Greek Church , otherwise - the Greek kingdom, the church, until 1821 was part of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, recognized the unconditional authority 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, encompassing all layers of society and putting representatives of the church, parish clergy and monks under the banner of the national army. Due to the difficult circumstances of wartime, church life in the provinces of modern Greece also came into disarray. The clergy, busy fighting 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 quickly replaced the throne and were concerned about the improvement of immediate affairs, considered it useless to send ordinary sociable letters to the rebel areas, where there was neither church nor civil authority, but limited themselves to only letters of exhortation, calling on the people to submit to the Turkish government. Under such conditions, Greek bishops and clergy commemorated “every Orthodox bishopric” during divine services, or simply “every bishopric”. In view of the complete disorder of church affairs in Greece, the so-called people's assemblies, consisting of secular and clergy and temporarily acquiring administrative rights, began to organize them. But these meetings (in the city of Epidaurus in 1822, in Astra - in 1823, in Ermion and Troezen - 1827) did not come to any specific forms of church government and were limited to some projects, although the jurisdiction of the ecumenical patriarch over The dioceses of Greece did not officially reject it. During the reign of Count John Kapodistrias (from 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 restored. But the unexpected death of Kapodistrias (1831) interrupted his church activities at the very beginning. In January 1833, a new king, Friedrich Otto, a seventeen-year-old Bavarian prince, installed himself in Greece. Due to his minority, a regency of Bavarian dignitaries was established, headed by Maurer. To organize church affairs, the regency formed a special seven-member commission, headed by the Minister of Church Affairs Trikoupis. The commission was inspired to conduct the case on the basis of Protestant principles. Unfortunately, even among the Greeks there were people who sincerely shared Protestant views on the position of the church in the state and diligently tried to implement them in their fatherland. Such was the secretary of the commission, Hieromonk Theoclitus Farmakides, who studied in Germany, an educated and energetic man, who was the soul of the commission. He was the first to submit to the regency the idea of ​​declaring the Greek Church autocephalous, under the leadership of the king, without any communication with the Patriarch of Constantinople. In this sense, the commission in 1833 drew up a project for the structure of the church. The government first reviewed this project in the Council of Ministers, then secretly asked bishops on the issue of 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, which spiritually does not recognize any other head than the Lord Jesus Christ, and in government terms has the King of Greece as its supreme leader, is autocephalous and independent of any other power, while strictly observing dogmatic unity in everything, which has been revered since ancient times by the entire Eastern Orthodox Church. The supreme ecclesiastical power 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 whom there is one chairman and four councilors; 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, decisions are recorded in a protocol, which is signed by everyone. The synod is attended by 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 internal affairs of the church, the synod acts independently of any secular authority. But since the supreme state power has the highest 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 performance of clerics of their duties, the religious education of the people, church discipline, the ordination of clergy, the consecration of church utensils and church buildings and jurisdiction in purely ecclesiastical matters, as well as especially to matters of a mixed nature, such as: the appointment of times and places of worship, the founding and abolition of monasteries, the appointment and abolition of religious processions, appointments to church positions, indication of the boundaries of dioceses, orders regarding educational and charitable institutions, etc. n. Diocesan bishops are under the authority of the synod and submit to it, are appointed to the cathedra and deposed by the government at the proposal of the synod and receive a decent salary from the government. The number and location of dioceses and parishes is determined by the government based on the report of the synod. The Synod has the supreme court over the clergy and laity in purely ecclesiastical matters, and its decisions are submitted for approval by the government, while civil affairs of clergy (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 church councils under his patronage. During services, bishops commemorate first the king, and then the synod. So, by virtue of the canonism of 1833, all government power in the church was granted to the king, who was recognized as its head and supreme commander, and the synod turned out to be nothing more than one of the civil institutions, and therefore 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 about the fact that the king’s participation in church government should not contradict church canons, and on the other hand, it did not mention that the synod itself should manage affairs according to church rules. The Synod, despite its administrative nature, was subject to dual tutelage - the Ministry of Church Affairs and the Royal Bishop; 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 church system newly established in Greece and convinced the local Holy Synod of its complete dependence on secular power. About a month after the publication of the canonism of 1833, the synod found it necessary to raise before the government the question in which cases it can conduct direct correspondence with various churches and civil authorities of the state and in which it must first seek government permission. 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 “look” is sufficient. In cases of a mixed church-public nature, the approval of the prosecutor or the ministry is required, depending on the importance of the case. Court verdicts, without exception, all require government approval. 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 of basing church government on the canons. In vain did the synod ask the government to change the first paragraphs of the canonism in the spirit of the conciliar definition of 1833 and to provide it with some independence in governance: the government responded that the inclusion in the canonism of decrees stating that the basis of church government should be church rules could give rise to many and harmful to reinterpretations regarding royal supremacy (χυριἁρχια), and regarding the synod’s objections in general, the government responded in a sharp, rude and threatening tone, with an accusation of high treason, which prompted the synod members to offer a humiliating and pitiful excuse. And strong dissatisfaction arose in society with the new canonism, with which Caesaropapism was legitimized in the church, that is, the king, contrary to the canons, was given primacy in the church and power even over the Holy Synod; many did not like the fact that the declaration of 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 way of government also gave rise to a revision of the laws of the previous government regarding the structure and administration of the church. At the 1844 meeting of deputies, 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 every other known religion is tolerated and its liturgical activities are carried out 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 our Lord Jesus Christ as the head, exists inseparably united dogmatically with the great 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 its 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, and it still remained in an uncertain position, since it did not receive consent to its autonomous governance from the Patriarch of Constantinople, to whom it had previously been subordinate, and was not recognized in as independent from other local Orthodox churches. The Greek government, not recognizing the 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 keenly 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 during this entire long period of time, the Greek bishops did not allow themselves to ordain a single bishop, although there was a great need for this. 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 Constantinople well understood the significance of these attempts and did not make any concessions. Then Athens became convinced of the need for direct action. The government and the synod in 1850 sent letters to the Patriarch of Constantinople, identical in content, in which they asked the patriarch only to consider the church law 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 adhered to the following basic point of view: the Greek dioceses have 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, to whom alone belongs the canonical right to recognize the Greek Church as independent, and, after carefully discussing the matter, made the following determination in the Holy Spirit. “The Orthodox Church in the Kingdom of Greece, which has as its Leader and Head, like the entire Catholic Orthodox Church, the Lord and God and our Savior Jesus Christ, will henceforth be legally independent, and its highest church government will recognize a permanent synod consisting of bishops, successively called by seniority of ordination, presided over by the Right Reverend Metropolitan of Athens, and administering the affairs of the church according to divine and sacred rules, free and unhindered from all worldly interference. We recognize and proclaim the Holy Synod in Greece established by this conciliar act as our brother in spirit, proclaiming to all pious and Orthodox children everywhere of the one holy catholic and apostolic church, may it be recognized as such and commemorated under the name of the Holy Synod of the Hellenic Church. We grant him all the administrative rights befitting the highest church government, so that from now on he will be remembered during divine services by the Hellenic bishops in their dioceses, and his chairman will remember the entire Orthodox bishopric, and so that all canonical actions regarding the ordination of bishops belong to this synod. But in order to preserve his legitimate 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 handed down from the fathers, he must commemorate in the sacred diptychs precisely the Ecumenical Patriarch and the other three patriarchs according to rank, as well as the entire bishopric of the Orthodox, and also receive, as much as is needed, the holy myrrh from the holy great church of Christ. The Chairman of the Holy Synod, according to the conciliar orders handed down from the fathers, upon entering this title, undertakes to send the usual conciliar letters to the ecumenical and other patriarchs, just as they, upon their accession, will do the same. In addition, when church affairs require joint consideration and mutual assistance for the better organization and establishment of the Orthodox Church, it is necessary that the Hellenic Holy Synod refers to the Ecumenical Patriarch and the Holy Synod located under him. And the Ecumenical Patriarch, together with his synod, will willingly provide his assistance, reporting what is needed to the Holy Synod of the Hellenic Church. But matters related to internal church government, such as the election and ordination of bishops, their number, the names of their departments, 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 the faith books - all this and the like must be decided by the Holy Synod by synodal determination, without at all violating the sacred rules of St. councils, traditions and instructions of the Orthodox Eastern Church, betrayed by the fathers.” After recognizing the Greek Church as autocephalous, the local government had to draw up a new regulation on church government, in the spirit of the resolution of the Council of Constantinople of 1850 and in accordance with church canons, and the canonism of 1833, as contradicting both, naturally had to lose legislative force and give way to another legal provision, 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 it 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 reworked in the spirit of the canonism of 1833. The members of the synod made detailed comments on the ministerial project and demanded that it be changed in accordance with church canons. The demands of the synod and its remarks brought Vlahos into great anger; he made it clear to the members of the synod that the civil authority was insulted in his person, and refused to give the matter a quick move, since the meetings of the synod supposedly showed that the bill was not urgently needed. The Synod had to retract some of its comments, but asked the minister to pass the project through legislation as soon as possible, since it is 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 passed it through all legislative authorities, and on September 10, 1852, sent it to all ecclesiastical authorities in the kingdom for execution. This law on the structure of government in the Church of Greece, without any significant changes, 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 regulations of 1833, but it also has expressions that were introduced into it under the influence of the definition of the Constantinople Patriarchal Synod of 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 governance is entrusted to the “sacred Synod of the Hellenic Church", 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 own discretion; Secretaries of the synod - clergy - are also determined by the king, on the proposal of the Minister of Church Affairs. At the meetings of the synod, the royal bishop, a representative of the civil authority, is always present and signs all its decisions, no matter what they concern; Any matter decided by the synod in the absence of the epitrope or not signed by him has no force. Cases subject to consideration by the synod are divided into internal or ecclesiastical and external, related to public interests; In internal affairs, the synod acts independently of civil authority, and it carries out external duties with the assistance and approval of the government. But what was said above about the royal epitrope destroys all freedom of the synod in affairs and internal affairs, deprives it of initiative in the purely ecclesiastical sphere, and creates a complete impossibility of doing or undertaking anything at its own discretion and in the interests of the church. This means, 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 clergy and is the highest authority in matters of church legal proceedings, but again all decisions of the synod in judicial matters, as well as 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 prior permission from the government. Marriage matters are considered by the synod only in relation to their ecclesiastical element, and in relation to civil matters they are subject to the jurisdiction of secular authorities. The complaint against the synod is brought to the highest civil government. The Synod communicates with local and foreign civil or ecclesiastical authorities through the mediation of the Minister of Church Affairs. During the service, the synod is remembered after the king and queen.

