Modern Greek Enlightenment

Leonardos Philaras, one of the early advocates for Greek independence, played a significant role before the movement truly gained momentum following his death.

Painters like Doxaras pioneered this shift, moving away from the egg tempera technique and embracing oil painting, thus revolutionizing Greek art.

The education of the Greek community was subjugated by a strict observance of Korydalism which was taught by priests and sanctioned by the Catholic and Orthodox churches.

[9] A central figure in the schism from Korydalism was Methodios Anthrakites who fought to introduce updated European philosophical thought to Greek education.

He was persecuted in Constantinople by the church fathers and a debate ensued among Greek scholars during the later part of the 18th century to change education.

By 1814, the Filiki Eteria (Society of Friends) formed in Odessa, whose purpose was to overthrow the Ottoman rule of Greece and establish an independent Greek State.

The Ottomans implemented the Tanzimat reforms to slow nationalistic sentiment but Greek oppression continued until they were fully liberated and wars ensued for over 100 years.

[19] The Phanariotes were a small caste of Greek families who took their collective name from the Phanar quarter of Constantinople where the Ecumenical Patriarchate is still housed.

They held various administrative posts within the Ottoman Empire, the most important of which were those of hospodar, or prince, of the Danubian principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia.

These academies attracted teachers and pupils from throughout the Orthodox commonwealth, and there was some contact with intellectual trends in Habsburg central Europe.

[20] This environment was in general a special attraction for young, ambitious and educated Greek people from the Ottoman Empire, contributing to their national enlightenment.

Characteristically the authors of the Geographia Neoteriki, one of the most remarkable works of that era, Daniel Philippidis and Grigorios Konstantas, were both educated in this environment.

[21][22] One effect was the creation of an atticized form of Greek by linguistic purists, which was adopted as the official language of the state and came to be known as Katharevousa (purified).

This created diglossia in the Greek linguistic sphere, in which Katharevousa and the vernacular idiom known as Dimotiki were in conflict until the latter half of the 20th century.