In the land of many icons

97% of the Greeks belong to the Greek Orthodox Church. Hellenism and Orthodoxy have always been closely linked. Under Byzantine rule, the Greeks saw themselves as inhabitants of a world that had reached the state of perfection, a secession of the kingdom of heaven. After the conquest of the Ottomans (1453), the Greeks were persecuted, not as a people, but as followers of the Orthodox faith. The national feeling of the Greeks crystallized within the church until independence in 1832.

The Greek Church derives its teaching and understanding of the church from the early Christian community in Jerusalem. The Orthodox faith is characterized by a deep spirituality and a mystical worship of God. God is seen as incomprehensible and incomprehensible. Not all Greeks believe in God, but the Orthodox belief, which is firmly rooted in the culture of the country, still influences their thinking and actions.

There are numerous icons to admire in Greek Orthodox churches. Very often it is misunderstood why the icons are so revered. These beautiful, stylized images are by no means worshiped like idols - an accusation that goes back to the iconoclasts of the 7th and 8th centuries. In an attempt to purify religion from this self-deification, they defaced thousands of icons throughout the Byzantine Empire. Therefore, undamaged icons from before 800 are a rarity. Eventually, the view prevailed in the church that an icon represented the symbol of the trained figure of the saint. It was understood as a medium through which the saint in question can be venerated. The icons of Greek churches are an early form of animating matter: a way of explaining the Orthodox faith in pictures to those who cannot read.

Icon worship is not limited to the church interior. Almost every Greek house has an "iconostasis" (icon stand, mostly hanging on the wall), the portraits of which are considered important for the family. Most Greeks are baptized in the name of a saint and name days are celebrated instead of birthdays.