Greek Orthodox Church. How do Greek Orthodox differ from Russians?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

When passing or driving past churches, every Greek believer is sure to cross himself. Such major religious holidays as Christmas, Epiphany and Easter turn into mass festivities in Greece. We can safely say that Christian customs and traditions are closely related to way of life modern Greek society.

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

These are not all the Orthodox shrines of Hellas. You can find out more about them by going to Pilgrimage tour in Greece.
To do this, contact Greek Orthodox pilgrimage center of Thessaloniki , providing a unique opportunity to visit the most significant shrines of Greece, without being distracted by organizational issues.

Photos of Saint Athos by Kostas Asimis

A complete collection of photographs of Mount Athos by Kostas Asimis is available on the website of the Thessaloniki pilgrimage center

- a country of victorious Orthodoxy. Indeed, what else can you call a country where 98% of the population are orthodox Christians, and Orthodoxy is the state religion, the status of which is enshrined in the Constitution of the country? The only one officially Orthodox country in a world whose population has never abandoned the faith, but on the contrary, has suffered for its right to be Christians. Modern Hellas is the heiress of Christian traditions Byzantine Empire. Greek Orthodox Church(Ελληνική Ορθόδοξη Εκκλησία) is one of the most numerous and influential churches among its co-religionists in the world.

It is on the territory of Greece that the world's only Orthodox monastic republic of Mount Athos is located. The Holy Mountain is known as the earthly destiny Holy Mother of God. In the monasteries of Athos, the Orthodox faith, inherited from the great Byzantium, has been preserved in its pure form.

The history of Christianity in the land of the Hellenes is closely connected with the Supreme Apostle Paul, who with his preaching led numerous local pagans to the faith. On the island of Rhodes there is a bay named after the Apostle Paul, where, according to legend, the fiery preacher landed. John the Theologian wrote one of the most important and mysterious works - the Apocalypse (Revelation) on the island of Patmos. The Greeks honor and preserve the memory of their Orthodox history.

Relations between the state, church and people

In Greece, the church is not only a spiritual institution, but also an authoritative state and public organization. Important religious holidays in the country have the status of being celebrated grandly, with orchestras, marches, and religious processions. Main Orthodox holiday, of course, is Light Christ's Resurrection. celebrated for several days by gathering large families around a common table with a traditional one. The sacrament of baptism, as a rule, precedes the entry on the birth certificate, and marriage without a wedding is not legally recognized.

Priests in Greece are supported by the state and receive salaries. In addition to his direct spiritual responsibilities, every church minister also has a social responsibility. This could be either classes with the younger generation or charitable activities. In small village churches, after Sunday services, they can organize gatherings with the flock. Communication between clergy and parishioners is close and trusting - clergy are deeply respected by the Greeks.

Greek Orthodox Temple

Greek temple in architecture

In the Orthodox Greek architecture There are churches built in the form of basilicas - these are elongated rectangular buildings, the space inside of which is divided into naves - longitudinal parts of the interior. Translated from Greek, basilica (βασιλική) is “house of the basileus” or in other words “royal house”. Initially, this architectural type was used in the construction of administrative buildings. Longitudinally elongated basilicas accommodate a large number of people and resemble a ship associated with salvation. Inside basilica churches, as a rule, there is an odd number of naves. The naves are separated from each other by columns with arched ceilings. Often the central nave is wider and higher. The longitudinal naves abut the apse (translated from the ancient Greek ἁψίς, ἁψῖδος - this is “vault”), which is a protruding semicircular or hemispherical volume of the building adjacent to the main one. Inside the building, in the apse, there is an altar oriented to the east.

Over time, when services required increasing the space in front of the altar, a transverse nave was added to the basilica - a transept that intersects the central and other naves at right angles. The transverse nave ended on both sides with apses, transforming the horizontal projection of the temple into a cross.

Later, in the period from the 5th to the 8th centuries, another type of temple architecture appeared in Byzantium - the cross-domed one. This is a rectangular building in horizontal projection, the space of which is divided inside by four pillars, placed in such a way that nine rectangular parts of the interior are obtained. The pillars are covered crosswise with cylindrical vaults, and above the very center at the top there is a hemispherical dome.

