Samos wine and the religious communities of Samos
The connection of Samos Wine with the religious communities of Samos is unique and it is linked to a long period of history that reaches present day, with sacramental wine for the Greek Orthodox Church, vin de messe for the Catholic Church, and kosher/mevushal Samos wines for the Jewish communities.
This wine route is explored on foot. We recommend you start at the Metropolitan church of Agios Nikolaos of Samos, where visitors can see the points of interest. It is an easy and interesting circular route inside the city that is approximately 2 kilometres long.
The Christian Church uses Samos wine without fail in its rituals, more specifically in the Eucharist with Holy Communion. Saint Tryphon is the patron saint of vine-growers. In all the icons, the Saint appears with the special vine-growers knife (the katsouni) and many chapels have been built in his honour in the wine making zones of Samos. The day on which he is celebrated marks the beginning of pruning for vine-growing on Samos.
Samos wine and the religious communities of Samos
The Catholic community of Samos had a special relationship to Samos wine, as Catholic priests bought quantities of grapes to make wine themselves. After the establishment of the UWC, the Catholic Mission’s wine was made in special facilities in the Cooperative. The Catholic Community of Samos also had the role of supplier and trader of sweet wine for the needs of the Catholic Church in Italy, Africa, and elsewhere.
According to the testimony of the last Abbess of the Order of Saint Joseph on Samos, sister Mikelina, during the bombing of the capital during World War II by the Germans, the wine in the basements of the Catholic Church flowed to the port, changing even the colour of the sea.
Samos muscat wine supplies Catholic Missions in various countries even to this day, albeit in smaller quantities.
Lastly, the strong Jewish community of merchants in the city of Samos traded Samos wine for many years, while in the past two years, wines that are Kosher/Mevushal certified are produced by the Samos Cooperative for Jewish communities.
Points of interest
Catholic Church, Samos
The Catholic Monastery of the Dormition and Assumption of the Theotokos (or Fragkoklisia as the locals call it), was built in 1901 and is located in a magnificent building on the seafront avenue of Samos. The building operated as a monastery of the ‘Monks of the African Mission’ and as a parish church until 1970.
Saint Joseph Catholic Monastery – Boarding School
Located at the corner of 2 Areos Street and Manoli Kalomoiri street (on a road parallel to Samos’ seafront avenue) we come across an imposing building enclosed behind tall ochre-coloured walls. This is the educational institution of the French Nun’s School (Saint Joseph’s School) with a rich history starting in 1901.
Metropolitan Church of Agios Nikolaos, Samos
The Metropolitan church of Agios Nikolaos in the capital of Samos is the metropolitan church of the city and Saint Nicholas is considered its patron saint. Access to the church is via the street perpendicular to the seafront avenue of Samos, 25is Martiou Avenue of via the central square, Them. Sofouli Square, via Ag. Nikolaou Street.
Jewish Cemetery, Vathy
From the port of Samos, heading towards the city centre via Them. Sofolous seafront avenue, near the Samos Fire Service and following Dim. Petrou street, is the Samos Cemetery. Adjacent to it, if you walk up the small road right next to the door of Ag. Charalambous church, you fill find the Jewish Cemetery. This is where the graves of the robust professional Jewish community of Samos are located, people who mainly traded Samos wine.
Jewish Merchant Homes, Vathy
Along the Samos seafront avenue and just after the Gefyraki area heading towards Malagari, one can see the mainly neoclassical buildings that belonged to Jewish Wine Merchants. Seafront zones and hamlets in Samos for the trading of wine and raisins were developed in the late 18th century and the early 19th century, at which time the Jewish presence was mainly in the area of Vathy.
