About Greece:
Greece is one of the most ancient of civilizations and we draw much from early Greek philosophers. Ancient Greece reached its cultural and political height in the 5th–4th centuries B.C.. Greece was not a united country, it consisted of independent city-states (poleis) like Athens and Sparta excelling in democracy, philosophy, art, and science. Constant rivalries weakened them, especially the devastating Peloponnesian War (431–404 BC) between Athens and Sparta, which drained resources, caused economic hardship, and eroded unity. This Persistent disunity and superior external powers (Macedon, then Rome) all led to its fall.
In 338 BC, Philip II of Macedon defeated a Greek coalition at the Battle of Chaeronea, ending the independence of the major city-states. His son, Alexander the Great, spread Greek (Hellenistic) culture across a vast empire from Egypt to India after 323 BC. After Alexander’s death, his empire fragmented among successor kingdoms (Ptolemies, Seleucids, etc.), leading to ongoing wars and instability.
The Roman Empire gradually extended to Greece. The decisive Battle of Corinth in 146 AD, where Rome destroyed Corinth and dissolved the Achaean League, marked the effective end of Greek political independence. Greece became a Roman province (Achaea).
However, Greek culture profoundly influenced Rome (“captured Greece took captive her captor” was the line from Horace’s Epistles, Book II, Epistle I, lines 156–157), but political autonomy was lost.
Greek ideas in philosophy, science, and democracy endured and shaped Western civilization far beyond its political “fall.” It continued under Roman and later Byzantine rule. Its pagan traditions faded with the rise of Christianity (e.g., closure of philosophical schools in the 6th century AD).
The period of Ottoman rule in Greece, known in Greek as Tourkokratia (meaning “Turkish rule”), began with the fall of Constantinople in 1453 AD and the subsequent Ottoman expansion into mainland Greece, including Athens in 1456 AD and the Peloponnese peninsula by 1460 AD. By the early 16th century, most of mainland Greece and the Aegean islands were under Ottoman control, although some Venetian-held port cities and mountainous regions remained semi-autonomous.
Greece became independent from the Ottoman Empire through a series of events culminating in the London Protocol of February 1830, which recognized Greece as an independent state, leading to the establishment of a monarchy.
Full independence was later granted by the Treaty of Constantinople in July 1832.
The population of Greece is approximately 10.4 million and yhe majority of the churches in Greece are Greek Orthodox. Roman Catholics make up approximately 1% of the population in Greece, ranging between 133,000 to over 250,000, including both indigenous Greek Catholics and immigrant communities.
Those traveling to Greece, whether by land or on a cruise, will find opportunities to attend Mass in various places.
If you cannot find a Roman Catholic Mass on a Sunday or other holy day of obligation, you may attend a Mass celebrated in the Greek Catholic (Eastern Catholic) rite to fulfill your obligation:
According to the Code of Canon Law (CIC 1247), the faithful are obliged to participate in Mass on Sundays and other holy days of obligation. The law allows for participation in a Mass “celebrated anywhere in a Catholic rite” — this includes Masses of the Eastern Catholic Churches, such as the Greek Catholic Church, which use the Byzantine liturgyIt is also our understanding that if you cannot find a Roman Catholic church on a Holy Day of Obligation (including Sundays, of course), you may attend a Mass at a Greek Orthodox Church, but not receive communion.
As mentioned, many people take cruises of the Greek Islands. Most cruises sail in May through October, when the weather is ideal.
Greece has also become a popular wedding destination and many prospective brides dream of being married in one of its beautiful churches. However, this can be a bit more complicated than it might sound. We will have more information on that subject on our blog.
Catholic Places of interest in Mainland Greece:
Athens: Catholic Churches in Athens
Nafpaktos: Site of the Battle of Lepanto (Our Lady of the Rosary)
Napflio: Catholic Church of the Transfiguration
Patras: The Basilica of St. Andrew
Thessaloniki: Catholic Parishes of Thessaloniki
Catholic Churches & Shrines on the Greek Islands:
Greece includes 6,000 islands and islets scattered in the Greek Seas, of which only 227 islands are inhabited. The main Catholic points of interest are on the following islands:
Island of Cyprus: Catholic Churches on the island of Cyprus
Island of Mykonos: Catholic Churches on the island of Mykonos
Island of Patmos: The Cave of Saint John on the island of Patmos (the book of Revelation)
Island of Santorini: Fira, Catholic Cathedral of St. John the Baptist on the island of Santorini
Island of Simi: Panormitis Monastery (shrine to Saint Michael) on the island of Simi
Island of Syros: Several Catholic churches on the island of Syros.
Island of Tinos: Our Lady of Tinos on the island of Tinos (the “Lourdes of Greece”)