athens" and the Holy Synod, and has many adherents. At the beginning of the 1980s "The Church of True Orthodox Christians" numbered approx. 200 thousand people of the flock, 5 dioceses, 75 churches, 4 male and 11 female monasteries. In addition to the territory of Greece itself, this Church has several parishes in Cyprus, the USA and Canada.

Chapter 13. Albanian Orthodox Church

13.1. Christianity in the territory of modern Albania until the beginning of the 20th century.

Accurate historical data on the penetration of the first Christian sermon into the territory of Albania has not been preserved. It is only known that it was established on the shores of the Adriatic Sea thanks to the activities of the disciples of Saints Cyril and Methodius - Saints Clement and Naum. At the end of the IX - beginning of the X century. the Albanian cities of Devol (modern Korca) and Glavenica (near modern Avlona) were known as Christian centers. In the tenth century the bishop of Devol was a disciple of St. Clement - Mark. At the beginning of the XI century. the Drach Metropolis and several other dioceses on the territory of modern Albania are known.

With the formation of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church (870), the Albanian dioceses were subordinated to it. After the conquest of Bulgaria by the Byzantine Emperor Basil II the Bulgar-Slayer and the liquidation of the independence of the Bulgarian Church, the Albanian dioceses became part of the Ohrid Archdiocese. Together with the subordination of the Archdiocese of Ohrid to Constantinople in 1767, the Albanian dioceses automatically came under the authority of the Patriarch of Constantinople. In them, as in all the Orthodox Churches in the Balkans, a Greek Phanariot regime was established. The Turks treated the Albanians, as well as other conquered peoples - they forcibly planted, asserted their own rules, imposed overwhelming taxes that oppressed people.

In the 19th century a wave of broad national liberation movement began in the Balkans. At this time, in Albania, the ideas of liquidating the Ottoman regime and creating an independent state are also awakening and rapidly growing among the common people. An important role in the spiritual revival of their people was played by Orthodox Albanians who emigrated to Bulgaria, Romania and the United States, although there were very few of them.

In the XVIII - XIX centuries. the Hellenizing tendencies spread by the Greek clergy were so great that at the end of the 19th century. calls for the introduction of the native - Albanian - language at worship and the introduction of local church traditions began to sound more and more insistently.

At the beginning of the XX century. As a result of the defeat of Turkey in the first Balkan War (1912-1913), a new independent state of Albania appeared in the Balkans. This ended the dominance of the Turks here. Albanian sovereignty was confirmed in 1920.

13.2. The struggle of Orthodox Albanians for church independence

After the emergence of an independent state among the Albanian clergy, the idea of ​​distancing from Constantinople immediately arose - the creation of an autocephalous Albanian Orthodox Church. The movement for autocephaly came from below, from the lower clergy, which during the years of the Phanariot regime was the bearer of the national language and local traditions and was least of all subjected to Hellenization, so hated by the common people.

In 1922, the Great Albanian Orthodox Church-People's Council was held in the city of Berat under the chairmanship of Protopresbyter Vasily Marko. At this Council, the Albanians independently declared the autocephaly of their Church. The council elected Vissarion (Giovanni), an Albanian by birth, who graduated from the Theological Faculty of the University of Athens, as the first bishop of the Albanian Orthodox Church.

Some time later, Bishop Hierotheos of Melitopol arrived in Albania from Constantinople as a special Patriarchal Exarch for the affairs of the newly formed Albanian Church. Arriving in Albania, he approved the act of autocephaly, occupied the see of Korça and thus became the second bishop of the Albanian Church.

Constantinople, of course, objected to autocephaly, putting forward for the Albanians the condition of the autonomy of the Church and the preservation of the Greek language as their liturgical language. The Albanians did not accept the condition of Constantinople, and then relations with the Ecumenical Throne escalated.

In 1924, another representative arrived in Albania from Constantinople - Bishop Christopher (Kisi) of Sinad, an Albanian by birth, who, like Hierotheus, remained in Albania and occupied the Berat cathedra. Bishops Hierofey and Christopher ordained another bishop for the Albanian Church, Archimandrite Fan (Feofan) Noli.

In 1922, a totalitarian regime was established in Albania headed by Ahmet Zogu. Religiously, the regime was of a Muslim character. This caused a protest among the Albanians, who in 1924 raised an armed uprising led by Bishop Fan (Noli). A. Zogu was forced to flee, and Bishop Fan became the head of the new government (from May to December 1924). In December 1924, A. Zogu, supported by the financial circles of Yugoslavia and Italy, returned, restored his order, and in 1928 proclaimed himself "King of the Albanians." Bishop Fan had to leave Albania.