Thus, the law of 1852 on the organization of the synod of the Greek Church, characterized by its dual principles, completely constrained the freedom of action of the synod and placed the Hellenic Church in complete dependence and even slavery on civil power. The steward of 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 carry out a single matter, not only of an external nature, but also of an internal one. The same duality of principles and subordination of the church to the state are observed in other church 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 leader of the bishopric entrusted to him; by 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 their lives by church rules. But on the other hand, bishops are also considered 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 activities, the bishop is limited by secular authority; Thus, the members of the episcopal court are determined by royal order; the bishop cannot issue so-called anonymous penances, that is, pastoral reprimands and admonitions regarding 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 noticeable. The laws on the synod and bishops, contrary to the definition of the Patriarchal Synod of Constantinople in 1850, are not church laws in the strict sense, but state laws relating to church affairs. This nature of theirs is directly stated in the conclusion of their text: “this law, determined by the Chamber of Deputies and the Gerusia and approved by us, must be published in the government newspaper and must be executed as state law.”

After the publication of laws on the synod and bishops, the Greek government in the same year 1852 published a law dividing the kingdom into 24 dioceses, of which one (Athens) was elevated to the level of metropolitanate, ten to the level of archbishoprics, and the rest were called bishops. By the law of 1856, the dioceses were divided into parishes. The division was carried out very unevenly; rural parishes turned out to be very small and poor. In 1852, episcopal courts were established under the diocesan bishops ( ἑπισχοπιχἁ διχαστἡρια ), the permanent members of which were appointed the officials who were under the bishops: economy, sacellarius, chartophylax and protekdic, and supernumerary - skevofylaks and sakellia, in whose absence the ipomnimatograph and hieromnimon sit. All these members are appointed by the bishop and confirmed by the synod. Dicasteries consider legal cases of clergy, decisions on which are made by the bishop; in addition, members of the dicastery, in the event of the death of the bishop, constitute the episcopal epitropy for the administration of the diocese. To teach the people the word of God, the government appointed hierokyrixes. The lower clergy - priests and deacons - were elected by the parishioners themselves, but were appointed by bishops after their preliminary testing. According to the law of 1852, diocesan bishops were assigned a salary from the state treasury: metropolitan - 6,000 drachmas per year, archbishop - 5,000, bishop - 4,000; in addition, the Athenian metropolitan received 3,000 drachmas per year for presiding over the synod, and members of the synod received 2,400 drachmas. Bishops also had occasional income - for marriage licenses, for issuing divorce certificates, etc. The lower clergy received remuneration from parishioners, charging fees for services, receiving voluntary offerings, etc.

Church reform also affected Greek monasteries. During the era of the Greek uprising against the Turks, there were up to 524 monasteries and 18 women’s monasteries in Hellas. They owned enormous real estate, but the management of the latter was carried out in an extremely disorderly manner. The total number of monks extended to 3,000. They were distributed very unevenly among the monasteries. Up to 200 monasteries had less than five monks, and 120 monasteries were completely empty. The internal life of the monasteries was in great decline, and the appointment of abbots of the monasteries depended not on the diocesan bishops, but on the secular authorities, who, usually for a certain fee, leased the monasteries to monks they liked, who used the monastery lands as their own property. By undertaking monastic reform. The government acted extremely unfairly. It ordered the closure of all empty monasteries and those 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 to the said treasury, and persons seeking monastic rank and ryassophores who were no more than 25 years old had to leave the monasteries. In 1834, civil officials began to implement this government order. All kinds of lies, deception and deceit were used to close as many monasteries as possible, expel as many monks as possible and confiscate all their property. The greatest dishonesty 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 monastery property, and the church lost 394 monasteries, of which 16 were women's. Monastic money, contrary to the government’s promise to use it for church needs, began to be spent on the needs of the state, and then completely merged with general state revenues. This created great displeasure among the clergy and among the monks, and then the confiscation of monastic property itself seemed to be an insult to the Orthodox faith and the holiness of the monasteries, especially since the measure taken by the government further worsened the internal life of the monasteries. A formidable movement arose among the monks and people. In view of this, the government in 1858 issued a new law on monasteries. This law placed a monastic council at the head of the internal monastic administration, consisting of an abbot and two monastic advisers. They are elected by the monks themselves from among themselves, for a period of five years, under the leadership of a special commission. Election is carried out by open voting. The chosen one is confirmed by the diocesan bishop, who reports this to the synod and nomarch, and the synod to the minister of church affairs. The monastic council decides matters collectively. He governs 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 the civil authority in the person of the nomarch, eparch and minister of ecclesiastical affairs. The monastic council is obliged to maintain an accurate and detailed inventory of the monastery's possessions and its inventory, is obliged to annually submit to the nomarch for approval an estimate of income and expenses and give reports on the management of the monastery's property; Without the permission of secular authorities, the council has no right to sell or exchange monastic property, movable and immovable, or to lease monastic lands, borrow or lend money, appear in court on economic matters, or spend monastic money on economic needs in excess of 100 drachm. Thus, in the law on monasteries, the Greek government remained faithful to its principle of domination in church affairs: it not only took control of monastic property into its own hands, but also limited the power of the bishop over the monasteries, acquiring the right to influence the approval of the elected abbot of the monastery. Greek monasteries are guided in their management by the law set forth even today. Nowadays the number of Greek monasteries extends to 175, of which 10 are women's; Up to 1,500 monks and 200 nuns work in them. All monasteries are classified as diocesan. They have an annual income of more than two million drachmas, of which a fifth, by order of the government, are obliged to contribute to the needs of public education, to the maintenance of hierokyrixes, theological schools, etc. Many of the monasteries are remarkable for their venerable antiquity and historical merits, especially in the field enlightenment, wealth, beneficial effects 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 Dormition of the Mother of God in the Kalovrite diocese, Arkhangelsk in the city of Aegialia, etc. .

Spiritual education in the country, in the early years of the history of the Greek Church, was very low. The first theological school was established in 1830 by Kapodistrias in the monastery of the Life-Giving Source on the island. Paros. Preparatory schools for her were Orphanotrophy and the elementary school in Aegina. In 1837, a theological faculty was opened at the University of Athens, modeled on Western ones. Currently, outstanding learned theologians teach here, enjoying European fame. The number of students at the faculty is not large. After completing their studies, they go to serve the church in the ranks of clergy, hierokyrix, teachers, etc. Another hotbed of theological science in Greece is the Risar Theological Seminary in Athens, founded in 1843 by the Risar brothers. The school provided great services to the country in the field of education. Nowadays it has been created specifically as a theological school, the students of which, upon completion of their studies, are obliged to go to the service of the church. 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, the Spartan bishop Theoclitus founded a theological school in the city of Arakhov. The late Metropolitan Herman of Athens (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 syllogs, that is, societies or brotherhoods, were involved in the religious and moral education of the people in Greece. They carried out their activities through school, conversations, readings, publishing magazines and religious and moral books, establishing libraries and reading rooms, etc. From the syllogs we know: “The Brotherhood of Christ-lovers - ῾Αδελφὁτης τὡν Φιλοχπιστων "founded by professors of the University of Athens in 1875 and now defunct, - "Holy Alliance - ῾Ιερὁς Σὑνδεσμος ", opened by Metropolitan Herman in Athens for the education of clergy and known for its outstanding useful activities, - "Renaissance - ῾Ανἁπλασις", which spread 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 publishing useful books - Σὑλλογος πρὁς διἁδοσιν ωφελἱμων βιβλἱων ", under the patronage of Princess Sophia, "Syllog for the spread of Greek literacy", "Syllog - in favor of the education of women", "Historical and Ethnological Society, "Archaeological Society", "Christian Archaeological Commission", "Athenian Syllog". Of the provincial syllogs, it is known in Patras - in the name of the Apostle Andrew. Then, numerous theological magazines were engaged in educating the people in Greece. Finally, theological science had and still has worthy representatives in Greece. Of the Greek learned theologians, the most famous is: Hieromonk Theoclitus Farmakides (1860). Presbyter Konstantin. Economos 1857), Vamvas (1855), Duka (1845), prof. Kontogonis (1878), Alexander Lycurgus 1875), Nikephoros Kalogeras (1876), prof. Diomidis Kyriakos, Archimandrite. Andronikos Dimitrokopoul (1875), John Skaltsunis and many others (some of them will be discussed in special detail in the Encyclopedia). With all this, it cannot be said that religious and moral education in Greece is at the desired level. 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 ignorant in matters of faith and morality, superstitious, and indifferent to moral improvement. On the part of the church, even greater and zealous efforts are needed to raise the religious and moral level in the country, although justice demands that at the end of the 19th century, education in Greece increased significantly compared with its situation in the middle of the century. Gradually, worship began to rise in Greece. Beautiful temples were built in Athens and other cities, sacred painting began to improve, and church singing returned to basic Byzantine melodies.