The roof of the temples and the hemispherical dome are usually lined with clay tiles of brown or terracotta color. Sometimes in front of the entrance to the temple there is a gallery with arched ceilings. The cross on top is often simple, matching the color of the roof, not metallic, and can be three-dimensional - so that in horizontal projection it is also a cross. A bell tower is either a high tower next to a temple, or a simple structure for attaching one or more bells.

Features of the Greek Temple

At the entrance to the temple there is sometimes a porch. As a rule, it contains icons, candlesticks and memorial plaques. There are usually no church shops in a Greek church. Candles can be placed in special places, with a donation box nearby. In some temples you can find huge candles - the size of a man. There are special places for them - you can put them too. On icons you can often see garlands of chased metal plates depicting parts of the human body. This is how the Greeks ask for recovery from certain diseases.

Inside all Greek temples there are places for sitting - stasidia (στασίδια - "bench" in Greek). This is special wooden chair with armrests and folding seat. They are installed in rows parallel to the iconostasis and along the walls.

Mosaics on windows are very common. There is a lot of carved wood in the decoration of temples self made. The walls, vaults and dome are usually painted on biblical themes. In every temple there is a coat of arms of Byzantium - double headed eagle- it is also the coat of arms of Greek Orthodoxy. Flag with a double-headed eagle on yellow background there is one outside every temple.

Behavior in a Greek temple

As a rule, churches in cities are open from morning to evening. Parishioners can sit during the service (there are rows of stasidia for this) and stand up during important points services.

Women are allowed to enter the Greek temple without a headdress and in trousers. Men, as usual, without a headdress. It is better not to visit the temple in beachwear or shorts. You are not allowed to take photographs inside the church if there is a prohibitory sign hanging. If there is no prohibition, then it is better to ask the abbot for permission. You can place candles by taking the required number of them in special recesses for candles and putting the amount you are willing to donate into the donation box. Candles are placed in round candlesticks filled with sand - directly into the sand. A rectangular candle table - eve - for commemorating the dead, that is, you can put candles for the repose.

Liturgical traditions

In Greece, religious processions are held especially festively and solemnly, like parades. Especially on the main Christian holiday. A procession of parishioners with lit candles, chanting... heads through the streets to main square, where an effigy of Judas is burned and the sky is illuminated by numerous multi-colored fireworks, and the night is filled with a polyphony of joyful congratulations.

Orthodox holidays in Greece are celebrated according to the New Julian calendar, which coincides with the Gregorian calendar. Now everything is calendar church holidays Greeks celebrate in unison with Catholics, who also adopt the Gregorian calendar style. The exception is those holidays that are not tied to the calendar and are calculated specifically - Easter, Trinity, Holy Spirit Day - they coincide with the holidays established by the Russian Orthodox Church, which has remained faithful to the Julian style of chronology.

The service in the Greek temple is less solemn, but thanks to the special atmosphere created, among other things, by the soulful chanting, the feeling of reverent participation does not leave until the end of the service.

In Greek temples you can hear the famous Byzantine chant - a style of church singing that has come down to us from Christians of the first centuries. This is monophony (i.e. monophony), built according to completely different laws of harmony than the music we know. Mostly male voices sing.

When the Small Entrance takes place, the priest stops in the center of the solea with the Gospel, and all parishioners come up in turn to venerate. The reading of the Gospel in Greek churches takes place facing the congregation. After the liturgy, the priest himself distributes consecrated bread to all parishioners.

Among the Greeks, the sacrament of confession is not mandatory before communion. The Greeks confess when they feel the need for it. The frequency of confession among parishioners fluctuates about 3 times a year. Therefore, there are no queues for confession in churches. Not every priest has the right to confess, but only hieromonks who have received a blessing.

Features of liturgical vestments

The pectoral cross is not often seen on a priest in Greece. The cross is worn only for services with the bishop, or by those priests who have earned it as a reward. Among Greek priests, the liturgical clothing phelonion (chasuble) does not have a neck prominence and is made of thin fabric. The headdress of Greek clergy is the kamilavka ( kαμιλαύκα translated from Greek as “camel”) It is a cylinder with small rounded brims at the top and is a mandatory element of a priest’s clothing. Kamilavka comes only in black. Another headdress - skufiya (σκούφια - “hat” in Greek) - a round soft black cap is now almost never used in Greece, giving way to the kamilavka.

