Istanbul – known for a millennium as Constantinople, the glorious capital of the Byzantine Empire and for centuries more as the seat of the Ottoman Empire —has always captivated Greeks and attracts thousands of visitors from around the world. The most populous city in modern-day Turkey once had a large Greek presence. But what is the reality today for the remnants of the city’s Greek Orthodox (Romioi-Rum) community, a community identified with the legacy of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire?

The Treaty of Lausanne and the Decline of the Romioi in Istanbul

The Greeks’ millennia-spanning presence in their ancestral homeland of Asia Minor was radically altered in the 20th century after the Asia Minor Catastrophe of 1922. On 24 July 1923, the Treaty of Lausanne was signed, preceded by the signing of the “Convention Concerning the Exchange of Greek and Turkish Populations” in the same year. However, the treaty explicitly excluded the Greek Orthodox residents of Istanbul, Imbros and Tenedos from the population exchange, along with the Muslim population of Western Thrace.

The Great School of the Nation, known also as the Phanar Greek Orthodox College, is the most prominent secondary school of the ethnic Greek community in Istanbul. Vmenkonv/ Public domain Wikimedia Commons

While, on the surface, the clause in the Treaty of Lausanne appeared to guarantee the protection of the Romioi, events in the decades that followed told a different story. In fact, the ink was barely dry on the Treaty, when Turkey began to violate its terms by applying pressure on the Greek minority and limiting the rights granted to them.

Pogrom: The Politicized Persecution of the Greeks of Istanbul

However, it would be in 1955 that the Romioi suffered their most brutal and organized persecution. On September 6, under the pretext of a bomb attack on the Turkish consulate in Thessaloniki, student organizations, the group “Cyprus is Turkish”, and outraged citizens staged demonstrations in Taksim Square, inciting the public to vandalize the storefronts of non-Muslim businesses. Within a short time, the rioters had destroyed shops, homes, schools, churches, and cemeteries. But this was no spontaneous outburst of violence; it was a pogrom which, though perpetrated by the city’s Turkish population, was coordinated by the authorities.

Down the decades, the state of Greek-Turkish diplomatic relations has dictated how the Turkish authorities treat the Greek minority of Istanbul, with the Turkish political leadership using the Cyprus issue as a pretext to justify acts of violence against the Romioi community. This policy continued into the 1960s, culminating in the mass deportations of Greeks in 1964.

Similarly, it is no coincidence that the two main waves of Greek departures occurred in 1955–1959 and 1964–1967. In their wake, the number of Greeks had dropped dramatically to just 48,000. Today, the Greek community may number fewer than 2,000 individuals.

Romioi Preserve Heritage Through Faith, Tradition and Language

Decades later, the minority community of the Romioi, though significantly diminished, continues to fight to preserve its distinct identity and culture through religion and the teaching of the Greek language.

In their efforts to preserve their Greek heritage, the Orthodox Romioi community has had the vital and enduring support of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Phanar. Besides advocating for their interests, the Patriarchate has served as a hub and focal point, organizing social events tied to Orthodox religious celebrations and keeping Greek customs and traditions alive in the heart of modern Istanbul.

Speaking to TO BHMA International Edition, Father Konstantinos Vartholomeos, who has lived in Istanbul for several years, emphasized the crucial role of the Church and the many cultural activities conducted by the community. The annual Christmas Bazaar, held at one of the most historic schools of the Greek Diaspora, the Zappeion, is one of the most noteworthy events of the year.

The historic schools of Zappeion and Zografeion, which operate under the auspices of the Patriarchate, provide education from kindergarten to high school, immersing Romioi children in Greek culture, language, and the Orthodox faith. According to Father Konstantinos, the city’s Greek schools are both reasonably good and accessible. “In the three schools currently operating in the city, the teaching of the Greek language has been continued and maintained, and may even be on the increase,” he noted. Beyond the schools, Greek is also taught at the Greek Consulate in Istanbul, where classes are also attended by Turks who wish to learn the language.

Navigating Identity and Integration in Modern Turkey

These efforts to preserve the Romioi community’s Greek heritage are, however, challenged by the realities of everyday life. Sofia P., a young member of the Greek community who is currently a university student in Istanbul, said that, although she attended a Greek school as did her parents, she primarily communicates in Turkish in her daily life “because it’s easier.” “My friends, whether Turkish or Romioi, were all born and raised in the city, so we speak Turkish—so does everyone else around me,” she adds.

Today, the Romioi minority is undergoing a dynamic internal transformation as its structure evolves, with the children of its remaining families integrating into Turkish society and using Turkish as their dominant language. Indeed, both Sofia and Father Konstantinos confirm, as Turkish citizens, members of the community have the opportunity to participate actively in Turkey’s political, social, and cultural life.

The 4th Century basilica of Hagia (St.) Irene, today a museum, is located in the outer courtyard of Topkapi Palace in Istanbul. It is the oldest church structure in the city and one of the only Byzantine-era churches that was never converted into a mosque. Ninanra/ Public domain Wikimedia Commons

“Turkish society coexists harmoniously alongside the Romioi communities living around the country. There is no provocation, and no one suggests the Romioi are an inferior minority. On the contrary, they are considered part of the citizenry of the Turkish Republic,” the clergyman observes.

A New Greek Community Finds Home in Modern Istanbul

A sign that Turkish society has largely left the rivalries of the past behind is the emergence of a new Greek community known as the ‘Neopolites’, or ‘new citizens’, in recent years. Now numbering around 1,000, these newcomers hail from Greece and other parts of Europe and have settled in the city as students, postgraduate researchers, professionals working for multinational companies, or entrepreneurs.

This modern wave of Greeks has chosen to live in Istanbul and other parts of Turkey, “either because of work, or because they are drawn to the history and beauty of the historic, once-Byzantine, city,” as Father Konstantinos notes.