In the mid 1920s. negotiations with Constantinople are resumed again. As a result of negotiations in 1926, Constantinople finally approved the autonomy of the Albanian Orthodox Church. During the debate, a draft statute of the autonomous Albanian Church was drawn up, according to which:

– Albanian consisted of 5 metropolias (Tirana, Korchin, Argyrokastria, Berat and Durre);

- in the capital of Albania - Tirana - there will be the residence of the Metropolitan of Tirana, who will simultaneously be the Archbishop of the Albanian Church, and the chairman of the Synod, which will include all the metropolitans;

- Candidates for the Metropolitans of Tirana, Durre and Argyrokastra will have to be appointed by the Ecumenical Patriarch; Metropolitans Hierofey and Christopher are appointed respectively to the Korchin and Berat cathedras;

- The liturgical language is Albanian.

But the local clergy strove with all their might for complete ecclesiastical independence from Constantinople. In 1929, Bishop Vissarion, together with Bishop Viktor (Serbian Orthodox), without any agreements with Constantinople, contrary to the charter, consecrated three more Albanian bishops. Thus, the Albanian Church received the fullness of its hierarchs. The bishops constituted the Synod of the Albanian Church, which elected Bishop Vissarion as its chairman and Archbishop of all Albania. Following this, the Synod again proclaimed the Albanian Orthodox Church autocephalous. Greek bishops - representatives of the Ecumenical Patriarch - were expelled from Albania.

Patriarch Basil III of Constantinople reacted sharply negatively to the actions of the Albanian clergy. In a telegram to the Albanian king, he pointed out that "impious and incorrect ordinations of bishops" had taken place in Tirana, that the Ecumenical Patriarchate considered them anti-canonical and inactive.

Constantinople also appealed to the Albanian flock with the demand that they avoid church communion with the bishops deposed by the Patriarchate, whose actions, in the opinion of Constantinople, have no spiritual power.

Constantinople even turned to the League of Nations for help, but it refused to consider the Albanian question, since it did not deal with internal church issues. It should be noted that none of the Local Orthodox Churches, including the Russian one, supported the illegal autocephaly of the Albanians, considering the Albanian bishops to be samochinists and schismatics.

In 1930, the government of A. Zogu issued a decree "On Religious Communities", according to which all church property was placed at the disposal of local authorities, and not the church communities themselves. The clergy were deprived of voting rights.

The non-recognition of the autocephaly of the Albanians by the Local Churches, the intensified Catholic propaganda and the unfriendly attitude towards Orthodoxy of the Zogu government put the Albanian in a "survival strip". Archbishop Vissarion declared the Albanian Orthodox Church persecuted.

In 1935, Archbishop Vissarion obtained an audience with A. Zogu. The Albanian king promised to contribute to the normalization of relations between the Albanian Orthodox Church and Constantinople and to improve the position of the Church in the country. In 1936, Archbishop Vissarion filed a petition for retirement.

In April 1937, a delegation of the Albanian clergy, headed by Bishop Christopher of Sinad (who ruled the Metropolis of Berat), undertook the obligation to conduct official negotiations with Constantinople on granting legitimate autocephaly to the Albanian Church.

As a result of the negotiations, on April 12, 1937, the Ecumenical Patriarch signed the Tomos, which recognized the autocephaly of the Albanian Orthodox Church. From now on, the head of the Albanian Church is the Holy Synod, headed by the chairman - the Archbishop of Tirana and all Albania, who became Bishop Christopher of Sinad (he was the head of the Church until 1949). The official recognition of the autocephaly of the Albanian Orthodox Church in Constantinople shall be communicated to all other Local Orthodox Churches.

13.3. Autocephalous Albanian Church

During the Second World War, Albania was occupied by fascist Italy and then by Nazi Germany. Many clergy of the Albanian Church took an active part in the fight against the invaders. One of the brightest representatives of the liberation movement in Albania during the years of occupation was Archimandrite Paisiy (Voditsa). An ardent patriot of his people, who stood up for the freedom and independence of Albania without hesitation, in 1942 he was elected a member of the National Liberation Council of the city of Koleni, and in 1943 a member of the Anti-Fascist Council and the General National Liberation Council of Albania. In 1948, Archimandrite Paisios was elevated to the rank of Bishop of Korça, and in August 1949 he became primate of the Albanian Orthodox Church, heading it until 1966.