Great confusion was brought into the minds of 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 educating their children in Catholic and Protestant schools, they began to use all measures to counteract the propaganda of other faiths. Therefore, neither Catholics nor Protestants had much success in the country. In addition to heterodox propaganda, local heretics, fanatics and liberals caused considerable turmoil in Greece in the 19th century. Of these, the following are known: Theophilus Kairis, Andrei 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, and had their own religious and philosophical teachings, with which they seduced many. But the Holy Synod vigilantly stood guard over its spiritual children, excommunicated these renegades from the church, and strengthened those wavering in the Orthodox faith with appropriate district messages.

Among other events in the history of the Greek Church, after its establishment in 1852, it should be noted the annexation of the diocese on the Ionian Islands, which took place in 1866. In 1864, these islands (Kerkyra, Lefkas, Zakynthos, Kefallinia, Ithaca, Kythira and Naxos), which belonged to the British, were donated by them to the Greek King George I. Political unification, naturally, should have led to church unity with Greece of these islands, recognizing the jurisdiction of the ecumenical patriarch. Negotiations on this matter began between the Ionian, Hellenic and Constantinople churches. The matter was formalized in canonical terms and the annexation 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, among 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 assigned to be thirty-two, whereas previously there had been more; the new boundaries of the dioceses coincided with the boundaries 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 hierokyrix was appointed to each department, which also did not exist before, and in the entire kingdom there were no more than ten preachers of the word of God. In November 1901, Metropolitan Procopius of Athens lost his see. The reason for this was not entirely ordinary, namely, a literal translation of the Gospel from the original into common Greek, performed by the secular writer Pallis. The translation was performed extremely rudely and ignorantly. Public religious feeling was outraged by the profanation of the holy book, the perversion of its teachings and the damage to the treasured property of the Greeks - the only monument of Greek writing and language. A popular revolt arose in Athens, up to and including a bloody clash with the troops. Metropolitan Procopius, having failed to prevent the popular movement by timely prohibiting the translation of Pallis, was forced to resign from the department.

The current situation 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 quite 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 diocesan bishops, which are striking in their duality of principles, as noted above. Monastic management is also unsatisfactory, without the supreme supervision of the diocesan bishop over the entire structure of monastic life. It is also necessary to deprive monks of the right to vote, which brings discord and enmity into monasteries, and it is also necessary to provide the appointment of abbots and council members to the local bishop and synod. It is necessary, further, to join the poor and sparsely populated monasteries with the rich ones in order to reduce costs and improve the internal life of the monasteries. At monasteries it is necessary to open not only elementary, but also secondary schools, for the training 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 at the monasteries for printing liturgical books and workshops for the manufacture of sacred utensils and clothing . It is also necessary to increase the number of hierokyrixes. The rural clergy are ignorant and poor. It is necessary to increase 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 not a full complement of professors, and some chairs remain vacant for a long time. The question of material support for the entire Greek clergy, both higher and lower, is an urgent and extremely important issue. It can be successfully resolved 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 address many of its other needs. Further, it is necessary to make a new division of dioceses into parishes, in order to equalize them, and to 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, given the poverty of parishes, must also be recognized as abnormal: it is necessary to ordain new clergy only in cases of extreme necessity. 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 also necessary to pay attention to the education of the people, and the church alone, without material resources, is completely powerless to accomplish 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, the establishment of deanery during divine services, and the dissemination of correct church liturgical melodies should also be the subject of the care of the church and the state. Such immediate tasks for the activities of the highest church and civil authorities in Greece were bequeathed by the past century to the twentieth century.

Literature. 1) Archimandrite Stefan Giannopoul (Γιαννὁπουλος), Συλλογη τὡν εγχυχλἱων τἡς ἱερἁς συνὁδου τἡς ἑχχλησἱας τἡς Σλλἁδος . ῾Λθἡωαι. 1901. 2) Prof. E. A. Kurganov, Management structure in the church of the Greek kingdom. Kazan. 1871. 3) ῾Α. Διομἡδης Κυριαχὁς, ῾Εχχλησιαστιχἡ ἱστορἱα , vol. 3. ῾Αθἡναι. ῾Ε. Κυριαχἱδης, ῾Ιστορἱα τοὑ συγχρὁνου ἑλληνισμοὑ, τὁμοι 1898.4)

1-2. ῾Αθἡνα ι. 1892. 5) I. Sokolov. Essays on the history of the Orthodox Greek-Eastern Church in the 19th century. St. Petersburg 1902 (and in the second volume of “History of the Christian Church in the 19th Century,” published by Prof. A.P. Lopukhin).

* The predecessors of Procopius Ikonomidis in the Athens metropolitan see were: Neophytos, Misail, Theophilus, Procopius I (from 1874) and Germanus Kalligas (1889-1896), a very energetic and enlightened hierarch.
Ivan Ivanovich Sokolov,
Master of Divinity,

Associate Professor St. Petersburg Theological Academy. Text source: Orthodox theological encyclopedia. Volume 4, column. 586. Petrograd edition. Supplement to the spiritual magazine "Wanderer"

for 1903. Modern spelling.

Chapter VI. Greek Orthodox Church

6. Archbishops of Athens

7. Scientists of the Church

8. The Greek Orthodox Church in recent decades: conflict between the hierarchy and the government over “metapheton”; the situation of the Church after the military coup of 1967; the view of Patriarch Alexy I, Metropolitan Nikodim and the entire Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church on the events of May 1967; a new military coup in Greece in 1973; resignation from the post of Primate of Archbishop Jerome; government law of 1974 “On determining the method of electing the Primate of the Church and putting in order some church affairs”; election of the current Primate of the Church

9. The current state of the Greek Orthodox Church: the position of the Church in the state; hierarchs in "Old Greece" and in "Neon Horon"; highest ecclesiastical authority; system of church organization and administration (Apostolic Diakonia, etc.); educational activities (theological schools, magazines); monasteries, temples; charitable activities of the Church; financial situation

10. The attitude of the Greek Orthodox Church towards heterodoxy

11. Relations of the Greek Orthodox Church with the Russian Orthodox Church in the past and present

Greek "Church of True Orthodox Christians"

Dioceses of the Greek Orthodox Church

Primates of the Greek Orthodox Church

Bibliography for Chapter VI “The Greek Orthodox Church”

The jurisdiction of the Greek Orthodox Church extends to the territory of Greece (Greek Republic).

Greece is a state in the south of the Balkan Peninsula and adjacent islands. In the north it borders with Albania, Macedonia and Bulgaria, in the northeast - with Turkey. The eastern coast of Greece is washed by the Aegean Sea, the southern by the Mediterranean, and the western by the Ionian Sea. Many islands: Ionian Islands, Crete, Dodecanese, Aegean.

Area 131,990 sq. km, incl. islands - 25,100 sq. km.

Population - about 9,900,000 people (1984).

95% of the population is Greek.

The capital is Athens (over 3,000,000 inhabitants).

Historical sketch of the Greek Orthodox Church

1. The most ancient period of the history of the Greek Orthodox Church: the spread of Christianity; bishoprics in Corinth and Thessaloniki; introduction of the Greek Church into the jurisdiction of Constantinople

The seeds of the Christian faith were brought to the territory of present-day Greece by the holy Apostle Paul, who, during the second and third great evangelistic journeys, founded and established Christian communities in a number of cities in Macedonia and Achaia, in particular in Philippi, Thessalonica, Athens and Corinth. He sent two letters each to the Thessalonian and Corinthian communities, and one to the Philippians. Apollos, “well-versed in the Scriptures,” also worked in Corinth (Acts 18:24; 19:1). According to legend, the holy Apostle Andrew preached in Achaia, and the holy Apostle Philip preached in Athens. Saint Luke the Evangelist preached in other parts of Greece, and Saint John the Theologian, exiled to the island of Patmos, received Divine Revelation there. Later, a monastery was built on this island in memory of the Holy Apostle. On the island of Crete, the bishop was the disciple of the Apostle Paul, Titus, to whom the Apostle of the tongues commanded to complete what was unfinished and appoint “presbyters in all the cities” (Titus 1:5).

In the 2nd century, Greece produced the first Christian apologists - Codratus and Aristides. Tradition testifies that the apologist-philosopher Athenagoras was an Athenian. In the same century, an authoritative Christian teacher who enjoyed fame far beyond the borders of Greece was the Corinthian Bishop Dionysius.

There is no clear information regarding the church structure of the first Christian communities in Greece. It is 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 this region and became a metropolitan. However, due to the Roman administrative reorganization of the Balkan Peninsula, its position changed. Emperor Saint Constantine the Great (337) divided the Roman Empire into four prefectures (Eastern, Illyrian, Italian and Gallic), which in turn were divided into dioceses, and the latter into provinces. The western part of the Balkan Peninsula became part of the Illyrian prefecture, which had three dioceses: Western (Illyria), Dacian and Macedonian. Greece with the nearby islands formed part of the Macedonian diocese, where the main city was Thessaloniki (Thessaloniki), therefore the Bishop of Thessaloniki, using the high political position of his city, begins to seek power over other bishops of the diocese. But Corinthian and other metropolitans resolutely opposed these claims. Having encountered opposition, the Bishop of Thessalonica turns to the Pope. In 415, Pope Innocent I appointed the Bishop of Thessalonica as his vicar over all of Eastern Illyria. Emperor Theodosius II took Eastern Illyria from the pope and subjugated it to the Patriarch of Constantinople (421), but, at the insistence of the western emperor Honorius, he soon canceled his order, and at the beginning of the 4th century the pope was; The Corinthian metropolis, along with thirty bishoprics subordinate to it, was also subordinated.