Hierarchy of the Greek Orthodox Church

In the Greek Church, the spiritual hierarchical chain differs from that usual in the Russian Orthodox Church and looks like this:

Patriarch - archbishop - metropolitan - bishop.

The Archbishop of Athens and All Greece (Αρχιεπίσκοπος Αθηνών και πάσης Ελλάδος) is the head of the Holy Synod. Elected on the basis of the provisions of the Constitutional Charter of the Greek Church of 1977 by the Holy Synod. The number of candidates for election includes all current Greek metropolitans - diocesan bishops. After five days after the election, the President of Greece must issue a decree recognizing him, and then the rite of enthronement is performed.

Holy Synod of Hierarchs (Ιερά Σύνοδο της Ιεραρχίας) - considered supreme authority in the Greek Church. The Holy Synod includes all diocesan bishops who have the rank of metropolitan and are appointed by the government of the republic. For issues related to church-wide governance of an everyday nature, the Permanent Holy Synod (Διαρκής Ιερά Σύνοδος) was specially created, which includes the Archbishop and twelve metropolitans.

The Greek Orthodox Church includes: 81 dioceses, 30 of which are nominally under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. The dioceses of the island of Crete, the Dodecanese archipelago and the monastic republic of Athos directly fall under the jurisdiction of the Patriarch of Constantinople, and therefore are not considered part of the Greek Church.

Greek temples. Photo

Chandelier

Greek and Russian Orthodoxy are one religion. There is no difference between them in dogmas and canons, however, there are differences in church practice, rituals, and most importantly - in the attitude of the clergy towards the parishioners.

Everyday life

In Russia, ordinary believers are often haunted by the feeling that clergy are like a separate caste, fenced off from the parishioner by an invisible wall. In Greece, priest and parishioner are much closer to each other.

IN Everyday life Greeks have deep respect for the priesthood: they give up their seat on public transport, even if the cleric is young in years, they can ask him for a blessing right on the street, in a store, on a tram. This is not accepted in Russia.

In Greece, the requirements for a clergyman are stricter than in Russia. Thus, the ordination of a person who has entered into premarital relations, has been divorced, or is in a second marriage is excluded.

As in any Mediterranean country, in Greece they sacredly observe siesta - afternoon rest. From 13:00 to 17:00, especially in the hot months, life in cities and villages becomes quiet. This also applies to churches. At this time, not only knocking on doors, but even calling is indecent. Vespers usually begins at five or six in the evening, at which parishioners are always welcome.

Unlike Russia, in Greece the Church has state status and works closely with various public structures. The traditions of church courts, long lost in Russia, are still preserved there.

While in a Greek church, you should remember that there are no candlesticks in front of the icons, and there are no candle stands. Candles are placed in the narthex, where there is an exhaust hood - this is especially true for ancient temples with frescoes. No one asks for money for a candle; everyone can give the amount they want.

Cross

Not only during worship, but also outside the church, we are accustomed to seeing a large cross, often expensively inlaid, on top of the robe of a clergyman of the Russian Orthodox Church. In Greece, priests wear crosses only during bishop's services. Abbesses do not wear crosses.

The tradition of the Russian Church provides for the so-called “Nicholas” (established by Nicholas II) pectoral cross to be given to the priest before ordination to the priesthood. In Greece, the very fact of wearing a cross is considered a church reward, so ordinary priests do not wear a pectoral cross.

In the Greek Church appearance Priestly crosses do not differ from the variants existing in Russia: “Nicholas”, “Pavlovsky”, “with decorations”.

Divine service

Many people are struck by the pomp of worship in Russian churches. In the Greek liturgical rite, on the contrary, everything is democratic and simple. There are also differences in the duration of the liturgy: in Greek worship, the liturgy lasts no more than 1.5 hours, in Russian - sometimes over three hours.

