History is written by the powerful, but cultures are built by the masses- those who tend the fields and labor to produce everything that is necessary. Much is made of the Spanish influence on St. Augustine, but not many outside the Oldest City recognize the heritage left by a mult-national group of indentured servants who almost starved to death 75 miles south of the city they would one day make their own. Collectively named after the Mediterranean island where they boarded the ships for New Smyrna, the Minorcans: Corsican, Italian, Greek and Minorcan farmers contributed much to the city that eventually gave them shelter. Ninety percent of them died before they ever reached the New World. After a single year in Florida, another 450 succumbed to the nightmarish conditions on the plantations of New Smyrna. Nine years after their ordeal began, the last 600 survivors walked to St. Augustine, arriving in May of 1777. Minorcan sensibilities have flavored the culture of the city ever since.
One of the most enduring legacies of the Minorcans has been their Greek Orthodox faith. While the Spanish Catholics built an impressive cathedral on the city square, the Minorcan refugees had only the goodwill of the British governor of East Florida, who gave them a 28 year-old house on St. George Street to hold religious services in. From that old Spanish colonial building the Minorcans created the chapel of Saint Photios.
The tiny Greek Orthodox church might have been lost to history had it not been for the determination of the descendants of those Minorcan pioneers. Through their concerted efforts, they persuaded the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America to purchase Casa Avero in 1966. Two hundred and thirty years after it's original construction, the house at 41 St. George Street was completely rebuilt and now holds the shrine of Saint Photios.
The shrine room itself is barely larger than the average living room, but it breathes the air of a full-size basilica. Softly lit murals and frescos make the space seem larger than it is, yet it has an intimacy that entreats you to linger and meditate. While it is not a reconstruction or even a replica of any particular structure, it still gives the sense of the soul of Greek Orthodoxy and the Minorcan people.
The story of the Minorcans in St. Augustine goes far beyond Greek place names and datil peppers. Look closer and you see a long history of public service and hospitality. They transformed a struggling colonial outpost into a comfortable urban trade center decades before Flagler ever set foot in the city.
The story of the Minorcans in St. Augustine goes far beyond Greek place names and datil peppers. Look closer and you see a long history of public service and hospitality. They transformed a struggling colonial outpost into a comfortable urban trade center decades before Flagler ever set foot in the city.
Comments