The Greeks of Odessa in the social and cultural life of the region in the first half of the XIX century

Abstract

A retrospective study of the life and work of representatives of ethnic groups living in the
territory of the polyethnic southern Ukraine is an important task of the national historical science . A
prominent place among the people who contributed to the development of that territory , which had
become a part of the Russian Empire in the second half of the 18th century, belongs to the Greek
settlers. The purpose of the article is to analyze the contribution of the Greek community of Odessa
to the development of the press, education, and public philanthropy in the region in the first half of
the 19th century. During that period, Greek communities were formed and operated in most cities of
the Black Sea northern coast. The Odessa Greek community was the most significant with steady
growth in the well-being of many of its members. Their prosperity had been based on successful
commercial operations, giving Greek settlers a good opportunity to launch vigorous cultural and
educational work.
The article analyzes a number of aspects of the social and cultural life of the Greek community
on the materials of the State Archive of the Odessa region, the Russian State Historical Archive, the
regional press, and the research literature. The author also characterized activities of members of
that community in the field of education as well as their participation in the publication of regional
newspapers and magazines. The formation of the Greek charitable societies in Odessa is analyzed
too. The degree of development of these areas indicates the intensity of the socio -cultural life of the
Greek community of Odessa already at the stage of formation of the region. During half a century,
the Greeks created two philanthropic organizations to help their compatriots. Their relatively high
educational level let them make a tangible contribution to the development of local period icals,
because in fact many of them were not only regular readers but also active participants in the
publication of the regional press.