In connection with the decisive speeches of Pope Gregory II in defense of icon veneration, which was persecuted in the East, the Byzantine iconoclast emperor Leo the Isaurian, around 732, again took Eastern Illyria from the pope and subordinated it to the Patriarch of Constantinople. At the same time, a certain vicariate of the papal Solu was abolished. The Corinthian metropolis, like other metropolises of Eastern Illyria, came under the jurisdiction of Constantinople.

The just desire of the Church of Constantinople to include the Greek Church in its jurisdiction was finally sanctioned by Patriarch Photius in 879-880. Later, this provision was enshrined in the Vasilikon Code. Such administrative unity of the Greek Church with the Ecumenical Patriarchate corresponded to their long-standing spiritual ties. It should be noted that while the Greek Church was under the jurisdiction of the Roman Church, no noticeable positive manifestations of spiritual life were observed even in such Greek church centers as Thessaloniki, Corinth, and Athens. The administrative unity between the Greek and Constantinople Churches contributed to the transfer to Greek soil of the spiritual dynamism of Byzantium, generated by the combination of Christianity and Hellenic thought under the direct influence of the great holy fathers of the Church.

2. The Church during the rule of the Latins in the East, after their expulsion from Constantinople and under Turkish rule; the struggle of the Greeks for political and church independence; the role of the Church in the liberation struggle

During the time of Latin rule in the East (XIII century), the Orthodox Church in Greece was persecuted. Some Greek metropolitans were imprisoned (for example, the scientist, Metropolitan of Athens Michael Acominatus, c. 1220), others were forced to hide. Only those who recognized the authority of the pope over themselves were retained in the pulpits. Latin archbishops were installed in Corinth, Athens and other important cities, subordinate to the Latin Patriarch of Constantinople. Vigorous propaganda of Catholicism was launched throughout Greece, although without success. The Orthodox islanders found themselves in a particularly difficult situation. More than others, the Orthodox islands of Crete experienced the oppression of Catholicism, which was under the rule of the Venetians for several centuries (1204-1669). They did not have their own Orthodox bishop and were forced by all means to convert to Catholicism.

After Constantinople was recaptured from the Latins in 1261, the restoration of Orthodox dioceses began (the Corinthian Metropolis was restored only at the end of the 16th century). Although some areas still remained under the jurisdiction of the Latins, the Byzantine emperors showed patronage and care for the Orthodox Greeks living in them.

Since the conquest of Greece by the Turks (XIV-XV centuries), Latin violence ceased - the dioceses were subordinated to the Patriarch of Constantinople, but the situation of the Greeks, like other peoples conquered by the Turks, was difficult.

Experiencing severe oppression from the Turks, the Greeks did not lose hope of liberation and were the first of the peoples of the Balkan Peninsula to achieve political and ecclesiastical independence. Inspired by the hope of freedom, they often took up arms against their oppressors, but in the 15th-18th centuries they were unable to achieve anything for their independence. The following centuries were more favorable for them - the 18th and 19th centuries. Turkey at this time had reached the extreme point of state impotence, and Russia, the same faith of the Greeks, which they looked to with hope for many years as their only protector and liberator, declared itself as a strong power. At the same time, the Greeks themselves had sufficient strength to begin an open struggle against the oppressors. The population of the Archipelago received some benefits from the Turks due to the fact that they provided good sailors from their midst to the Turkish fleet. An important benefit was the right of the islanders to sail freely in all the seas of the Ottoman Empire. Thanks to this right, they developed wide trade and had large

in cash. During the war of the 18th century, the Greeks, under the pretext of trade or protecting merchant ships from sea pirates, began to build armed ships, from which it was possible to form a fairly significant fleet for the first time. At the same time, measures were taken to develop public education. To this end, the Greeks in their homeland opened schools in which, educating the younger generation on their ancient national literature, they sought to reveal to them the happy past of free Greece, to help compare with the past the present humiliated position of Hellas under the yoke of the Turks and thus revive the desire for a national freedom. The measures taken gave the desired results. As soon as the war between Russia and Turkey began in 1768, the Greeks considered this a convenient time to win their independence. As soon as the Russian fleet under the command of Count Orlov appeared in the Mediterranean Sea, the Greeks of the Mores and the Archipelago rebelled against the Turks. Greek sailors joined the Russians and acted together with them. Although the Turks, after the departure of the Russian troops, brutally took revenge on the rebels, the Greeks did not lose hope of liberation, especially since, according to the peace treaties concluded between Russia and Turkey, after the first war in Kuchuk-Kainardzhi (1774), and after the second in Iasi (1791), Russia twice received the right to patronize Orthodox Christians in the East.

The first decades of the 19th century were a time of persistent efforts by the Greeks to overthrow the Turkish yoke. In Paris, the Greeks who studied there formed a literary society called "Heteria" (friends of the muses), which soon took on a political character, setting as its goal the liberation of Hellas. The Greeks living in Europe considered it their duty to be members of this society. Count John Kapodistrias and Prince Alexander Ypsilanti, who were in Russian service, also belonged to him. The latter, in 1821, at the head of a detachment of armed Greeks, invaded the Danube principalities and raised an uprising there. But this enterprise was not successful. The Turks were able to suppress the uprising. Ypsilanti was forced to retire to Austria, where he was captured and imprisoned. However, just a few days later, Metropolitan Germanus of Patras hoisted the banner of a new uprising in Kalavryta and addressed the people with the following appeal: “Heroic sons of heroic fathers! Let each one gird himself with his sword, because it is better to fall with a sword in his hands than to see the disasters of the fatherland and desecrated shrines! Come on! Break the chains, break the yoke that has been placed on you, because we are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ! The cause you are called to defend is the cause of God Himself.” In the same year, a large uprising of the Greeks took place in Morea and the Archipelago. “A Turk will no longer live either in the Morea or in the whole world,” the rebel Greeks sang in their war songs. And indeed, a stubborn and bloody struggle followed. The Turks humbled the Greeks with the most brutal measures, and the Greeks responded in kind. European governments viewed what was happening in the Morea as an internal affair of the Turkish Empire, so the Greeks were left to their own fate for a long time. Only at Russia's insistence did the European policy of inaction end. Russia, England and France, having concluded an agreement among themselves, demanded that Mahmud II stop the inhumane massacre of the Greeks. When he refused to comply with this demand, the Allies used weapons. In 1827, the Battle of Navarino took place, in which the entire Turkish-Egyptian fleet was destroyed in a few hours by the allied fleet of Russia, England and France. Taking Russia as the main culprit for Turkey's defeat, the Sultan issued an offensive proclamation against it, the response to which was a declaration of war on the part of Russia. The war (1827-1829) ended victoriously for Russia. In 1829, Turkey was forced to sign a peace treaty in Adrianople, according to which, in particular, it undertook to recognize the independence of Greece. This issue was finally resolved in 1830. The revolted Greek provinces were recognized as an independent state,

it was given the name Greek, or Hellenic. The new state included: Morea, Central Greece and some islands.

What role did the Orthodox Church play in the liberation struggle of the Greek people? This question is well explained by E. D. Theodorou, professor at the University of Thessaloniki. “The Greek Church,” he writes, “had to wage a new spiritual struggle during Ottoman rule. At this time, the Church, like a loving mother and like a bird gathering “her chicks under her wings” (Matthew 23:37), came out in defense of the enslaved Greek people and provided enormous assistance in preserving the organic integrity of the Greek nation. Without the support of their Church, the Greek people would be in very serious danger under the yoke of the Turks. The Church supported the spiritual forces of the people and their national traditions, the faithful guardian of which it was through the Greek language and writing, and especially church services... With the help of the Church, many schools, libraries, public canteens for students, and printing houses were built. The Church provided scholarships and other similar activities. During this period, the Church even contributed to the development of science. As a typical example, we can cite two famous priests - Eugene Bulgaris and Nikephoros Theotokis, who first introduced the Greeks to the physical sciences. In addition to theological works, they wrote about mathematics, astronomy and physics.

Thus, the Orthodox Greeks united around their Church, preserved their national consciousness and did not succumb to assimilation by Islam... As Eugene Bulgaris publicly declared in the patriarchal chapel in Constantinople in 1760, the Church “even in the shackles of slavery radiated light and preserved its dignity". The entire life of the enslaved people had an ecclesiastical character: the interests of the Church were the interests of the people and vice versa.

During the period of Ottoman rule, monasteries carried out enormous activities. They were a refuge for all the oppressed, strengthening the piety of the people... Monastic teachers taught either in the monasteries themselves, or while traveling around the country; preachers and spiritual confessors encouraged people in both faith and perseverance. Schools operated regularly in many monasteries, and all of them turned into repositories for manuscripts...

The Greek Church not only saved the Greek nation, but also prepared its liberation from the Turkish yoke, participating in word and deed in the struggle for national independence.”

To commemorate the services of the clergy to the Church and their homeland, a monument to an unknown priest was unveiled in Athens in 1974.

