The Scuola dei Greci (literally, ''School of the Greeks'') was the confraternity of the

Greek community in Venice The Greek community in Venice dates back to the Middle Ages, when the Republic of Venice was still formally part of the Byzantine Empire. Settled mostly in the ''sestiere'' of Castello, it reached its height in the centuries after the Fall of Con ...

. Its members were primarily

Greeks The Greeks or Hellenes (; el, Έλληνες, ''Éllines'' ) are an ethnic group and nation indigenous to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions, namely Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, and, to a lesser extent, oth ...

, but also included

Serbs The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history and language. The majority of Serbs live in their na ...

History

The '' Scuole Piccole'' were

confraternities A confraternity ( es, cofradía; pt, confraria) is generally a Christian voluntary association of laypeople created for the purpose of promoting special works of Christian charity or piety, and approved by the Church hierarchy. They are most ...

located in Venice. They were formed by migrants who were Venetian citizens or came from the Stato da Mar. These institutions were officially supported by the Venetian state which promoted inclusivity of diasporic communities as a means to instill loyalty to its subjects and regulate the activities and relations of its migrant citizens. They provided an environment for the social, cultural and religious activities of their members. The term ''greci'' referred to their religious affiliation. The Greek minority was present in Venice as early as the 13th century, but increased greatly in the 15th and 16th centuries after the

Fall of Constantinople The Fall of Constantinople, also known as the Conquest of Constantinople, was the capture of the capital of the Byzantine Empire by the Ottoman Empire. The city fell on 29 May 1453 as part of the culmination of a 53-day siege which had begun o ...

and the Ottoman expansion into the former

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

lands. The ''Scuola dei Greci'' was founded in 1498. Serbs and other Slavs appear in the membership of the ''Scuola dei Greci'' since its early years (1500). The Greeks initially used

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

churches for their gatherings until Venice granted them permission to settle permanently and build in the Castello area in 1456. The Greek community was well accepted by the city largely because of the education and the ideas they brought. In 1539 they were allowed by the Venetian government to build a Greek Orthodox church, the church of

San Giorgio dei Greci San Giorgio dei Greci ( el, Ἅγιος Γεώργιος τῶν Ἑλλήνων, ´Agios Geórgios ton Ellínon, Saint George of the Greeks) is a church in the ''sestiere'' (neighborhood) of Castello, Venice, northern Italy. It was the center of ...

and formed the ''Scuola di San Nicolo dei Greci'' (or ''Scuola dei Greci''), as well as the

Flanginian School The Flanginian School ( el, Φλαγγίνειος Σχολή, it, Collegio Flanginiano) was a Greek educational institution that operated in Venice, Italy, from 1664-1665 to 1905. The Flanginian produced several teachers that contributed to the ...

. This Scuola was one of the few Venetian Scuole around which an entire community developed. Around the Church of San Giorgio other buildings and rooms were built for the meetings of the Confraternity. Initially there was a stipulation that membership should not exceed 250 persons (despite there being a Greek quarter in the city with a population of over 4000), apart from women and children. The Scuola had a constitution with provisions for voting procedures, representation, and the formation of a council. In 1563 the number of the councillors, the governing body of the colony, was set at forty and was later increased. The officials, headed by a president Gastaldo, were salaried by the community but were under the supervision of the Venetian government. The success of the Greek community in securing formal recognition from the Venetian government was probably due in large part to the increasing dependence of the Venetian state on the military services of the

Stratioti The Stratioti or Stradioti ( gr, στρατιώτες ''stratiotes''; sq, Stratiotë, Stratiotët;, it, stradioti, stradiotti, stratioti, strathiotto, strathioti; french: estradiots; sh, stratioti, stradioti; es, estradiotes) were mercenary u ...

