HISTORY OF THE OAC

The election, in 1957, of Archimandrite Irineos (Galanakis) as Bishop of Kisamos and Selinon (Western Crete) marked the beginning of a process of spiritual and social re-orientation of the Church. In this context, the Bishop (now Metropolitan) Irineos and his pupil Alexandros K. Papaderos worked closely together during the early 60s to create the Orthodox Academy of Crete (OAC).

For the first buildings of the OAC, the historical Holy Monastery of Gonia, placed at the OAC’s disposal some 60.000 sqm of natural environment adjacent to its monastery. Construction works began in 1965 with financial support of the Evangelische Zentralstelle für Entwicklungshilfe/Bonn. The Evangelical Church of Germany, with this support, wanted to give to the people of Crete a sign of repentance and reconciliation at a place closely connected with the Battle of Crete (1941), the Resistance and the countless victims.

The state acknowledged the OAC as a “religious foundation in the public interest” with the status of a legal person under civil law, according to the constitutional act passed by the two founders mentioned above (No. 12.419/19-1-1970) and recognized by the state (Royal Decree 838/31-12-1970, Government Gazette 295, A’). A later government decision acknowledged the OAC also as a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO).

The opening of the OAC took place on 13 October 1968, in the presence of representatives of all Orthodox Churches, other Christian traditions and organizations, the universities of the country and a large audience. Against the atmosphere of suppressive monologue by the then dictatorship, the Church, through the Orthodox Academy, set an ambiance of dialogue between Church and modern man on a national and international level, gaining the trust and support of many people at home and abroad. Spiritual renewal, reconciliation (especially between Greeks and Germans), scientific and human progress, and the struggle against poverty, social exploitation, ignorance and prejudice, were some of the major priorities and activities of the OAC. The people unanimously supported the foundation of the OAC from the beginning until now.

On 12 November 1995, His All Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomaios inaugurated the second building of the OAC, with which the OAC became one of the most up-to-date Conference Centers of Greece. This building was sponsored by the European Union and the Greek state.

Further reading: Ορθόδοξος Ακαδημία Κρήτης, Θρησκευτική και Ηθική Εγκυκλοπαίδεια 12, Αθήναι 1968, 873-877. (Orthodox Academy of Crete, Religious and Ethical Encyclopedia 12, Athens 1968, 873-877.)

In addition to the organization of conferences, the OAC developed a wide variety of special programmes, departments and services.

Three important programmes that were successfully concluded are the following:

the Center for Agricultural Development the Cretan Theatre Society.