In Greek parish churches, the entire liturgy is celebrated with the “open Royal Doors”, and all secret prayers are said aloud. Immediately after the reading of the Gospel, the exclamation “As if under the power” follows, and the Cherubic Song is immediately sung. In the Russian Church, in this case there follows a special litany (protracted prayer), a litany for the catechumens, and two litanies for the faithful. In the Greek liturgy, the litany is said after the consecration of the Gifts and is reduced to four petitions. Unlike the Russian Church, in the Greek Church, along with the priest, a deacon can stand with the Chalice and give communion to the laity.

There are also differences in attributes. Thus, in the Greek Church, proskomedia (the first part of the liturgy) is celebrated on one large prosphora (liturgical liturgical bread), in the Russian Church - on five. There are not as many candles in Greek temples as in Russian ones. Another difference lies in the throne, which in the Greek Church serves as an altar.

It is important to note that among the Greeks, like the Serbs and Bulgarians, women do not sing in the church choir; in Russia, an exclusively female church choir is not such a rare occurrence.

Procession

If the Russian Church is distinguished by a more magnificent divine service, then the Greek Church is distinguished by a more solemn procession of the Cross. In Greece, the Procession of the Cross, accompanied by brass bands performing bravura marches, is more like a parade. This is not the case in any other Orthodox Church in the world.

The procession does not go around the temple, as is customary, but, with singing and lit candles, heads along the city streets to the central square of the city, where in front of the crowd huge number people there is a symbolic burning of an effigy of Judas. After this, the height of the holiday begins, deafening with the explosions of countless firecrackers.

Hierarchy

In the Russian Orthodox Church, the metropolitan is superior to the archbishop, but in the Greek tradition the opposite is true. The hierarchical chain from bottom to top looks like this: bishop - metropolitan - archbishop - Patriarch.

In the Greek Church, unlike the Russian Church, there is no degree of ryasophore monasticism. First comes the novitiate, then the so-called small schema, and after it the great schema. In Greece, a monk’s stay in a minor schema is a short-term phenomenon. It is considered only a preparation for the adoption of the Great Schema.

In the Russian Church, a schema-monk will never again be able to take upon himself any holy rank, if he was not accepted as such even before being tonsured into the Great Schema. In Greek Orthodox tradition The main form of monasticism is precisely the Great Schema, and the ordination of a priest to the rank of hieromonk is simply unthinkable without first being tonsured into the Great Schema.

Headdress

Kamilavka is a traditional headdress in the Greek Orthodox Church in the form of a cylinder flaring towards the top. It symbolizes the crown of thorns of Jesus Christ. In the Russian Church, the kamilavka began to be used in the second half of the 17th century, replacing the skufia, but it was never considered popular among the Russian clergy. In 1798, the kamilavka was classified as one of the church awards.

The Greek kamilavka is distinguished by the fact that it has small brims at the top of the cylinder; the Russian headdress does not have them. Balkan kamilavkas (including Serbian and Bulgarian) differ from Russian ones in their smaller height and diameter - the lower edge of the kamilavka is located above the ears.

The Greek kamilavka is always black, while Russian priests can wear red, blue, or purple kamilavkas.

As for the skufia (small black cap), it is practically not used in the Greek and Balkan traditions, while for a monk of the Russian Church it is an everyday headdress. It is interesting that the Old Believers call skufia kamilavka.

Bible

The Bible used in the Greek Orthodox Church differs in the composition of its books from the Church Slavonic Bible. The first difference is that the 3rd book of Ezra is not in the Greek Bible. Secondly, along with the three Maccabees books accepted by us, the Greek Bible includes the 4th Book of Maccabees. However, these differences are not perceived by the Churches as theologically significant.

Sacraments

One of the main differences between parishioners of the Russian and Greek Orthodox Churches is the frequency of communion and confession. Greeks try to take communion on every Sunday, but they go to confession several times a year. In Russia, parishioners receive communion much less often. But from the Apostolic Rules it follows that “one who has not received the Holy Mysteries of Christ for more than three weeks without good reason, was considered to have fallen away from the Church."

In the Greek Church, only hieromonks who have received a blessing for this have the right to confess, and only those who come from the monastery. In the Russian Church the rules are not so strict.

Many Russians who come to Greece, entering a church, are surprised that there are no queues for confession so familiar to us, there are no priests rushing to cover everyone with stoles. It may seem that confession does not exist here at all. This is wrong. It’s just that in Greek churches, everyone who wants to confess comes at the time appointed for them. There is no fuss or crowd here.