3. Church in revived Greece: declaration of church autocephaly; declaration of 1833; recognition of autocephaly by Constantinople; laws of 1852 (on the structure of the Synod, etc.)

A natural consequence of the political revival of Greece was the emergence of an independent Greek Church.

The dioceses that became part of the new state were under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople before the Greek uprising in 1821. During hostilities, relations between the bishops of Hellas and the Patriarch of Constantinople naturally

stopped. Patriarch Gregory V of Constantinople was executed by the Turks. His immediate successors, quickly replaced by the Turkish authorities, sent letters only at the will of the Sultan, exhorting the insurgents to voluntarily submit to the Porte. These letters, being purely political and also unacceptable for the Greeks, had the smallest circle of readers. They not only did not contribute to the cause of communication, but, on the contrary, led to greater disunity.

And only in 1830, Patriarch Constantius I addressed the President of the Hellenic Republic, Count Kapodistrias, with a letter in which he expressed the desire that the Hellenic dioceses would again enter into communion with the See of Constantinople. To restore communication, Kapodistrias intended to send representatives of the Hellenic dioceses to the Patriarch. However, circumstances soon changed. Kapodistrias became a victim of the struggle that began in the republic, and the embassy was not sent. Relations with Constantinople were still uncertain. After some time, voices began to be heard that in an independent state there should also be an independent Church.

In 1833, at the insistence of England, the king, 17-year-old Bavarian Prince Otgon, who had been enthroned at the suggestion of France and other powers, arrived in Hellas, accompanied by German officials. Before Otgon came of age, a regency of three Bavarians was appointed to govern the state: Count Armansperg, von Maurer and General Heydegg. The organization of church affairs was one of the main concerns of the new government. For this purpose, a commission of three clergy and four laymen was created, and the Minister of Church Affairs, Spyridon Trikoupis, was appointed its chairman. The soul of the commission was Hieromonk Farmakid, a young, energetic, enlightened man, but with Protestant views, which he had acquired in Germany. Soon the commission presented the government with a draft structure of the Church, which was based on the idea of ​​its autocephaly. After considering the project in government circles and at a council of bishops convened in Nauplia, the government in July 1833 declared the Greek Church autocephalous. “So, now we need to look at the course of that great drama (i.e. at the council of bishops in Nauplia - K.S), the author of which was you, as you yourself admit and boast about,” one of his opponents reproached Hieromonk Pharmacides . - So, tell me: who composed the main points then? - Of course, they were not composed by the people, not by the bishops, and not with open doors. - Who? - It is you, husband of desires; All this honor and glory belongs to you! Who signed them? - Bishops, but not canonical, but mostly aliens. Do you know what penances threaten aliens for such deeds? You promised them dioceses, you called them separately to a safe place and, having appeased them in this way, forced you or the spirit of malice living in you to do such an unheard of thing.”

The essence of the declaration, which proclaimed the independence of the Church and the organization of church affairs in Greece, was as follows.

The Orthodox Church of the Kingdom of Greece, which spiritually does not recognize any other head other than the Lord Jesus Christ, and in government terms has the King of Greece as its supreme leader, is autocephalous and independent of any other authority. The highest ecclesiastical authority is under the control of the king in the hands of a permanent Synod called the "Holy Synod of the Kingdom of Greece." The King, by his decree, approves the Ministry of Church Affairs, to which the Synod must submit. The Synod consists of five members: a chairman and four councilors. But the government, by its power, has the right to appoint two assessors instead of two advisers, and also to introduce an additional one or two assessors to the Synod.

The chairman and advisers should be elected from the bishops, and the assessors from the priests. Their term of office is determined by the government for one year. They also receive a salary from the government. Cases are decided by a majority vote of the members of the Synod (in case of equality, the predominance is given by the vote of the chairman), in the presence of a representative of the government - the royal prosecutor, without whose participation the Synod has no right to make final determinations. In all internal affairs of the Church, the Synod acts independently of secular authorities. But since the supreme state power exercises supreme supervision over all affairs of the state, everything that is subject to the jurisdiction of the Synod is not decided by it and is not even considered without prior communication with the government and without its approval. Diocesan bishops are subordinate to the Synod, but are assigned to departments and removed from them by the government, albeit at the proposal of the Synod. The number of dioceses and parishes, their territorial boundaries, according to the report of the Synod, are also determined by the government. The Synod has the supreme court over the clergy and laity, but only in purely ecclesiastical matters, and its decisions are submitted for approval by the government; civil affairs of clergy are subject to the competence of the secular government. During services, the Synod is commemorated after the king.

So, by the regulations of 1833, all ruling power in the Church was given to the king. The Synod was one of many state institutions, which is why it was called the “Holy Synod of the Kingdom of Greece.” In fact, he was subject to double state tutelage - the Ministry of Church Affairs and the royal epitrope (commissioner); its members were appointed for one year only; This procedure was convenient for the government to remove members it did not want. Metropolitan Kirill of Corinth was appointed chairman of the newly established Synod, and the above-mentioned hieromonk Theoclitus Farmakides was appointed secretary.

The proclamation of the independence of the Greek Church took place on July 27, 1833 in a solemn atmosphere with the gathering of a large flock, the thunder of cannons, and the participation of the king himself, ministers, bishops and ambassadors of some Christian countries.

This is how this event was described in the Athena newspaper. “The 27th day of July is a glorious day in the annals of Greece... the day on which the greatest national holiday took place: on this glorious day the independence of our Church was consecrated with a sacred rite. Our monarch, accompanied by members of the regency, ministers, all the bishops of the state, ambassadors of friendly powers located in the city and all civil and military officials, came at twelve o'clock to the Church of St. George, where a doxology was sung to the Almighty, a prayer was offered for our monarch, and the church consecrated through prayers the independence of our Church. And after that, the venerable Hierokyrix Joseph of Byzantium uttered a word befitting the real subject,” and so on. To this description F. Kurganov adds: “The Russian ambassador was not present at this celebration, and his absence, according to Maurer, was very important, because the Greeks have a highly developed national feeling, and such an act of such an important person naturally caused them deep insult!" (Kurganov F. Op. op. P. 149).

Thus, the independence of the Greek Church was proclaimed. But even during its proclamation, many Greek bishops and laity expressed their doubts about whether autocephaly obtained without the blessing of the Mother Church, in this case the Church of Constantinople, could be legal. After the proclamation of autocephaly, those dissatisfied with the actions of the government openly protested. The throne of Constantinople also quite rightly looked at the proclamation of independence of the Greek Church - part of the Constantinople

Patriarchy - without his consent as an anti-canonical matter. The Greek government initially tried to subdue the recalcitrant with strict measures, but in the end it was forced to directly turn to Constantinople to resolve the issue. In 1850, it sent a message to the Patriarch of Constantinople, in which, announcing the declaration of independence of the Greek Church and the establishment of the Synod, it asked to consider this issue, recognize the Synod as a brother in Christ and bless the cause of the pious Greek people. To resolve the church affairs of Hellas, Patriarch Anthimus IV of Constantinople convened a Council in the same year, in the actions of which, in addition to the permanent members of the Patriarchal Synod, the five retired Patriarchs of Constantinople and Patriarch Kirill of Jerusalem, who was in Constantinople, also took part. At the Council, first of all, joy was expressed that the Greek dioceses, which had been outside the church union for seventeen years, showed an effort to enter into communion with their legitimate primate; then the position was confirmed that the right to give independence to the Church belongs to the Patriarchate under whose jurisdiction the newly established Local Church was; finally, it was decided that the Hellenic dioceses, hitherto subordinate to Constantinople, were freed from all dependence and the Hellenic Church was proclaimed autocephalous. Contrary to the regulations of 1833, the Council decided that the permanent Synod should consist only of bishops and resolve ecclesiastical issues according to divine and sacred rules - without secular interference.

The text of the Council Act - “Tomos Synodikos” - is as follows (in abbreviation): “...The Church of Christ, i.e. the venerable Ecumenical Councils, temporarily, depending on the needs of the state order, divided or combined church dioceses, subordinated them to others, or recognized them as independent; unity in faith and in church canonical order remained inviolable. So it is now, when some of the most holy metropolises, archdioceses and bishoprics that were under the ecclesiastical authority of the Patriarchal Apostolic Ecumenical Throne of Constantinople, which now constitute the God-saved and God-protected Kingdom of Greece, due to circumstances temporarily separated (although preserving the unity of faith by the grace of God) from the church and canonical unity with our Orthodox Mother, the Great Church of Constantinople, on which we depended, and with all the other Orthodox Churches, we, by the grace of the All-Holy Spirit, came together in full assembly to restore the canonical unity of the Hellenic Church with the other Orthodox Churches, having seen from the charter of the pious ministers of the God-saved Greek power the request of all the pious clergy there and the desire of the entire Orthodox Greek people, our children beloved in the Holy Spirit, recognizing also that this newly established power has a need for the unity of church governance in matters of faith, and zealous for the inviolability of our holy faith and the inviolability of the rules of the divine fathers, and always We all abide both in the unity of faith and in the unity of governance of the indivisible branches of the Divine vine - we have decreed by the power of the All-Holy and All-Accomplishing Spirit by this conciliar action that the Orthodox Church in the Kingdom of Greece, having as its Leader and Head, like the entire Catholic Orthodox Church, the Lord and God and our Savior Jesus Christ, to henceforth be legally independent; and to recognize its highest church government as a permanent Synod, consisting of bishops, successively called according to the seniority of ordination, under the chairmanship of His Eminence, the Metropolitan of Athens, and governing church affairs according to divine and sacred rules, free and unhindered from any worldly interference. Thus, we recognize and proclaim the Holy Synod in Greece, established by this conciliar act, as our brother in spirit, proclaiming to all pious and Orthodox children everywhere the One

Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, may he be recognized as such and commemorated under the name of the Holy Synod of the Hellenic Church.

