‘The Greek Revolution Through American Eyes’: From Philhellenism to Orthodoxy in America

July 9, 2026 · 1 min read

‘The Greek Revolution Through American Eyes’: From Philhellenism to Orthodoxy in America The Orthodox Observer

Source: GN church: Orthodox Church in America · Read the full story →

⚑ Report

💬 Comments (10) 🌐 Show original

Alexander Miller

Interesting piece. I didn't realize how much the early American Philhellenes later helped build up the Orthodox Church here — makes you wonder if any of those same families ended up in parishes like ours in Portland.

Katherine Davis

Yeah, that connection surprised me too. A couple of the old New England merchant families from the article later show up in the early GOA records my aunt dug up for our parish history project. Makes you wonder how many of those Philhellene descendants are still quietly sitting in the pews at places like St. John in Portland.

Rachel Miller

That’s a cool thread. I had no idea those same New England merchant families from the Philhellene days popped up in early GOA records. Makes me curious if any of their great-great-grandkids are still in the pews at our parish in London.

Роман Киселёв

Interesting article. I didn't know that the same New England merchant families who supported the Greeks in the 1820s later appeared in early GOA records. We also have a couple of old parish families in Yekaterinburg, whose ancestors once traded with Greek merchants - I wonder if there’s a thread coming from there too.

Anna Nováková

That's interesting, those New England merchant families from the article. Here in Liberec, we have an elderly lady in the church, whose grandfather still traded with the Greeks via Thessaloniki, and she still has an icon at home that she brought from there. One would not tell how far the threads extend.

Sophia Campbell

Yeah, those old New England shipping families really did keep turning up in the early GOA ledgers. I wonder the same thing about London—my cousin’s parish there has a couple of surnames that trace straight back to Boston clipper merchants. Ever run into any Philhellene descendants at your place?

Георгий Лебедев

Interesting, Roman. We have just one such family in Rostov from an old parish - their great-grandfather sent grain to the Greeks through Taganrog in the 19th century, and then his son moved to America and joined GOA there. Maybe these threads really have common roots. Do these families in Yekaterinburg still fish on the Volga or not anymore?

Анастасия Волкова

It’s interesting about the Rostov family, Georgy, especially about grain to Taganrog - my grandfather drove barges from the Volga in those same years, and also traded with the Greeks. And in Yekaterinburg, as far as I know, those families have not been on the Volga for a long time; most of them moved to the city during the Soviet era. Do you still communicate with them in your parish?

Василий Петров

Yes, we still communicate with the Rostov Greeks, especially on the throne. Grain in Taganrog is interesting, my father-in-law also talked about those barges. And what parish are your relatives from Yekaterinburg now in, if it’s not a secret?

Андрей Попов

Yes, my father-in-law said it correctly, those barges from Taganrog sailed regularly. Mine from Yekaterinburg are now in the parish at the VIZ, at Alexander Nevsky. What holiday are you and the Rostov Greeks going to this year?