THE Odessawas created on the site of an ancient Greek colony, after the end of the 2nd Russo-Turkish War and Treaty of Iasi.
Catherine of Russia “saw” its great geostrategic position and the advantages of the region, as a bridge of communication between the West and the East and the port on the Black Sea for the development of trade.
Name Greek in Odessa was synonymous with the name merchant
Greeks from the Turkish-occupied areas, from Epirus, Macedonia, the islands arrived quickly in Odessa. Initially their number was small, not exceeding 10% of the total population, but soon they developed a rich professional and social activity.
Important information about the Greeks in Odessa was provided to APE-MPE by the Alumni Association of the Zosima School of Ioannina, “O ZOSIMADES”, a product of many years of historical research, elements which are included in the work, “The Hellenism of Russia and its contribution to the Nation of the Epirote merchants-benefactors and teachers of the Nation “.
Greek immigrants engaged in various professions, such as bakeries, restaurants, tanners, spinners, weavers, stock exchanges, banks. Barber shops and cafes were also opened, which became places for discussions and news broadcasting.
From the first moment they engaged in trade, the Greeks of Odessa devised ways to deal with the various problems and followed successful methods of promoting their products in East and West. They quickly became adults traders internationally. The merchants then became shipowners and created an admirable Greek merchant fleet.
The Greek community showed a rapid development. Great commercial houses were created. According to official statistics, in 1835 out of the 57 large commercial enterprises that existed in Odessa, 20 were Greek.
The Holy Temple of the Holy Trinity, the church of the Friends
The first concern of the Greeks of Odessa was its construction Of the Greek Orthodox Church. Construction began in 1795 and was completed in 1807, with the financial contribution of Greek merchants, while the Tsarist Court offered rich gifts for the interior decoration of the church.
The church of the Holy Trinity in Odessa was the only orthodox church that received sanctity because in this church the members of the Friendly Society were worshiped, which is why it was also called the “Church of the Friends”.
For 50 years, from 1821 to 1871, the Holy Trinity hosted his relic Patriarch Gregory of the 5th, after his hanging by the Turks in Constantinople. The funeral of the Patriarch by order of Tsar Alexander was majestic and took place on June 17, 1821 with great participation of the people in the fortress of the city. Mourning flags were hoisted on the warships and the funeral was delivered by the well-known scholarly clergyman, orator and theologian, Constantine Economos, one of the Economists, who arrived in Odessa from Constantinople, where he served as a preacher at the Patriarchate.
Prominent Greeks of Odessa, such as the national benefactor Grigorios Maraslis and the merchant Theodoros Rodokanakis, were buried in the courtyard of the church of the Holy Trinity.
Greek Education in Odessa
The Greeks of Odessa showed the same concern for the church for the establishment of a school, with the result that the city became a nursery for Greek education with important educational institutions.
The wealthy merchants of Odessa from time to time had significant sums of money for the creation of organized schools so that young people could acquire the knowledge to promote the activities of the Community, but at the same time, have a substantial education to prepare the Nation in the struggle for its independence.
In September 1817, the Hellenic School of Commerce was officially inaugurated, which from the first moment of its operation, presented the image of a national Greek Educational Institution, with a wide educational program, while it was a milestone in the history of the Modern Greek Enlightenment. The educational work of the School was upgraded by the operation of its own printing house, as the students became acquainted with the book and reading.
The School, staffed with teachers who had a wide range of education, worked with great diligence and exemplary diligence, with the main goal of enlightening the nation. Among those who stood out with their teaching and zeal, was George Gennadios. A Russian writer, who visited the School in 1819, mentions, among other things, about Georgios Gennadios: .. ».
The Hellenic School of Commerce of Odessa operated for 100 years until 1917
The Greek community in Odessa found the lack of a Girl’s School. The idea matured with the founding of the Greek Benevolent Community, in whose board of directors Grigorios Maraslis and Theodoros Rodokanakis participated. After meetings and obtaining permits for the establishment of the School, its operation began in 1872, in the house of Mavrokordatos. A little later, the merchant Rodokanakis secured the financial aid and the School was built in the courtyard of the Holy Temple of the Holy Trinity. By unanimous decision of the members of the Community, it was named Rodokanakeio School.
The director of the Girl’s School was assigned for two years to the journalist and writer, Kallirroi Parren. The girls of the Girl’s School, when they graduated, were awarded diplomas which the Greek State recognized, as equal to the Gymnasiums that operated in Athens.
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