This differs from the picture observed by a parishioner of one of the Krasnoyarsk churches. “About 200 people come to the temple for confession. What can a priest say to all this number of people in an hour or two?” - he asks.

Western influence

The West had a more noticeable influence on the Greek Church than on the Russian Church. The Greek Orthodox Church lives according to the New Julian calendar, which coincides with the Gregorian calendar adopted by the Roman Catholic Church.

This means that all holidays are celebrated thirteen days earlier than in the Russian Church, which uses the traditional Julian calendar. So, Christmas in Greece is December 25 (like Catholics), while in Russia it is January 7.

There are a number of other details that make the Greek Church closer to the Roman Church than to the Russian Church. These are stasidia (chairs intended, for example, for abbots or singers). In Russia, benches or benches are used instead of stasidia. In Greece, women are allowed to enter church without headscarves and in trousers, but in Russia this is not possible. The Gospel in Greek churches is read facing the parishioners, but in ours it is read facing the altar.

The cleric of the Church of the Holy Trinity in Athens, Alexander Nosevich, confirms that changes occurred in the Greek Orthodox tradition in the 20th century due to the penetration of Western culture: benches appeared inside the temple, women stopped wearing headscarves, and were allowed to enter the temple in trousers. But at the same time, according to the clergyman, in Greece these external deviations did not lead to the loss of the main thing - the internal understanding of the Orthodox faith.

Euboea Island - in Greece, in every village there are temples with a long history on holy places of worship.

Orthodoxy in Greece is the dominant religion, which is officially enshrined in the country's Constitution. It has a largely determining influence on all aspects of the life of modern Greeks. And this is not surprising - after all, according to the latest official statistics, 97% of the inhabitants of Greece belong to the Orthodox Church. The Law of God is included in general education school curriculum Greece as a compulsory subject, and each Greek university has a faculty of theology.

On Kassandra you can see the small church of St. Nicholas on the cape of the same name. The door is often closed, but the key sticks out of the lock. You can come here on your own, donate money, light a candle in front of the icon. The church is always neat, although the people who look after it are almost impossible to meet.

In addition to the sphere of education, the Church is active in social activities in all areas of life, collaborating both with the state and with various public structures. The Greek Church is significant economic power- she owns a significant number land plots, which are used for the construction of churches, monasteries, hospitals, nursing homes and other social institutions, or are rented out for socially useful activities.

But the main task of the Greek (as well as any Orthodox) Church is to introduce people to a truly Christian life. This communion occurs primarily in churches. Find Orthodox church in Greece it will not be difficult, no matter where you are - in a metropolis (for example, in Athens or Thessaloniki), in a small town or village, on the mainland or on one of the many islands. There are many temples in Greece - often even in small towns one temple is separated from another by one or two streets. But even a huge number of churches often cannot accommodate all the parishioners - after all, many residents of Greece regularly attend church services.

On the island of Zakynthos, on a plateau near the village of Keri, an icon of the Virgin Mary Keriotissa (“Candlestick”) was found. All efforts to move the icon were fruitless - at night it returned to its original place. A church of the same name was built on this site, which is visited by many pilgrims.

In addition to holidays, most Greeks attach considerable importance to such church sacraments, like Baptism and Wedding. Almost all Greeks, with very rare exceptions, baptize their children. At the same time, in accordance with the ancient Orthodox tradition, in Greece you can baptize with names that are not in the calendar. For example, many Greeks bear the name Christ (with emphasis on the first syllable).

The emergence of Old Calendar church associations in Greece was associated with the schism of the Orthodox Church of Greece, which occurred as a result of the rejection by some of the clergy and laity of the introduction of the new church in Greece. Julian calendar March 10 (March 23), 1924. On March 10, 1924, the Archbishop of Athens Chrysostomos (Papadopoulos) introduced the New Julian calendar, very close to the Gregorian calendar, into the Church of Greece. According to some adherents of the Old Calendar churches, the hierarchy of the Church of Greece, which obeyed this order, fell away from Orthodoxy into schism. According to others, those who adopted the new New Julian calendar “only” trampled church canons. Chrysostomos Papadopoulos was a companion of Meletios Metaxakis.

