Recently, my Uncle Elias pulled out some pictures to show me. They were from an old calender published by the Society of Constantinople, a fraternal organization of Constantinopolitan Greeks. He's been saving these pictures for years, because they depict some of the schools that he and his sister's attended during the 1920s and 30s. Sifting through them I was impressed by the fact that the Greek community in Constantinople was able to build an impressive educational infrastructure completely unsupported by the Turkish government. An educational system that was able to provide a Greek education which included elementary and high schools, in addition to a revered institution of higher learning, the Patriarchal School at Halki. The benefactors of this system were the Ottoman Greek bourgeoisie which included wealthy merchants and bankers such as Giorgios Zarifis, one of the founder's of the Zafiropoulos & Zarifis Bank. This bank played a major role in the management of the Ottoman government's public debt. Zafiris was a close confidant and personal banker to Sultan Abdul Hamid (1876-1908). This immensely influential Greek built the Great School of the Nation depicted below, situated in the Phanar district of Constantinople. Another very rich banker, Christaki Zographos, built one of the best boy's schools in Constantinople which is named after him, the Zografeion.
Wedding in 1905 uniting the two foremost Greek Banking families in Constantinople.
The Greek bourgeoisie class of Constantinople for all its accomplishments was swept aside during the course of the turbulent relationship between Greece and Turkey after the establishment of the modern Greek State. One of the most remarkable aspects of Greek history is that the Greeks of Constantinople were able to recover much of the economic and political power which they lost after the Greek War of Independence, only to lose it again during the twentieth century. The Greek community of Constantinople, and everything it built, was reduced to its present meager state by the premeditated government policies of the Turkish government, even now, as Turkey seeks greater benefits for the Muslim minority living in Greek Thrace, which interestingly has grown exponentially. Although both minorities were protected by the Treaty of Lausanne, only one received the benefits of its protection.
The Great School of the Nation
The Zografeion (L) and various schools located throughout the City of Constantinople and its outlying districts.
The interior entrance of the Central School (Kentriko)
The Ioakeimeion, a prestigious girl's school.
The Zapeion, also a girl's high school (above) and various elementary schools located in surrounding towns and suburbs (below).
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