Immediately after the end of the Second World War and the liberation of Albania, in 1946, a communist regime was established here, headed by E. Hoxha, and the People's Republic of Albania was proclaimed. The government took a course on the proclamation of absolute atheism. The Orthodox Church in Albania was on the brink of disaster.

This trend was especially evident in the years when Archbishop Damian (1966-1973) was the primate of the Albanian Church.

In 1967, on the initiative of E. Hoxha, a campaign was launched to destroy “all religious customs and institutions” - a document “Against Myths and Religious Institutions” was issued, according to which any religion was officially banned, repressions were launched against believers. The actions of the government were characterized by extraordinary fanaticism: for publicly making the sign of the cross, a person could get 10 years in prison, and for keeping icons at home - for 25 years.

Since the second half of the 1960s. ceased to receive any news about the fate of the Albanian Orthodox Church. Only in October 1971, in the Message of the Second All-American Local Council of the Orthodox Church in America, it was mentioned that all churches in Albania were closed and all church communities were abolished. In 1971, the diocese of the Albanian Orthodox Church in the USA, numbering 13 parishes, was accepted into the Orthodox Autocephalous Church in America at its request (because of the difficult situation in Albania itself).

In 1973, Archbishop Damian died, although, most likely, he died in prison. Since the early 1970s nothing was heard about Orthodoxy at all. In the 1970s - 1980s. not a single Orthodox bishop remained in the country. The government officially declared that Albania was the first country in the world where all religious rites were completely eliminated. The Orthodox was forced to go into the catacombs. Religious ceremonies (Catholic and Orthodox) were held secretly in apartments, in a narrow family circle.

In order to legitimize the persecution of believers in Albania, the Constitution was adopted in 1974, which stated that “the state does not recognize any religion and conducts atheistic propaganda in order to convince people of the scientific and material understanding of the world” (Article 36) , “it is forbidden to establish any organization of a religious nature” (Article 54).

Only in the second half of the 1980s. after the death of E. Hodge and under the influence of international events, internal changes began to occur in the internal life of the country. In connection with the collapse of socialism, it gradually began to emerge from the underground.

In 1991 (for the first time since 1967) on Easter ca. 3 thousand Albanians gathered for Easter service in the only functioning Orthodox church in Tirana. In 1992, after a break of almost twenty years, the Albanian Church had the opportunity to elect a new primate. On the initiative of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, in 1991 Bishop Anastasios of Andrus (Yannulatos) was sent to Albania to restore the Orthodox hierarchy, who in the same year became the Patriarchal Exarch of Albania, and in 1992 he became the Archbishop of Albania. He heads the Albanian Orthodox to the present day. Bishops were consecrated to vacant sees, the Holy Synod was re-formed, and all church structures were restored. Throughout the 1990s. Church life had to start, in fact, from a "clean slate". Over the past decade, Albania has built approx. 70 temples, more than 170 reconstructed, including the cathedral in Tirana, the Spiritual Academy was opened in Durres.

The jurisdiction of the Albanian Church extends to the territory of Albania and to Orthodox Albanians living in the United States.

The full title of the primate of the Albanian Orthodox Church is "His Beatitude Archbishop of Tirana and all Albania, Metropolitan of Tirano-Durras-Elvasan". The episcopate of the Albanian Church has 5 bishops (2000). Divine services are performed in Albanian and ancient Greek.

In the 1990s there was a restoration of fraternal ties between the Albanian Orthodox Church and the Russian. In October 1998, Archbishop Anastassy of Tirana and All Albania was on an official visit to Russia. In a conversation with him, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia called this visit "historic", for it opened a new stage in the history of fraternal relations between the two Sister Churches. Archbishop Anastassy was also present at the Jubilee Bishops' Council of the Russian Orthodox Church in 2000.

The official religion in Greece is Orthodox Christianity. It is practiced by almost the entire population of the country (more than 98%).

The head of the Greek Orthodox Church is the Archbishop, whose residence is located in Athens. The Orthodox churches of the monastic republic of Mount Athos, as well as the churches of Crete and the Dodecanese Islands, are directly subordinate to the Ecumenical Patriarch, whose residence is in Constantinople (Istanbul).

According to the Greek Constitution, Orthodox Christianity is the state religion of the country. All citizens are granted freedom of religion, but propaganda of other religions among Orthodox believers is prohibited.

Other branches of Christianity are also represented in the country. After Orthodoxy, Catholicism is considered the most widespread, professed among the small population of some islands of the Aegean Sea, which at one time belonged to the Venetian Republic, which had a significant cultural and religious influence on local residents.

