GREECE

ECCLESIASTIC CULTURAL HERITAGE

"JUSTINIAN" PROGRAMME

A people's civilization arises from the basic meaning governing its notion about life and death. The central axis around which all life's expressions turn is exactly how man views the relationship with the divine, himself, the fellow human being and nature. In our tradition, our way of life, the construal core is faith. The Church offers its own interpretation for the world and, at the same time, for its transformation. In the present and the future. Now and in the future. -Now and always-. The Church transforms all man's expressions and pieces through the grace of love. And after transforming everything, culture and art cannot be excluded from this meeting.

The opening of the Apostoliki Diakonia to a programme for cultural heritage, the promotion of monuments and their online digital management in an unbreakable cooperation with the Holy Metropoles of the Church of Greece and other partners in Greece and abroad is part of its identity and, this is why, it implements the cultural programme "JUSTINIAN". The name of the programme is a minimum homage paid to the great Byzantine emperor, during whose long reign (527- 565) the historical churches of great beauty of Hagia Sophia, Saints Sergius and Bacchus, Agia Eirini, Holy Apostles and Agios Ioannis the Baptist in Constantinople; of St. Vitale, St. Apollinare, St. Apollinare Nuovo, and St. Michael in Ravenna; Agios Ioannis the Theologician in Ephesus were built, and the reinforcement works of the Monastery of Sinai and the adjacent monastery of the Holy Summit were performed.

The effort to build co-operations with other Local Orthodox Churches, Universities, Museums, Cultural Organisations to promote and teach the cultural heritage of peoples contributes to the cultivation of peace and justice, respect of human rights, and the protection of human life.

These cultural programmes strengthen the elaboration of programmes for education, catechism, environmental protection, the development of ecological initiatives and offer opportunities for the training of staff and associates.