. Orthodox Slavs (mostly Serbs) in the scuola came from different Slavic-speaking parts of the Venetian state. They are recorded as ''di Servia'' (from Serbia), ''di Montenegro'', ''dalmati'' (Dalmatia) and ''dalla Bosnia'' (from Bosnia). It has been estimated that in 1533-1562, of the 1044 members of the confraternity about 10% were of Serb origin. After the restoration of the

Patriarchate of Peć Patriarchate of Peć may refer to: * Patriarchate of Peć (monastery), Eastern Orthodox Patriarchal Monastery of the Serbian Orthodox Church, near the city of Peć * Serbian Patriarchate of Peć The Serbian Patriarchate of Peć ( sr, Српс� ...

in 1557, Serbs began to leave the scuola which saw declining membership in general. The last Serbs who paid dues to the confraternity did so in 1556-59. Dalmatian Serb migrants joined the scuola again in the 18th century. The Scuola had a central role in the development of Venetian and Italian

typography Typography is the art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible, readable and appealing when displayed. The arrangement of type involves selecting typefaces, point sizes, line lengths, line-spacing ( leading), and ...

. Among the members of the Scuola were Greek scholars who brought classical manuscripts with them from Constantinople. They established printing presses around the Greek neighborhood and acted as

editors Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, or ...

translators Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''transl ...

, correctors, authors and type-designers. One of the intellectuals from the Balkans who joined the ''scuola'' was Božidar Vuković (Dionisio della Vecchia), who opened one of the first Serbian and South Slavic printing houses in western Europe. When he was elected president of the ''scuola'', it was named - in his honor - ''School of the Greeks and the Serbs''. After the

fall of the Venetian Republic The fall of the Republic of Venice was a series of events that culminated on 12 May 1797 in the dissolution and dismemberment of the Republic of Venice at the hands of Napoleon Bonaparte and Habsburg Austria. In 1796, the young general Napoleon ...

all confraternities were officially closed by an edict from

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

in 1806. The Scuola's funds and many of its precious objects were confiscated.

Former Members

Antonio Vassilacchi Antonio Vassilacchi (; el, Αντώνιος Βασιλάκης, Antonios Vasilakis; 1556–1629), also called L'Aliense, was a Greek painter, who was active mostly in Venice and the Veneto. Biography Antonio Vassilacchi was born of Greek descent ...

Emmanuel Tzanes Emmanuel Tzanes ( el, Εμμανουήλ Τζάνες, 1610 – 28 March 1690), also known as Bounialis ( el, Μπουνιαλής) Emmanuel Tzane-Bounialis, Emmanuel Zane, and Emmanuel Tzane. He was a Greek Renaissance painter. He was an a ...

Thomas Flanginis Thomas Flanginis ( el, Θωμάς Φλαγγίνης, Italian: Tommaso Flangini; 1578–1648) was a wealthy Greek lawyer and merchant in Venice, who founded the Flanginian School, a Greek college where many teachers were trained. The ‘Flanginian ...

Anna Notaras Anna Notaras Palaiologina ( gr, Ἄννα Νοταρᾶ Παλαιολογίνα; died 8 July 1507) was the daughter of Loukas Notaras, the last '' megas doux'' of the Byzantine Empire. Biography Anna probably left Constantinople prior to fall o ...

Zacharias Calliergi Zacharias Calliergi ( el, Ζαχαρίας Καλλιέργης, Zacharias Kalliergēs) was a Greek Renaissance humanist and scholar. He was born in Crete, then a Venetian colony, but emigrated to Rome at a young age. In 1499 he helped bring ou ...

Onufri Onufri Argitis or Onoufrios of Neokastro or Onoufrios Argytes ( el, Ονούφριος) was a 16th century painter of Orthodox icons and Archpriest of Elbasan, active in the 16th century in modern-day southern Albania and in the south-western re ...

References

Bibliography

* * * * {{coord missing, Italy Buildings and structures in Venice Serbian diaspora Greek culture Confraternities Greek diaspora in Europe Republic of Venice History of Venice 1494 establishments in Europe 15th-century establishments in the Republic of Venice 1806 disestablishments in Italy Eastern Orthodox lay societies

History

Former Members

See also

References

Bibliography