In addition, in Greece there are Protestants, Jehovah's Witnesses, Old Believers, Pentecostals, Evangelicals, as well as Quakers and Mormons, whose numbers are rather modest. In Thessaloniki, the second largest city in Greece, there is a society of "Sephardi Jews" - a few thousand people who keep the values ​​​​of a large Jewish community destroyed during the Holocaust in World War II. The Muslim minority of Greece is mainly the descendants of the Muslim Turks living in Thrace and on the island of Rhodes. The smallest denominations of the country are Hare Krishnas, Buddhists, Bahais, Scientologists, as well as followers of the ancient Greek (pagan) faith.
Many secular reforms carried out in Greece did not affect the Greek Orthodox Church, which is still not separated from the state and remains one of the most influential institutions in the country. Religion is closely intertwined with the daily life of the Greeks, entering every home, every family. The question "Are you a Christian?" often equated with the question "Are you Greek?".

Historically, for the most part, the Greeks consider themselves the descendants and heirs of Christian Byzantium, and not pagan Ancient Greece. That is why there are so many monasteries, churches and chapels in the country - monuments of the Byzantine era.

In every Greek family, church customs and sacraments are strictly observed, which are taken very seriously. The most common time to attend a service is Sunday. And, of course, festive services.

Passing or driving past churches, every believing Greek must cross himself. Such big religious holidays as Christmas, Epiphany and Easter turn into massive folk festivals in Greece. We can safely say that Christian customs and traditions are closely connected with the way of life of modern Greek society.

It would take more than one page to list all the Orthodox shrines of Greece, so it is worth noting only the most significant for the Christian world. They are the relics of Spyridon of Trimifutsky, the relics of St. Queen Theodora on the island of Corfu; many preserved Byzantine churches in Crete, with magnificent frescoes of the Cretan school; Meteora - monasteries of stunning beauty, located "between heaven and earth" and, of course, Holy Mount Athos - an amazing monastic republic, where prayer is continuously offered up for the whole world.

These are far from all the Orthodox shrines of Hellas. You can learn more about them by going on a Pilgrimage tour of Greece.
To do this, contact Greek Orthodox Pilgrimage Center of Thessalonica , which provides a unique opportunity to visit the most significant shrines of Greece, without being distracted by organizational issues.

Photos of Saint Athos by Kostas Asimis

A complete collection of photographs of Athos from Kostas Asimis is on the website of the pilgrimage center of Thessalonica

She made an invaluable contribution to European culture. Literature, architecture, philosophy, history, other sciences, state system, laws, art and myths of ancient greece laid the foundation for modern European civilization. Greek gods known all over the world.

Greece today

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Orthodoxy is a direct translation into Russian of two parts of the word ορθοδοξια. Most European languages ​​use calque orthodoxy, orthodoxie, orthodossia. Ορθός- true, correct, true and δόξα - Praise, praise.
To praise God correctly is the meaning of the name of this religion. “The Orthodox Church is catholic. This means that it is one, for it has preserved the integrity of the Divine faith in Christ, without adding or removing anything over the many centuries of its history. That is why it is known as the Orthodox Church (Orthodox Church), that is, the church that has preserved the true Christian faith unchanged. Orthodox Christians believe that the church, which is led by Christ himself, and which is the temple of the Holy Spirit, cannot err and be wrong. Her voice is the voice of Christ resounding in the world today.

The Orthodox Church originates from the time of Christ and the apostles.

The Christian Church in Greece was founded by the Holy Apostle Paul himself during his missionary work in the first century. His letters to the Corinthians, Thessalonians, and Philippians were addressed to the churches in these Greek cities, which he himself had organized. The church he founded never ceased to exist. Today it is known as the Greek Orthodox Church.
The Apostle Peter established a church in Antioch, which is today known as the Antiochian Orthodox Church. Other apostles established churches in Jerusalem, Alexandria, and the island of Cyprus. The Christian Orthodox Church has existed there since those very apostolic times. The gospel, which means good news, was then spread by missionaries from these cities and countries to other countries of the world - Russia, Ukraine, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, and so on. These churches are known today as the Christian Orthodox Churches.
Thus, the Orthodox Church is apostolic because it teaches what the Holy Apostles taught and traces its history through the ordination of bishops directly from the Apostles, and through them, from Jesus Christ Himself. We call this "apostolic succession." It is a guarantee that the Orthodox Church is true. It was founded by Christ through the apostles, and has evidence of this. The continuity of the Orthodox Church, originating from the very first days of the birth of Christianity back in Nazareth, has never been interrupted since then, continuing to this day. » http://www.orthodoxcanada.org/russian/texts_ru/orthodoxy_who_we_are.htm ()

