Editing Maria Paap

{{Infobox person
| name = Maria Paap
| birth_date = 14 November 1784
| birth_place = [[Dutch Republic]]
| death_date = 6 March 1892
| death_place = [[Haarlem]], [[Netherlands]]
| occupation = Religious teacher
| years_active = 1808–1864
| era = {{hlist|[[Stamvader Era]]|[[Pre-Vader Era]]}}
| father = [[Martinos Nikolopoulos]]
| mother = [[Eleni Anagnostopoulou]]
| family = [[Paap family]]
}}

'''Maria Paap''' (14 November 1784 – 6 March 1892) was a Dutch Greek Orthodox religious teacher from the [[Paap family]]. She moved to [[Amsterdam]] in 1808 and taught Bible study through a Greek Orthodox parish for more than five decades. She later became a senior teacher and remained in the position until her retirement in 1864.

== Early life ==

Maria was born in the [[Dutch Republic]] on 14 November 1784 to [[Martinos Nikolopoulos]] and [[Eleni Anagnostopoulou]]. She was raised in their Greek Orthodox household.<ref name="early-history"/>

Her aunt, [[Eleni Nikolopoulou]], regularly received Maria at her home in Rotterdam. Eleni taught her memorized Greek Orthodox prayers and told her about the Nikolopoulos household's life in the [[Peloponnese]] and its escape in 1770. Maria did not learn conversational Greek or how to read Greek script through these lessons.<ref name="eleni"/>

Maria later inherited the Greek prayer book that had belonged to her grandmother, [[Despina Papadopoulou]], after Eleni Nikolopoulou's death.<ref name="eleni"/>

== Religious teaching ==

In 1808, aged 23, Maria moved to [[Amsterdam]] to teach through a Greek Orthodox parish. Her classes concentrated on Bible study and were attended by children and adolescents.

Maria occasionally used Despina's prayer book during special lessons. The book otherwise remained a family possession in her care.

She continued teaching after her marriage to a Greek Orthodox physician living in Amsterdam. During her long service at the parish, Maria became a senior teacher. She retired in 1864 at the age of 79 after 56 years of teaching.

== Later life and death ==

Maria remained in Amsterdam after her retirement. Her husband died during the 1870s, leaving her widowed.

In 1880, Maria moved to [[Haarlem]], where she lived independently for the remainder of her life. She died there from pneumonia on 6 March 1892 at the age of 107.

== See also ==
* [[Paap family]]
* [[Paap family members]]
* [[Early history of the Paap family]]
* [[Eleni Nikolopoulou]]
* [[Despina Papadopoulou]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name="early-history">"[[Early history of the Paap family#Establishment of the Paap family|Establishment of the Paap family]]". ''Early history of the Paap family''. ''Vrienden Universe Wiki''.</ref>
<ref name="eleni">''[[Eleni Nikolopoulou]]''. ''Vrienden Universe Wiki''.</ref>
}}

[[Category:People]]
[[Category:Paap family]]
[[Category:1784 births]]
[[Category:1892 deaths]]
[[Category:Stamvader Era]]
[[Category:Pre-Vader Era]]