A new online project presents 2.2 million digital records from the spiritual and cultural treasures of Mt. Athos. The site Athos Digital Heritage presents an estimated 200,000 documents (556,795 digital records), 3,300 manuscripts (908,336 digital records), and 1,512 incunabula—early printed books (450,473 digital records). The collection also includes high quality photos of embroideries, portable icons, metalwork art, architectural designs, sculptures, coins, ceramics, folklore items, postage stamps, and photo collections from the treasures of the Holy Mountain.

The site explains that: "The Holy Community of Mount Athos, with commitment and respect to the millenary spiritual and cultural tradition of the Athonite Fathers, has decided to undertake new forms of action with the view to preserve and disseminate its cultural heritage. The main purpose of this effort is to exploit modern information and communication technologies by digitalizing, documenting and disseminating its cultural heritage."

A spokesman for the Sacred Community of Mt. Athos, Hieromonk Ieronymos of Simenopetra Monastery, described the completion of the project as “a milestone for Orthodox Christian culture as its thousands of visuals are now accessible online to the general public, highlighting its cultural heritage, and to young people who want to approach the Orthodox Christian Tradition with modern technology.”

Work on the project involved 12 of the 20 ruling monasteries: Vatopedi, Pantocrator, Karakallou, Stavronikita, St. Paul’s, Simenopetra, Dionysiou, Xeropotamou, Grigoriou, Xenophontos, Dochariou, and Zographou. The site is currently available in English, Greek, Russian, Serbian, and Bulgarian. (Quelle: www.orthochristian.com, 27. Februar 2020)