Meletios Metaxakis (1871-1935) was elected Patriarch of Constantinople in 1921 and then of Alexandria. In 1923, he held a “Pan-Orthodox Congress”, at which it was decided to introduce new calendar. In March 1924, the new calendar was introduced in the Churches of Constantinople and Greece, on October 1 of the same year - in the Romanian Church, and in 1926 - in the Patriarchate of Alexandria.

On the first Sunday after the innovation, many priests and laity of Greece, who did not accept the innovation, gathered and created a representative of the Church of True Orthodox Christians - the “Association of Orthodox Christians,” which in 1926 was reorganized under the name of the “Greek Religious Society of the IPH.” The movement gained many supporters after the sign of the Cross in the sky, which consecrated the temple, which celebrated the Exaltation of the Cross according to the Julian calendar. Photographs have been preserved in which, thanks to the light from the giant Cross in the sky, crowds of people and the police, who had previously arrived to disperse the church meeting, can be seen.

The Assumption Cathedral in Edessa was built in the second half of the 14th century and was originally called St. Sophia. During times Ottoman conquest The sultan ordered all St. Sophia cathedrals to be turned into mosques, but the authorities of Edessa “cheated” and renamed the cathedral to the Assumption Cathedral in order to protect it from this fate.

On May 13, 1935, three bishops transferred from the Greek Church to the True Orthodox Church with repentance: Herman of Dimitrias, Chrysostom of Florinus and Chrysostom of Zakynthos. On June 11, 1935, three Old Calendar bishops were arrested. The new primate of the canonical Greek Orthodox Church, Chrysostomos I (Papadopoulos), began legal proceedings against them. In 1937, the TOC split into two branches: the Florinite and Matthewian.

The first refrained from making categorical judgments about the “gracelessness”/“gratitudelessness” of the New Calendarists. The latter considered the actions of the “new style” hierarchs sufficient to cause a fall from Orthodoxy and not recognition of all the Sacraments of the Greek Orthodox Church. Despite negotiations since the 1970s, these differences led to the emergence of their own priesthood in the Matthean branch. One hierarch of the Greek Orthodox Church made a statement that members of the Old Calendar movement are also Orthodox Christians.

Tourists and pilgrims see a different Greece. For some tourists this is a live meeting with a program high school section "Ancient Greece" with its myths, gods and heroes, classical architecture, and Athenian democracy. For others, it is a delightful resort country with an unforgettable vacation, natural beauty, hospitable people and European service. For Orthodox pilgrims, Greece is a completely different country. Orthodox Greece. The country of the preaching of the Apostle Paul, the greatness and splendor of the Byzantine Empire, the struggle for Orthodoxy during the period of Turkish rule, and, what is especially pleasant, our native Orthodox faith, where you can calmly go to the temple to pray, visit the great Orthodox shrines and venerate them. The country that brought the light of true faith to Rus'.

In Crete there is a cave called Arkoudospilio with a huge stalagmite in the shape of a bear standing near a niche with water. Legends say that the Virgin Mary turned a living bear into stone, which drank all the water, leaving not a drop for the locals and monks.

Orthodox Greece is filled with shrines dear to everyone's heart Orthodox Christian. Starting from the Areopagus, the place where the Apostle Paul preached to the Greeks, and to the most remote islands, where the relics of martyrs and saints are located, Greece preserves its treasury great history And modern life Christianity. The relics of the Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessaloniki rest in Thessaloniki, heavenly patron warriors and “fatherland lover” of the Slavs, from ancient times one of the most beloved and revered saints in Rus'. The icon of the holy great martyr was transferred from Vladimir to Moscow by order of Demetrius Donskoy before the Battle of Kulikovo, and after the victory a special holiday was established - Dimitrievskaya parent's Saturday- day of remembrance of fallen soldiers. Dimitri is still one of the most common names in Russia.

They go to the island of Corfu to visit St. Spyridon of Trimifunt, one of the 318 fathers of the first Ecumenical Council in Nicaea, already during his lifetime he was revered as a seer and wonderworker. And to this day Saint Spyridon is tireless and an intercessor and helper before the Lord for us sinners. Know that only Orthodox Christians are allowed to venerate the relics of the saint. Catholics are only allowed to kiss the shrine where the relics rest. Every six months, Saint Spyridon's clothes and shoes are changed, and each time they are worn out.