We grant him all the advantages and all the commanding rights befitting the highest church government, so that from now on he will be remembered during the priesthood by the Hellenic bishops in their dioceses, and the chairman of it will remember the entire Orthodox bishopric, and so that all canonical actions regarding the ordination of bishops will belong to the entire Synod. But in order to preserve its legal 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 handed down from the fathers, he must commemorate in sacred diptychs the names of the Ecumenical Patriarch and the other three Patriarchs according to rank, as well as the entire Orthodox bishopric; also receive, as much as you need, the holy Myrrh from the holy Great Church of Christ. The Chairman of the Holy Synod, according to the conciliar orders handed down from the fathers, upon entering this title, undertakes to send ordinary conciliar letters to the Ecumenical and other Patriarchs, just as they, upon their accession, will do the same. In addition, in the case of church affairs that require joint consideration and mutual assistance for the better structure and establishment of the Orthodox Church, it is necessary that the Hellenic Holy Synod refers to the Ecumenical Patriarch and the Holy Synod located under him. And the Ecumenical Patriarch, together with his Holy and Holy Synod, will willingly provide his assistance, reporting what is needed to the Holy Synod of the Hellenic Church. But matters related to internal church government, such as: the election and ordination of bishops, their number, the names of their thrones, the ordination of priests and priests, marriages and dissolutions, the management of monasteries, deanery and supervision of the sacred clergy, the preaching of the word of God, the prohibition books contrary to the faith - all this and the like must be decided by the Holy Synod by synodal determination, without at all violating the sacred rules of the holy and sacred Councils, the customs and decrees of the Eastern Orthodox Church handed down by the fathers.

On these grounds, this anciently blessed mother, like a vine blooming in the courtyards of the house of the Lord, the Great Church of Christ of Constantinople, collectively in the Holy Spirit recognizes and proclaims the Hellenic Church as independent, and its Synod as a brother in the Spirit and every other Local Orthodox Church.” .. (Chronicles. Read. 1851.4.2. P. 54-60).

Patriarch Anthimus notified all Local Churches with messages about this proclamation of autocephaly of the Greek Church.

The government now had to draw up a new regulation on church government in the spirit of the conciliar resolution and in accordance with church canons. But it did not change its attitude towards the Church, since it considered its previous actions to be completely legal. In 1852, a bill was considered, which came into force.

Without going into a detailed analysis of the new law on the structure of the Synod of the Greek Church, it should be noted that it was drawn up in the spirit of the law of 1833. The idea of ​​ecclesiastical freedom, expressed in the definitions of the Council of Constantinople in 1850, was not taken into account. The new law, like the previous one, restricted the freedom of action of the Synod members and made them dependent on civil authorities. The changes affected only the composition of the Synod. Now only the bishops of the kingdom were appointed members of the Synod, one of whom, namely the Metropolitan of Athens, was appointed

chairman. The other four members were summoned in turn by the government in order of seniority for a period of one year, at the end of which they returned to their dioceses; however, the government, at its discretion, could retain two of them in the Synod for a second term. If the chairman is absent, the eldest member takes his place.

In 1852, a law was promulgated dividing the kingdom into 24 dioceses, one of which - Athens - was elevated to the degree of metropolitanate, nine - to the degree of archdioceses, and the rest - bishoprics. Four years later (in 1856) the dioceses were divided into parishes. In 1852, episcopal courts - dicastries - were established under the diocesan bishops. Bishop candidates were elected by the Synod but approved by the king. For the spiritual enlightenment of the people, the government appointed several hierokirix (preachers), whose duty was to visit the cities and villages of their district and teach everyone the word of God. Priests and deacons were elected by the parishioners themselves and ordained by bishops after a preliminary test.

Government reforms also affected Greek monasteries. During the years of the Greek uprising, there were 524 male monasteries and 18 female monasteries in Hellas. They owned large real estate, which occupied almost a quarter of the entire Greek territory. The total number of monks was about 3000 people. The government ordered the closure of all monasteries with fewer than six monks. The property of closed monasteries was subject to confiscation in favor of the national treasury, established to improve church affairs and public education. The monks from them were moved to active monasteries. Monasteries that were not abolished were required to annually contribute five percent of their income to the treasury. As a result, the Church lost 394 monasteries.

4. Accession of the flock of the Ionian Islands to the Greek Orthodox Church

In 1866, the flock of the Ionian Islands joined the Greek Orthodox Church. At the end of the 18th century, Napoleon took these islands from the Venetians. In 1799, they were declared an independent republic under the patronage of the Russian Emperor and the Turkish Sultan, and the Orthodox was recognized as the dominant religion. At the beginning of the 19th century. these islands passed to the British, who agreed to recognize the Orthodox Church as dominant here. Each of the islands had its own bishop, elected according to the law of 1839 by secret vote of the entire clergy of each island. The newly elected one was approved by the local government - the gerusia, which asked the Ecumenical Patriarch for permission to consecrate him. This ecclesiastical position of the Ionian Islands continued until their political annexation by Greece in 1864. Following the political annexation of the islands, the question arose about the annexation of the local Church to the Greek Church. As a result of negotiations on this matter between the Ionian, Greek and Ecumenical Churches in July 1866, the matter was formalized canonically. In 1881, according to the Berlin Treaty of 1878, Thessaly and part of Epirus (Arta) were annexed to Greece; nine local dioceses, after proper relations between the local Synod and the Patriarch of Constantinople, also became part of the Church of Greece.

At that time, the Greek Orthodox Church had 40 dioceses: 1 metropolitanate - Athens, 17 archdioceses and 22 bishops. In 1922, all diocesan bishops received the title of metropolitan.

5. The movement of the Greek clergy after the First World War for the liberation of the Church from state tutelage

After the First World War, a movement began among the Greek hierarchy to liberate the Church from state tutelage. However, it was only in 1923 that the Council of the Greek Church was convened, which changed its structure by issuing the fundamental law of the Autocephalous Church of Greece. The Church was headed by the Council of Bishops under the chairmanship of the Archbishop of Athens with the title “Most Beatitude” (until that time it was Metropolitan). The Council was convened annually, and in the period between sessions the Holy Synod, chaired by the Archbishop of Athens, decided on matters. But in September 1925, Theodoros Pangalos, who concentrated all state power in his hands, issued a new law, which repeated the main provisions of the 1852 law. The Permanent Synod (of seven bishop members) was established as the highest administrative and ecclesiastical authority. At the Synod, Pangalos appointed a state commissioner, who, although he did not have the right to vote, nevertheless approved the synodal resolutions, with the exception of decisions relating to matters of faith and worship. Soon the Permanent Synod was increased to 13 members (including the chairman). This provision was in effect until 1967.

6. Archbishops of Athens

Since the publication of the Basic Law of the Autocephalous Greek Church in December 1923, it has been led by a number of prominent Athenian Archbishops. The most famous Archbishops include Chrysostomos I, Theoclitus II, Chrysostomos II, Jerome and Seraphim.

ChrysostomosI (1923 -1938) occupies a prominent place in Greek theology. He received higher theological education at the Athens Theological Faculty, as well as at the Kyiv and Petrograd Theological Academies. Before ascending to the See of Athens, he was a professor of church history at the Faculty of Theology of the University of Athens. He wrote a number of valuable church-historical works: “History of the Jerusalem Church” (1910), “History of the Greek Church” (Athens, 1920), “History of the Alexandrian Church” (Alexandria, 1935). He also wrote about the Churches: Antiochian, Russian, Serbian and Romanian. Under him, in December 1923, the Basic Law of the Autocephalous Greek Church was published.

TheoclitusII Born in 1890. He received his higher education at the University of Athens, after which he was ordained. In 1931 he was ordained bishop. Since 1944 - Metropolitan of Patras, and in 1957-1962 - Archbishop of Athens. During the time he headed the Greek Church, feelings of mutual brotherly love and goodwill were manifested more than once between the Russian and Greek Orthodox Churches, which will be discussed below.

ChrysostomosII (1962 -1967). Born in 1878 in Asia Minor. After successfully completing the course at the gymnasium on the island of Samos and the Theological School on the island of Halki, in 1902 he was admitted to the Faculty of Law at the University of Lausanne. His stay in Switzerland gave him the opportunity to establish good connections with believers of different confessions. Upon returning to his homeland, he was ordained to the rank of archdeacon, and in 1910 - to the rank of bishop, vicar of the Metropolitan of Smyrna. In 1913, the Ecumenical Patriarch appointed him to the see of Metropolitan of Philadelphia, and then moved him to the Metropolis of Ephesus. During the administration of the Philadelphia Metropolitanate, Chrysostom was sentenced to death for his national liberation activities.

Sultan's governor Rahmen Bey. What saved him from execution were energetic interventions and petitions from influential people. The tragic events that took place in 1922 on the Smyrna coast led to the martyrdom of his teacher and patron, Metropolitan of Smyrna. Metropolitan Chrysostom himself managed to avoid the fate of his Abba this time. He moved to Greece, where he was first assigned to the See of Berea with the assignment of being a trustee for refugees from Asia Minor, and then in the same year he was transferred to the newly formed Metropolitanate of Philippi and remained in this rank until his election to the primate throne of Athens.

