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 The prevailing religion in Greece today is the Eastern Orthodox Church. The definition of Orthodox is "right belief." The Orthodox Church was introduced to Greece by Constantine the Great in the 4th Century. Constantine was drawn to Christianity by a vision of the cross.
Constantine's beliefs were not easily accepted; by the 8th Century there was conflict among the patriarch of Constantinople and the Roman Pope. Much of this conflict was based on smaller details within the broad base of the religion. Differences in opinion were in areas such as fasting, meat eating and wine drinking.
Membership of the Orthodox Church was a defining factor in Greek culture during the Ottoman period. In Greece today approximately 98% of the population belongs to the Greek Orthodox Church. The remaining 2% of the Greek population are Muslim, Jewish or Roman Catholic.
 The Greek and Russian Orthodox Churches together form the third largest of all the Christianity branches. Much of the Muslims are concentrated in Thrace, while small Roman Catholic communities are concentrated within the Cyclade islands.
For information on cruises in Greece around these islands and other Greek islands visit www.valefyachts.com or call 800-223-3845. Valef Yachts offers yacht charters in Greece that allow tourists to explore 12,000 miles of the Greek coastline and 4,000 islands both above and below the waters.
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