Modernisation and the Church as an Institution of Continuity

This chapter examines the Church of Cyprus—for Greek Cypriots the most important institution throughout the Ottoman and British rule. This examination will allow the understanding of why the Church became the basic pillar of right-wing, nationalist party politics throughout most of the twentieth century. I review the factors underlying the Church’s powerful economic and social position in Cyprus and consider the historical identification of the (Greek) Orthodox inhabitants of the island with the Church. Next, looking at how the Church positioned itself in a period of rapid change, most important here are the Church’s response to the new British policies, and how its role and discourse in Cypriot society changed in a period of intense and important transformations—especially its embrace of nationalism. It appears that the Church’s conversion to the nationalistic cause can be interpreted as an attempt to re-legitimise its social and political presence.