LESSON 2: The Greek Presence in Venice after the Fall of Constantinople
Topic outline
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This lesson aims to present material relating to the presence of the Greeks in Venice after the period of the Fall of Constantinople. Emphasis is placed on the prevailing conditions of the period and how the temporal and historical context gives specific identity to the memorable Greek presence, leaving its mark on the life of Venice. By following the course, the user travels back in time and learns about the Greek community in Venice, the Brotherhood, its presence in the world of spirit, commerce, economic life, science, letters, architecture. Its flourishing and its decline.
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The historical path of the Greeks of Venice follows the trajectory that the place of their reception itself traced in time.
The presence of Greeks in the city of Agios Markos has its traces as early as the 10th century, with the increase of the Greek element being mainly found in the 15th century. A significant number of Greeks who lived, worked and excelled in Venice came from the Venetian-occupied territories of the Ionian Islands, Crete, the Peloponnese, the Cyclades and from areas that fell to the Ottomans. Among them were merchants, businessmen and sailors who offered their services to the fleet of the then powerful naval force.
The reasons, of course, that push the Greeks to Galenotati are not only political and economic but also intellectual, due to the flourishing of arts and letters in Italy in general during the 15th century.
The year 1498 is considered a milestone for the Hellenism of Venice, when the Greek body of the national minority, "Nazione Graeca", "the Greek Nation", was formed, with the Brotherhood being the centre of reference for the Greeks of Venice.
The Greeks, through their presence, contributed decisively through trade, letters and arts to the cultural and economic development of Venice. However, their presence in the area was often accompanied by problems, such as the non-recognition of their right to freely exercise their religious duties.
In 1456, while a permit for the construction of the first Orthodox church was granted, it was cancelled a year later by the "Council of Ten" and only in 1514, almost 60 years later, the Greek community received the much coveted permit for the construction of the church and the purchase of a cemetery.
The first church, of course, was not the present San Giorgio de Greci - Saint George of the Greeks - but the Catholic church of Saint Vlasios, which was originally granted to them to perform the services under the supervision of the Venetian clergy. The building of St. George began in 1539 and was completed in 1573, with money from the Greek community and the taxes levied on Greek ships coming and going in and out of the port of Venice. The enthronement of the first orthodox metropolitan at the same time, Gabriel Severus, would be a catalyst for the development of Hellenism in Venice.
In the 16th century there were Greek schools in Venice, which became the centre of Greek studies in the whole of Italy.
The foundation of the Flanginio School, financed by Thomas Flangini, contributed significantly to the education of the Greeks, many of whom would continue their studies at the University of Padua. In its 132 years of operation (1665-1797) and 1823-1905), the institution hosted about 550 students, with an average stay of 3-4 years. The College was an important nucleus of learning and publishing activity.
It should be noted that schools in Athens and Ioannina were maintained with bequests from Venetian Greeks.
The foundation of the Flanginio School, financed by Thomas Flangini, contributed significantly to the education of the Greeks, many of whom would continue their studies at the University of Padua. In its 132 years of operation (1665-1797) and 1823-1905), the institution hosted about 550 students, with an average stay of 3-4 years. The College was an important nucleus of learning and publishing activity.
It should be noted that schools in Athens and Ioannina were maintained with bequests from Venetian Greeks.
As for the community of artists, it included many Greeks, especially painters, who cultivated the so-called Cretan School, with their antique masterpieces adorning many corners of the Venetian city.
The confratelli, the Greeks of Venice, organised according to the rules of the Venetian state in a community, had specific traits of exceptional resistance to difficulties, resourcefulness and adaptability to the new environment.
The 19th century and the existing political situation found the Greeks abandoning the Venetian port and turning towards directions that promised new horizons of action.
Endowment, Board of Directors of the Βrotherhood (Banca)
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From the end of the 18th century until Italian unification, the political situation on the Italian peninsula was unstable. This period included the French invasion of Italy and the long Austrian rule of Venice, which was hostile to the Greeks' efforts at national restoration. As a result of these, the Brotherhood suffered a continuous decline and had to rely on the tolerance of local political authorities, who in turn prevented it from taking bold initiatives, especially in such periods of political instability.
Members of the community took some actions, although there is no record of this in the official records of the Brotherhood, as its leadership was forced to avoid official involvement in the events. As in other communities of expatriate Greeks, in this parish there was competition between two factions: on the one hand, the supporters of the new political ideas of democratic France and on the other hand, the conservatives, mainly clergy, who opposed these innovative ideas. There is evidence of the participation of members of the Brotherhood in debates in philological circles in Venice.
The abolition of the republic of Venice in 1797 by Napoleon was a major blow to the Brotherhood. Its funds, valuables and other assets were seized by Napoleon and were not recovered despite legal efforts. French rule in Venice was soon replaced (by the Treaty of Campoformio in 1797) by Austrian rule, which imposed caution and caution on the members of the community. After a brief period during which the city was annexed to the so-called Regno d'Italia, Austrian occupation was restored.
The decline of the community and the Brotherhood was completed and became final in the following years. The population decline, which had already begun, was accelerated by the settlement of Greeks from the diaspora in the newly established Greek state after 1830. During the 19th century, the Brotherhood tried to maintain its autonomy, which was threatened by the Austrian occupation of the Veneto region. The newly unified Italian state refused to recognize it as a national organization, allowing only recognition as a religious and charitable organization.
Thanks to the benefactions of eminent persons and scholars who were active in Venice during this period, such as Konstantinos Bogdanos, Georgios Pickering, Georgios Motsenigos and Ioannis Papadopoulos, works of key importance for the Greek community were preserved. These donations enabled the repair of the church of St. George, the reorganization of the Flanginian College (which provided elementary education and remained in operation with a small number of students until 1907), and, thanks to the Pickering bequest, the renewal of the Brotherhood's hospital from 1846 to 1900.
The intervention of the Italian state in the affairs of the Brotherhood caused internal strife, and its council was abolished in 1907 and replaced by an Italian provost. By World War II, the Brotherhood had dwindled to just 30 members, but retained much of its property, including its historical and artistic treasures. To protect this heritage, a tripartite agreement was concluded between the Brotherhood, the Italian state and the Greek state.
In 1948, the Italian government allowed the establishment of the Institute of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Studies in Venice, in exchange for the reopening of the Italian School of Archaeology and the Italian Institute in Athens. The Brotherhood donated its movable and immovable property to the Greek State, which formed the basis for the Institute, on condition that the Greek State would bear the costs of running the Institute and maintaining the church of St. George.
Statutes of the Brotherhood (Mariegola)
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With the fall of Constantinople to the Turks, many Byzantines fled to Venice, where Greek scholars and painters became pioneers of the Renaissance, while it is considered certain that the transmission of Greek culture provided important foundations for the cultural history of Venice, so that it could develop in many areas.
The study of the archival material of the Hellenic Institute of Venice and the Hellenic Brotherhood provides valuable and at the same time rare material that testifies to the participation of Greeks in the intellectual, cultural, economic and social life of the country, It should be noted that the participation of the Greek merchants of Venice in the various commercial networks and the framework of the Greek-Venetian partnership marked the beginning and the very course of modern Greek merchant shipping.
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