Greece Church Records: Difference between revisions

Records of births or christenings, marriages, and deaths or burials by the church can be used with or in the absence of vital records (birth, marriage, and death records created by the state). The parish priests church records for the diocese. In many cases, these records were kept on a civil district (''eparhia'') level. Because there was not separate of church and state, it is sometimes difficult to clearly define where church registers end and civil registration begins. Church records are crucial for genealogical research in Greece. The Eastern Orthodox faith is the official religion of Greece, although other religions are tolerated. About 98% of the population of Greece belongs to the Greek Orthodox Church. Greek Orthodox church records are excellent sources for accurate information on names, dates, and places of births, marriages, deaths, and relationships. During the time of Turkish rule, the Orthodox church was given control of the Christian population (''millet''). Priests controlled marriage, divorce, and inheritance proceedings and even collected taxes for the state.<ref>The Family History Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, “Family History Records Profile: Greece,” Word document, private files of the FamilySearch Content Strategy Team, 1999.</ref> Most people who lived in Greece can be found in church records.