Founding of the Brotherhood

After the fall of Constantinople in 1453, a large number of Greek refugees fled to Venice. These refugees came from various social backgrounds and sought not only survival and security, but also the free exercise of the Orthodox Christian faith. The cultural proximity of Venice to Byzantium, as Cardinal Bessarion had pointed out, made Venice an attractive destination for Greeks.

Despite the initial reception, Venice, which followed the Latin doctrine, did not allow the presence of Orthodox priests and services were held secretly in private homes. There were a few exceptions, such as the permission granted in 1456 for the construction of a Greek Orthodox church, but this was revoked the following year.

The Greeks continued to try to get their own temple, and when their efforts did not bear fruit, they turned in another direction. On 28 November 1498 they petitioned the Council of Ten to establish the Brotherhood of the Orthodox Greeks (nazione greca), in the same way as other guilds and ethnic minorities in the city, such as the Albanians and the Dalmatians. The brotherhood had as its patron saint St. Nicholas and its seat was the church of St. Vlasiou.

Its purpose was to provide charitable work, such as caring for the sick and wounded in the war and relieving orphans and the needy. With the positive response of the Council of Ten on the day after the petition was paid, the Brotherhood gained the right to determine its charter, to select its clergy, thus limiting the possibilities of intervention by the Patriarch of Venice, and to make decisions on its internal affairs, as long as they did not contravene the laws of the Venetian state.

From the beginning of its constitution, the Fraternity took care to keep in its archives its statutes (mariegola), financial books and records of the decisions of its administrative bodies. Its administration was organised on the basis of the General Assembly of the Brothers (capitolo generale), which was considered to be quorate with 25-30 members present, and the elected Board of Directors (banca) with an annual term of office of 15 members. It was headed by a three-member executive committee, which included the president-gastaldo- (later guardian grande), the vice-president-vicario- and the secretary-segretario-. The remaining 12 members were called decani.

Later, when it ceased to be a legal entity under the jurisdiction of the Council of Ten and from 1534 onwards was dependent on the provveditori di comun, other offices were created, such as governatori (governors), sindici (controllers of the treasury) and a collective body of twenty-one persons (zonta).

The resources of the Brotherhood came from the contributions of its members, registration fees, fundraisers, donations and bequests. In cases of need, extraordinary contributions and selective taxation were imposed on Greek-owned ships arriving in Venice.

At the beginning of the 16th century, the Greek Brotherhood of Venice brought up the issue of building its own Greek Orthodox church. This insistence of the members of the Brotherhood proved fruitful. After long negotiations and efforts to convince the Venetian authorities, the Brotherhood succeeded in obtaining permission for the construction of the church.

In 1539, with the support of the Doge of Venice and other prominent political and religious figures, the Greeks of Venice founded the Greek Orthodox church of Saint George. This church became the centre of the religious and social life of the Greek community in Venice. The construction of the church was not only a religious victory, but also an important cultural and social recognition of the Greek presence in the city.

The church of San Giorgio dei Greci (San Giorgio dei Greci) stands out for its architecture and artistic works. Its construction and interior decoration were financed by donations and bequests from the members of the Brotherhood, as well as by fund-raisers held both in Venice and in other areas with Greek communities.

Within the framework of the Brotherhood, in 1593 a school of "Greek and Latin letters" was founded. This school was one of the first organized educational institutions for Greeks in the western world and was an important centre for learning and preserving the Greek language and education. For the operation of the school, the Brotherhood received annual financial aid from the Venetian state, which shows the recognition of its importance by the local authorities.

Finally, in 1599, the Brotherhood founded a nunnery, which served as a refuge for many women of the Greek community until 1829.

The Greek Brotherhood continued to play an important role in the community, not only as a religious body, but also as a social and cultural pillar.Its actions had a long-lasting impact, positively influencing both the Greek community and the multicultural heritage of Venice.It organised schools, charitable activities and cultural events, while preserving the language and traditions of the Greeks.