This ministry was established in 1971 as the Ministry of Culture and Science (Ὑπουργεῖον Πολιτισμοῦ καὶ Ἐπιστημῶν) and it was renamed the Ministry of Culture (Υπουργείο Πολιτισμού) on 26 July 1985. On 7 October 2009, it was merged with the Ministry of Touristic Development to form the Ministry of Culture and Tourism (Υπουργείο Πολιτισμού και Τουρισμού). It ceased to exist on 21 June 2012, when the Ministry of Tourism was re-established and the culture portfolio was absorbed by the Ministry of Education, Lifelong Learning and Religious Affairs to form the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs, Culture and Sport.