Krifo scholio

In Greek history, a krifó scholió (κρυφό σκολειό or κρυφό σχολείο, lit. 'secret school') was a supposed underground school for teaching the Greek language and Christian doctrine, provided by the Greek Orthodox Church under Ottoman rule in Greece between the 15th and 19th centuries. There are many hidden schools within Greek Orthodox churches in Greece, Anatolia, and Cyprus. Many of these schools had trap doors, hidden passage ways, and were mainly held in the attic, or behind false rooms. The schools would start usually at dusk, when the sun was setting. Many villages with ancient Churches still contain hidden rooms, where classes would start. Upon many hidden schools, one well known in Cyprus is Archangel Michael Plantanisa Village. Another in Chandria village in Cyprus in Arch Angel Michael church. Also, many of the villages in Troodos mountains, in hundreds mostly contain hidden rooms where Greek Language, Arts, Greek Mythology, Christian Theology, History, Philosophy, and many other subjects were taught. Ottoman rule was very harsh for non-Turkish populations. If they were unable to afford to pay the Jizza Tax their families would be forced into joining the Turkish Janisarian armies, or forced to convert to Islam. Many Greek Orthodox families also practiced naming their children with separate last names, or names of identification to avoid alerting Ottoman officials from knowing how many children belong to the family. Many children of Greek descent would be taken at age 5 to be Turkified and to join the Janisarian armies. This is why it was important for Greek families to keep up, risking their lives, to educate their children. Other historians accept that secret schools only existed during periods of intense Islamization, while other see it as a possible "myth" and others believe that the Krifo Scholio was a reality. Professor of philology Alkes Angelou (1917–2001), in one of his last publications on the subject, finds that the krifó scholió persisted as a national myth. Other Greek scholars criticize Angelou's work as politically motivated and biased.

School textbooks in Greece treated the krifó scholió as factual until the late 20th century, when it was finally removed, despite some political controversy, as a "national memory which had been, to some extent, fictitious", creating conflict with "the Church and ethnonationalism".