Constantinople
Greek church
How Did the Byzantines (Eastern Romans) Celebrate Christmas?
In the fourth century AD, the Romans abandoned the Classical pagan pantheon for Christianity. This meant swapping Saturnalia festivities for Christmas celebrations. From these early beginnings, the surviving Byzantine Empire would inherit and modify its own Christmas traditions.
As the...
Greece
What Do Greeks Have Against Tuesday the 13th?
Like the Anglo-Saxons consider Friday the 13th a bad luck day, Greeks have branded Tuesday the 13th as a day you'd rather stay home and avoid everything that might cause an accident.
The main reason Tuesday the 13th is not...
Greek church
The Greek Orthodox Church Where People From All Faiths Make a Wish
Panagia Vefa is a Greek Orthodox church in Istanbul when on the first day of each month people of all faiths go to make a wish
Greek News
Byzantine Army: The World’s Most Formidable Multi-Ethnic Force
The Byzantine Army was among the most powerful and effective military forces in the world from the 7th to the 12th centuries.
Starting to operate around 395 AD, the army of Byzantium was a continuation of the mighty East Roman...
Culture
Memories of Pontus and Asia Minor Dominate Opening of AEK Athens Stadium
Memories of Pontus and Asia Minor dominated the spectacular opening of the new football station of Greek soccer club AEK on Friday in Athens.
More than thirty thousand fans gathered at OPAP Arena in the Athenian suburb of Nea Philadelphia...
Greece
September 6, 1955: the Violent Istanbul Pogrom Against Greeks
In 1955, the Greek population of the city of Istanbul were the victims of a heinous pogrom that resulted in the suffering and death of many.
Archaeology
The Biggest Basilica Cistern of Constantinople Re-opens
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The biggest Byzantine Basilica Cistern in Constantinople opens its doors once again after five years of renovation. For a long time, it was an unknown construction to the Ottoman residents of the city.
By Dimosthenis Vasiloudis
The Basilica Cistern is one...
Greek church
The Brave Greek Priest Who Held a Liturgy in Hagia Sophia in 1919
A brave Greek priest managed to hold an Orthodox liturgy in Hagia Sophia in 1919 at a time when the iconic cathedral was being used as a mosque.
It is commonly believed that the last Orthodox liturgy in Hagia Sophia in...
Ancient Greece
A Crusader’s History of the Sack of Constantinople
De la Conquête de Constantinople (On the Conquest of Constantinople), one of the oldest surviving examples of French prose, is considered to be the most important historical source on the Fourth Crusade and the tragic Sack of Constantinople.
As disturbing...
Culture
Constantinopolitans Keep Memories of the Byzantine Capital Alive
The Hellenic Society of Constantinopolitans is keeping the culture and traditions of the Greeks from the city of Constantinople alive.