Greek Orthodox Church

Greek Orthodox Church
Flag used by the Orthodox Church in Greece, and the standard of the self-governed monastic state of Mount Athos.
Founder	Apostles Peter and Paul, The Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Apostle Andrew and James the Just
Independence	-
Recognition	Orthodox
Primate	The Patriarchs of Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem, and the Archbishops of Athens, Cyprus, Albania and Mount Sinai
Headquarters	Various, but Constantinople is held in special regard
Territory	Eastern Mediterranean & diaspora
Language	Koine Greek, Arabic, English, and Russian, with other local languages used in the diaspora
Members	23–24 million (about 50% of whom are in Greece)

The name Greek Orthodox Church (Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἑκκλησία, Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía, IPA: [elinorˈθoðoksi ekliˈsia]), or Greek Orthodoxy, is a term referring to the body of several Churches within the larger communion of Eastern Orthodox Christianity, whose liturgy is or was traditionally conducted in Koine Greek, the original language of the New Testament, and whose history, traditions, and theology are rooted in the early Church Fathers and the culture of the Byzantine Empire. Greek Orthodox Christianity has also traditionally placed heavy emphasis and awarded high prestige to traditions of Christian monasticism and asceticism, with origins in Early Christianity in the Near East and in Byzantine Anatolia. Today, the most important centres of Christian Orthodox monasticism are Saint Catherine's Monastery in the Sinai Peninsula (Egypt), Meteora at Thessaly in Greece, Mount Athos in Greek Macedonia, Mar Saba in the Bethlehem Governorate of the West Bank, and the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian on the island of Patmos in Greece.