Then pieces of this clothing are distributed to believers. Many miracles are performed when believers turn to him for help. And this help comes quickly! Contact Saint Spyridon, and he will definitely help you! But how, after visiting Saint Spyridon, can you not visit his earthly friend, Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, who is located nearby, in the city of Bari! A must visit! True, this is no longer Greece, but Italy.

So, we return to Greece. The city of Patras awaits us, where a cathedral was erected in honor of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called, where his holy relics and the remains of the cross on which he was crucified are located. The same one, “Andreevsky”. For Russian people, a meeting with the Apostle Andrew is a meeting with the patron saint of Russia, with the one who brought the light of the faith of Christ to the vastness of Rus'. The Mega Spileo monastery houses one of the seventy icons created by the holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke. It is voluminous and carved from wax. According to legend, it was about her that the Mother of God said, “May the grace of Him who was born of Me be with her.”

According to legend, in the 6th century Thessaloniki was attacked by enemies. The city was not taken, but two girls were captured. The prince of the invaders ordered them to embroider him Saint Demetrius, the patron saint of the city. The girls got to work in tears. Having completed the image, they prayed to the saint, and he saved them by transferring them to the temple of Thessaloniki.

The relics of St. John the Russian reside on the island of Euboea. The miracle is not only that through the prayers of this righteous man numerous miracles and healings are performed, but also that the Greeks reverence him along with other greatest saints. And they are usually not very willing to do this. Pilgrimage to the Saint righteous John For a Russian, this is a visit to someone who demonstrated a great Christian feat with his life, and after death does not abandon his service to people. John the Russian helps everyone who asks for his help.

The heavenly monasteries of Meteora will give us firsthand an idea of ​​the combination of the miracle of natural beauty with the miracle of monastic feat on the path of acquiring the Holy Spirit. And, of course, the holy Mount Athos. Gate of Heaven. Holy Mountain, the inheritance of the Queen of Heaven. And further. Every village has a temple. Active. Visited. Darling. That's how they do it. This is how they live. And this is an example for us living in Russia. A pilgrimage to Greece must be made in order to see how the Christian people live, for whom Orthodoxy is not just going to church three times a year - at Epiphany, Palm Day and Easter, but the everyday reality of life, without which its very existence is unthinkable .

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

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

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

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

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

I believe in God - 81 percent

I believe in higher power— 16 percent

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

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

Old and new calendars

A new style has been adopted in Greece - the Orthodox New Calendar Julian calendar (it now coincides with the Catholic Gregorian calendar and will continue to coincide for several more centuries - then they will diverge again.)

The Julian calendar calculates that the Resurrection of Christ should take place after the Jewish Passover-Passover, as it actually was. Gregorian calendar, which Catholics adhere to, no longer pays attention to such a *detail* and Catholic Easter It often happens there before the Jews.

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

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

The introduction of the new Gregorian calendar has begun Catholic Church since 1582, accepted into different countries ah of Europe at different times and was practically completed by the beginning of the 20th century.

The Eastern Local Orthodox Churches have never accepted it. But by the 20th century, secular power throughout Europe had already adopted a new astronomical calendar brought into accordance with astronomical reality.

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

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

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

Women in church: should they cover their heads?

When asked by pious Russian women why women in Greece are bare-headed in church, one can hear one answer - we don’t want to imitate in this matter the Muslims who kept our country under the yoke for so many hundreds of years

For any Greek, a woman’s headscarf is a Turkish woman’s feredze, even if they suddenly become a wild fashion—no pasaran in Hellas! Although, however, this became a custom only in the last century - even Saint Nektarios of Aegina, who lived at the end of the 19th, recommended that women cover their heads in his sermons. And elderly women in villages and on distant islands all wear headscarves - not just to church, but all day long.

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

Anyone who is haunted by the differences between the Greek and Russian churches can be reminded that when St. Anthony became concerned about how others live and are saved, an Angel told him: “Be careful, Anthony, and do not subject yourself to the study of the destinies of God, because this is harmful to the soul.” »
We need to repeat this to ourselves more often.