The official US Department figures put the number of Orthodox Christians in Greece at 97% of its population (10.9 million). Of these, from 500 to 800 thousand are followers of the old Julian calendar style.
The official figures for the Muslim minorities of Thrace are 98,000, unofficial estimates reach 140,000. Jehovah's Witnesses claim to have 30,000 active members and 50,000 sympathizers. Members of the Catholic Church are estimated at 50 thousand, Protestant (including evangelicals) at 30 thousand. Scientologists claim 500 registered members, and Mormons 400. The Jewish community, which before the German occupation during World War II, numbered about 76,000, has dwindled to 5,500 in modern times. Followers of ancient Greek pagan cults claim 2,000 members. No official or unofficial data on the presence of atheists

According to the Eurobarometer poll (regular public opinion polls produced since 1973 by order and for the needs of the European Commission) 2005, which Wikipedia has, that is, a survey of people on the streets
Answered

I believe in God - 81 percent

I believe in a higher power - 16 percent

I don't believe in God or a higher power - 3 percent

(Source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Greece

Old and new calendars

In Greece, a new style has been adopted - the Orthodox Newsletter Julian calendar (it now coincides with the Catholic Gregorian calendar and will coincide for several more centuries - then they will disperse again.)

In the Julian calendar, it is calculated that the Resurrection of Christ should take place after the Jewish Passover-Pesach, as it was in reality. The Gregorian calendar, which Catholics adhere to, no longer pays attention to such a *detail* and Catholic Easter often happens there before the Jewish one.

The new style of the Yulin calendar has been brought into line with astronomical reality - 14 days of difference have accumulated over several centuries of its use. Therefore, all church holidays in Greece are 14 days earlier than their Russian counterparts - including Christmas on December 25th. But here is the pre-Easter period - Lent begins at the same time for both New Settlers and Old Calendarists - Easter and the post-Easter week always coincide

In Greece, the palioimerologites, the Old Calendarists, really played the role of schismatics. The decision to switch to the New Julian calendar is at the council, and everyone who does not obey the decisions of the councils of the local church, according to church terminology, becomes a schismatic.

The introduction of the new Gregorian calendar began by the Catholic Church in 1582, was adopted in different countries of Europe at different times and was almost completed by the beginning of the 20th century.

Eastern local Orthodox churches have never accepted it. But by the 20th century, secular authorities throughout Europe adopted a new astronomical calendar brought into line with astronomical reality.

Taking into account the current situation, the Local Orthodox Churches created in 1919 a commission that decided to place the responsibility for resolving the issue of updating the calendar on the *first among equals* οικουμενικό See of Constantinople. In Greece, the church continued to use the old Julian calendar, but when the new calendar was introduced by royal decree in 1923, a decision was made to update the Julian calendar and bring it into line with astronomical reality - without touching the calculation of Paschalia, which remained the same.

The throne of Constantinople agreed with this decision and in 1924 Patriarch Gregory VII of Constantinople (irony of fate...) published the decision to switch his church to the New Julian calendar. Some local churches immediately made local decisions to switch to the New Julian style, some remained in the Old Julian style.

In Greece, the New Julian calendar has already become customary, and a simple people who are not familiar with church subtleties only know that the Palioimerologites - the Old Calendarists - are some kind of schismatics. But at the same time, it respects the old style in other countries, if the church there has deemed it necessary to preserve it.

Women in church: whether to cover their heads

To the questions of pious Russians why women in Greece in church with their heads uncovered, one can hear one answer - we do not want to imitate Muslims in this matter, who have kept our country under the yoke for so many hundreds of years

For any Greek, a woman's headscarf is the feredze of a Turkish woman, even if they suddenly become in a frenzied fashion - in Hellas no pasaran! Although, by the way, this became a custom only in the past century - even St. Nektarios of Aegina, who lived at the end of the 19th, recommended women to cover their heads in sermons. And older women in villages and on distant islands all wear headscarves - and not just to church, but all day.

Stand or sit during service?
In Greek churches, chairs occupy the main space of the temple, making it look like a theater. For most of the service, parishioners sit up and rise during important liturgical moments. Here, the idea that St. Philaret of Moscow expressed in the 19th century was most fully realized - * It is better to think about God while sitting than about your legs while standing *

All those who are haunted by the differences between the Greek and Russian churches can be reminded that when St. Anthony was concerned about how others live and are saved, the Angel said to him: “Pay attention to yourself, Anthony, and do not subject your investigation of the fate of God, because this is soul-damaging »
We need to repeat this to ourselves more often.