In 1961, Metropolitan Chrysostomos presided over the Pan-Orthodox Rhodes Conference. At the same time, he established warm relations with delegates from the Russian Orthodox Church.

In May 1967, after the April coup, Archbishop Chrysostomos, under pressure from the new military government, was removed from the throne of Athens. He died in June 1968.

Jerome(1967-1973) - son of a sailor, born on the island of Tinos in 1905. He was raised by his pious mother, who, having remained a widow (her husband died six months before the birth of the child), devoted herself entirely to her son. After excellent completion of the Risari school, in 1924 he entered the Theological Faculty of the University of Athens, upon graduation he received a diploma with honors. Then he studied in Munich, Berlin, Bonn, Oxford, where he met the Roman Catholic, Reformed, Old Catholic and Anglican confessions and became familiar with the methods of European scientific theology. In his homeland, his scientific education culminated in receiving the degree of Doctor of Theology in 1940 from the Faculty of Theology of the University of Athens. In the same year, he was ordained a priest by Archbishop Chrysanthos of Athens (ordained a deacon in 1939), appointed secretary of the Holy Synod and publisher of the official organ of the Greek Church, Ecclesia. He was removed from these positions by the occupation government in November 1941. Even before the start of the Greco-Italian War, he developed a project for creating an organization of church assistance to the fighting people, which he proposed at the discretion of Archbishop Chrysanthos. The latter instructed him to create an organization for the Care of the Soldier, which later turned into the National Organization of Christian Solidarity.

During the years of occupation, he contributed to the opening of canteens, provided spiritual and material assistance to the sick, poor, and orphans. After the liberation of Greece from the occupiers, Jerome provided services to his fatherland and the Church by organizing the “Dema Epatrisma” (“Union of Return to the Homeland”). He also led the movement to restore destroyed temples.

In 1947, Jerome, being an archpriest, was invited to the royal court and from then on he became friends with King Paul. Later he raised King Constantine.

In 1950-1956, Jerome was Secretary General of the Cyprus Liberation Commission, headed by Archbishop Spyridon of Athens. In 1959 he was appointed full-time professor of Canon Law and Pastoral Theology at the University of Thessaloniki, while retaining the position of palace archpriest. Since 1952, he was a member of the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches and its other committees, an active ecumenical figure, which especially distinguished him from his predecessor, Archbishop Chrysostomos.

Archimandrite Jerome often represented the Greek Church at various inter-Christian meetings and celebrations in Austria, England, Belgium, Germany, Holland, Denmark, Italy, the USSR, and France. He also traveled as a representative of the Greek Church to America, countries of Africa and the Middle East, and India; visited the holy places of Palestine.

On May 11, 1967, Archimandrite Jerome was elected Primate of the Church. On May 12, he was consecrated as a bishop, and on May 17, his enthronement took place.

Archbishop Jerome Kotsonis became the third after Procopius Ikonomidis(1896-1901) and Chrysostomoma Papadopoulos(1923-1938) from among the University professors who ascended the Archbishop's throne. As the Greek press spoke about him immediately after his election to the throne, Jerome “is distinguished by his breadth and organization of spirit, strict attachment to the traditions of the Orthodox Church. Characteristic are his complete poverty and constant stay in the cells at the Petraki monastery, of which he is a brother.”

The enthronement of Archbishop Jerome took place in the Athens Cathedral in the presence of members of the government, the Holy Synod and representatives of other Orthodox Churches, in particular the envoy of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, Metropolitan Meliton of Chalcedon.

On the occasion of the enthronement, Archbishop Jerome delivered a speech in which he touched upon intra-Greek, pan-Orthodox and general Christian problems.

In the internal Greek sphere, the Archbishop considered it necessary to raise the spirituality of the clergy and laity. He described as unacceptable the fact that out of nine thousand priests in Greece, only three hundred studied at the Faculty of Theology, and stated that he considered the salaries of the clergy paid by the state as a temporary measure. The possessions still remaining in the Church must be used to strengthen the Church's financial independence.

The Archbishop connected the pan-Orthodox undertakings with the establishment of the Theological Faculty “In the Name of the Holy Cross” in Jerusalem, as well as with close and regular contacts between the Greek, Slavic and Western Local Churches, with the thorough preparation of the Pan-Orthodox Council. The Archbishop emphasized that relations with other Orthodox Churches should become increasingly closer under the leadership of the Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras: “The Orthodox Church must appear to the world united and united.”

Turning to the range of ecumenical issues, Archbishop Jerome showed himself to be a principled advocate of Christian reunification. He said that although differences in dogma would exist for a long time, relations with heterodox churches should be carried out under the sign of “the spirit of Christian love and mutual respect,” and any proselytism should be avoided on both sides.

In conclusion, Archbishop Jerome stated that he would donate all the income of his diocese to the establishment of hospitals for the clergy and to help those affected by natural disasters.

Soon after assuming the See of Athens, Archbishop Jerome proposed a project for the reorganization of the Greek Church, in which he outlined the state of the Church and outlined the necessary measures to eliminate existing shortcomings. In particular, he pointed out the need to establish borders and a corresponding number of metropolises so that each of them would have 200 thousand flocks. In this case, in all of Greece, including Crete (8 dioceses) and the Dodecanese (4 dioceses), under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, there should be about 40 metropolises instead of the existing 81 (hence, the flock in Hellas then numbered about 8 million; in 1980 - about 9 million). The Archbishop emphasized the need to increase attention to preaching, raising the level of monastic life and the state of spiritual enlightenment. The Theological faculties, His Beatitude continued, should admit only graduates of theological schools and those young men who showed a special interest in religious lessons in lyceums.

From June 8 to June 11, 1967, Archbishop Jerome was on an official visit to Constantinople.

A representative of the Greek newspaper "EXsu" Gspo^ kbodod, reporting in his report from Constantinople on June 9, 1967 about the meeting of Archbishop Jerome with the "Primate of Orthodoxy", said that during this meeting there was a conversation about the future of Orthodoxy and relations with Catholics. In general, much was written in the Greek press about the fruitful results of the visit. The unity of the directions of the Constantinople and Greek Churches in their activities regarding relations with the Orthodox and heterodox Churches was especially emphasized.

Welcoming Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras during the meeting on June 10, Archbishop Jerome of Athens emphasized that the Orthodox Churches are moving together along the path of solving great modern problems “under the wise leadership” of the Ecumenical Patriarch and Mother of the Great Church of Christ.

In response to this greeting, the Patriarch emphasized the virtues of the Primate of the Greek Church and the significance of this visit, and also said that the election of Jerome charts a new line in relations between the Greek Church and the Church of Constantinople.

“On the occasion of the official visit of His Beatitude Archbishop Jerome of Athens and All Greece to the Ecumenical Patriarchate and in the framework of solving various church problems, a special meeting was held under the chairmanship of His Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras in his office on June 10 of this year, in which His Eminence Metropolitans Constantine of Patria and Synesius of Kasandria and members of the synodal commissions on pan-Orthodox and pan-Christian issues, His Eminence Metropolitans Maximos of Stavropolis, Chrysostomos of Mir, Simeon of Irinoupolis and Gabriel of Colonia, professors of the Chalkin Theological School Emmanuel Fotiadis, Vasily Anagnostopoulos, Vasily Stavridis and the Great Archdeacon Evangelos, secretary of these commissions.

The Greek Orthodox Church is in third place in terms of the number of parishioners, behind the Russian with its 100 million and the Romanian with its 20 million.

Story

The penetration of Christianity into this country occurred in the 1st century along with the arrival of the Apostle Paul in the territory of Hellas. The first city he visited was Philippi. There he preached to the local people. On the very first day, the baptism of one of the local residents, a rich woman named Lydia, took place. At her suggestion, her close circle was also baptized. She was one of the first Christians in Europe, which local settlers still remember with pride. This is how the founding of the Christian community took place in this city, and then in Thessalonica, Veria, Achaia, Athens and Corinth. In all these cities, many settlers were converted to Christianity.

Paul constantly throughout his life interacted quite closely with representatives of all these communities, serving as a shepherd for them. The New Testament contains several addresses of the apostle to these ancient Greek communities of the first Christians.

The Apostle Luke also worked on the creation of the Greek Church during the same time period. It was he who created the “Gospel for the Hellenes.” Apostle Andrew the First-Called also made his contribution to the development of the Greek Church.

In just half a century, everyone acquired their own Christian communities. The first representatives of Christianity in the country were inextricably linked with the Bishop of Rome, since Greece was part of the Roman Empire. For many centuries, until the 9th century, Orthodoxy was the basis of the Roman Church, and all preconditions for schism were carefully eliminated.

Byzantine influence

At the beginning of the 5th century, Greece became part of the In many ways, the rites of the Greek church came under the influence of Constantinople. The dioceses of Greece were subordinate to the Byzantine Patriarch. The city of Thessalonica became the most important stronghold of Christianity in Greece. It was he who gave the world many saints of the Greek Church. Natives of this city include Cyril and Methodius and Gregory Palamas. The Holy Mount Athos became a cult place, where monasticism flourished.

Martyrs

The Greek Church survived despite severe persecution in the 13th and 14th centuries from the crusaders, who occupied large areas of Hellas. In the 15th century, the Ottoman yoke, which was difficult for the country, began. With the fall of Byzantium in 1453 and the reign of the sultans, the era of the new martyrs flourished, which lasted 400 years. Hundreds of thousands of people gave their lives for the Greek Church and their faith.

