The disputed holy places of worship in Central Macedonia during the late ottoman empire, 19th-20th century

General Foundation

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able: a) to understand the historical, administrative, political, spiritual framework of organization of the holy places of worship of the orthodox, mainly Greek, communities, especially in Central Macedonia, from the middle of the 19th century and so forth, b) to analyze concepts, terminologies, such as ethnofyletism, Bulgarian Exarchate, c) to understand the nowadays evolutions of the holy places of worship throught the historical and nowadays developments and situations.

This course presents the issue of the disputed holy places of worship in Central Macedonia during the ottoman domain, the period at the 2nd half of the 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th century. It’s an issue of an undeclared religious war in the ottoman domain during state reformation. This kind of reform was conducted by the pressure of the Great Powers due to their own interest in the East and to protection of Christian people in the ottoman state. There were many conflicts in orthodox churches, cemeteries, monasteries, glebes, chapels, small churches, bishophouses and the whole vakoufik holy fortune of orthodox, mainly Greek orthodox, communities. Murders, injuries and fires were a daily occurrence around and inside the holy places of worship. All this situation has led to the victorious balkan wars (1912-1913). The balkan wars set free Macedonia from the ottoman domain. Course outline: 1.The content-definition of holy places of worhip and its establishment process 2.The geopolitical and geoecclesiastical context-the administrative division of the ottoman domain 3.Religious propagandes and Great Powers, Part A΄ 4.Religious propagandes and Great Powers, Part B΄ 5.The Unia in the Metropolis of Thessaloniki 6.The causes, the violence and the practices of questioning from the propagandist against the holy places of worhip. 7.The Regulation-Law about churches, Part A΄ 8.The Regulation-Law about churches, Part B΄ 9.Analysis of teaching of ethnofyletism, Part A΄ 10.Analysis of teaching of ethnofyletism, Part B΄ 11.Representative examples-events against the legal and canonical order of holy places of worship in Satzakion of Thessaloniki (Holy Metropolis of Thessaloniki, bishoprics of Kitrous, Polyanis), Part A΄ 12.Representative examples-events against the legal and canonical order of holy places of worship in Satzakion of Thessaloniki (Holy Metropolis of Stromnitsa, Velessa, Vodena and Veroia), Part Β΄ 13.The disaster of holy places of worship according to the Treaty of Lausanne (1923)

Holy Places of Worship, Religious Propagandes, Bulgarian Exarchate, Ethnofyletism

29-09-2025