Teachings about Orthodoxy were often secret - monks and clerics, in secret from the ruling regime, organized underground societies that operated at night.

Liberation

It was the Greek Church that played a vital role in the struggle for the liberation of the Greek population from oppression. The uprising of the nation was led by Archbishop Hermann, and at his instigation the liberation struggle began to be waged in full swing in 1821. With its end at the end of the 19th century, Greece threw off the Ottoman yoke and became an independent state. The Orthodox Church of this country also gained independence.

How does the Greek Church differ from the Russian Church?

Orthodoxy in Russia and Greece is essentially one religion. Dogmas and canons are no different; however, due to different geographical locations and mentality, many differences have remained in the church practices of these countries. The central difference is the attitude of the clergyman to his parish.

Attitude

Thus, in Russian realities, ordinary believers, when they come to church, are subjected to a feeling of isolation of priests from the everyday world. They seem to be a separate caste, which is fenced off from the parishioners by some kind of wall. In Greek traditions, clergy are in close relationships with the parish. In everyday life in Greece, there is deep respect for priests - it is customary to give up their seats on public transport. Often even the youngest representatives of the priesthood are approached in public places with a request for a blessing. There is no such thing in Russian reality.

Strictness

The Greek Church assumes a stricter attitude towards church ministers. For example, those who entered into a relationship before marriage, divorced or are in a second marriage cannot become priests.

Greece is a rare country that has preserved the ancient tradition of the existence of an ecclesiastical court. There are no candle stands or candlesticks in the churches of this country. There are porches for candles. There is never any payment for candles, everyone gives any amount of their choice.

Pomp

Any foreigner is amazed by the magnificent services held in Russia. In the rituals of the Greek churches, democracy and simplicity are felt in everything. All services last a maximum of 1.5-2 hours, while Russian liturgies can last more than 3 hours. In Greece it is the custom to say all secret prayers out loud.

The order of saying prayers also differs significantly. Such a large number of candles as in Russian churches is never found in any temple in Greece. Greek choirs never include female voices. Although in Russian realities this is practiced everywhere.

Procession

The conduct of this ancient ritual is also significantly different. In Russian Orthodoxy all services are magnificent, but in Greek there is much more celebration in the Procession of the Cross. He is accompanied in Hellas by brass bands, and echoes of marches are heard from everywhere.

The action itself resembles a parade. This is a unique feature of the church in Greece, which never happens in Orthodoxy in any country. The religious procession is not held around the church, but right in the city, with a crowd singing songs along its central streets. In a circle of a huge number of participants, an effigy of Judas is burned. This colorful event is followed by a real celebration, the beginning of which is marked by firecrackers.

Rituals

Communion and confession differ greatly in the traditions of these two countries. It is customary for the Greeks to celebrate communion every Sunday, and confession takes place once a year. Russian Orthodox Christians do not receive communion with the same frequency. The rules of the Church in Greece give the right to conduct confession only to blessed hieromonks who arrived from monasteries. There is no such strictness in Russian traditions.

In Greek churches you will never encounter the long queues familiar to Russian parishes to go through the confession procedure. The first conclusion may be the absence of confessions as such here. However, the whole point is that people of Greece come to confession at a pre-agreed individual time, which eliminates the possibility of fuss. Greeks who find themselves in Russian churches are perplexed about the queues for confession. Many people do not understand how a priest is able to confess to an entire parish of several hundred people at once.

The Greek Catholic Church had a great influence on the traditions. Thus, the influence of the West was reflected in the fact that Orthodoxy in Greece uses the New Julian calendar. That is, the Greeks celebrate Orthodox festivals 13 days earlier than the Russians, who live according to the Julian calendar. Appeared in Greek temples and stasidia instead of benches and benches characteristic of Russia.

Cloth

They go to church freely, without covering their heads and wearing pants. While in Russia, stricter laws for women have been preserved, according to which this is still prohibited. It is believed that this reflected the influence of Western culture, in which, in general, the position of patriarchy has weakened compared to Russian realities.

There are also differences in hats. Thus, the wearing of kamilavkas is carried out differently in the traditions of the two churches. In Greece they are always painted black, while in Russia there is a full variety of colors. The skufia, which has become an everyday headdress for Russian clergy, is never used by the Greeks.

The Bible of the Greek Church also differs in its content from the Slavic tradition. These differences are insignificant, but nevertheless, the composition of the books included in the Bible is different between Greece and Russia.

Greek Orthodoxy in Russia

The culture of Greece and Russia has many similarities, which is a merit of the once powerful Byzantine Empire, which gave birth to the Orthodox culture of many countries. In Russia there are many imprints left by Greek culture. There are also special temples built in the traditions of Greek Orthodoxy on its territory. The clearest example of this phenomenon is the Greek Church of St. George, located in Feodosia since the 15th century. The influence of Greek Orthodoxy even reached the Northern Capital of Russia. Thus, the Greek church has been functioning in St. Petersburg since 1763.

Conclusion

The Greek Church is currently very strong throughout the state. Thus, in this country, the only Constitution in the whole world established Orthodoxy as the state religion. Orthodoxy has a vital role in the life of Greek society. Even marriages are not recognized by the state unless an Orthodox wedding ceremony takes place.

Greek Orthodox Church: brief information

The authors and publishers thank the monk Pavlin (Holy Mount Athos), Archimandrite Seraphim (Dimitriou, Athens), Alexander Kristev (Thessaloniki), Constantine Filidi (Athens), Erietta Konstantinidi (Athens) for their assistance in organizing the interview.

The Greek Orthodox Church (Greek: ? ???????? ??? ???????) is one of the fifteen Local Orthodox Churches and occupies eleventh place in the diptych of Autocephalous Churches.

The founding of the Christian Church on the territory of modern Greece dates back to the first missionary journey of the Apostle Paul in 49. After a vision to the apostle in Troas (see: Acts 16: 9-10), he traveled throughout Greece and founded church communities in Philippi, Thessalonica, Veria, Athens, Corinth and Nicopolis. In addition, the apostle addressed two Epistles to the Thessalonians, which are the oldest texts of the Canon of the New Testament.

However, for almost three hundred years, the Christian faith spread in conditions of severe persecution of Christians that periodically arose on the territory of the Roman Empire. At this time, a great host of martyrs became famous within Greece, among them the Hieromartyr Dionysius the Areopagite - the first bishop of Athens, the Thessalonian Great Martyr Demetrius, the Hieromartyr Leonidas, Bishop of Athens, and many others. In 313, the Edict of Milan of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Emperor Constantine the Great finally ended the long period of persecution of Christianity.

The Christian communities of Greece were initially under the authority of the Bishop of Rome, and from the 8th century to 1833 - the Patriarch of Constantinople.

After the fall of Constantinople in 1453, Greece fell under the rule of the Ottoman Empire for four long centuries. The Orthodox faith was subjected to new tests. Hundreds of new martyrs appeared who did not renounce the faith of Christ, refusing to convert to Islam. During this tragic period, the ruling metropolitans, bishops and simple clergy in churches and monasteries preserved not only unshakable faith in God, but also the traditions, language and culture of the Greeks, making the liberation movement of the enslaved people possible.

On March 25, 1821, on the feast of the Annunciation, in the monastery of Agia Lavra (Kalavryta), Metropolitan Herman raised the banner of the revolution, giving the signal for the beginning of the struggle for independence. And in 1830, the independence of the Greek state was officially recognized.

In July 1833, in the city of Nafplia, where the capital of Greece was then located, the Bishops' Council was convened

Cathedral. Under pressure from the government to decide on autocephaly, the independence of the Greek Church was proclaimed. However, the Ecumenical Throne refused to recognize this separation of its canonical territories. And only in 1850, as a result of political pressure, the Council, chaired by Patriarch Anthimus IV of Constantinople, issued a tomos, which proclaimed that the Hellenic dioceses, which until that time had been subordinate to Constantinople, were freed from all dependence and the Hellenic Church became autocephalous.

The Orthodox Church in Greece has state status. The third article of the Greek Constitution begins with the words: “The dominant religion in Greece is the religion of the Eastern Orthodox Church of Christ.” The Charter of the Church is state law.

The Greek Orthodox Church is in prayerful and canonical communion with the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, the Russian Orthodox Church and other Local Orthodox Churches.

It is administratively divided into eighty-four dioceses: the metropolises of "Old Greece", which were part of the Greek state until the Balkan Wars (1912–1913), and the metropolitanates of the Ecumenical See, or the so-called "New Territories" (Neon Horon), which were included later. The hierarchs of Neon Horon have equal representation in the Synod of the Greek Church along with the hierarchs of “Old Greece”.

The jurisdiction of the Greek Church does not extend to the semi-autonomous Cretan Orthodox Church, the metropolises of the Dodecanese Islands (an archipelago in the south-eastern part of the Aegean Sea), as well as to Mount Athos, which are part of the modern Greek state, but are under full canonical subordination of the Ecumenical Throne.

The highest governing body of the Greek Church is the Holy Synod of the hierarchy. It includes all diocesan hierarchs of the Church, except for titular bishops. The permanent administrative body that makes decisions on current issues is the Permanent Holy Synod, whose members are re-elected once a year. All bishops of the Greek Orthodox Church participate in it with a certain periodicity.

Currently, the Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church is His Beatitude Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Jerome II. There are 7,945 parish churches and about 200 monasteries. Pastoral service is carried out by 1,227 married and 7,288 religious priests. Orthodox believers number about 83% of the 10.8 million total population of Greece.

Archpriest Sergius Tishkun