Orthodox Relics of the Archdiocese of Athens in Virtual Reality


SOURCE: ORTHODOXTIMES.COM
OCT 04, 2024

Oct 04, 2024 | 15:56

in Carousel Front Page, Church of Greece

In the presence of Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece, the event marking the completion of the MIS 6003375 co-funded project “Digitization of Sacred Relics of Parish Churches”, organized by the Institute for Pastoral Education of the Holy Archdiocese of Athens, took place on Thursday, October 3rd, at the Foundation of the Hellenic World, with great success and a large turnout.

The aim of the project was the digital recording of the precious ecclesiastical relics of the Holy Archdiocese of Athens and the Holy Monastery of Hosios Loukas, which constitute an important part of the cultural and spiritual heritage of our country.

The event was attended by Metropolitans George of Guinea, representative of the Patriarch of Alexandria in Athens, Efstathios of Monemvasia and Sparta, Panteleimon of Xanthi, Ignatios of Demetrias and Almyros, Ephraim of Hydra, Spetses and Aegina, Dorotheos of Syros, Chrysostomos of Chalkida, Barnabas of Neapolis and Stavroupolis, George of Thebes, Levadia and Avlida, Theophilos of Lefkada and Ithaca, Athanasios of Ilia, Kallinikos of Arta, Athenagoras of Ilion, Acharnes and Petroupolis, Gabriel of New Ionia and Philadelphia, David of Grevena, Justinos of Nea Krini and Kalamaria, Dimitrios of Kefalonia, Stephanos of Philippi, Neapolis and Thasos, Irenaeus of Florina, Prespa and Eordaia, and Bishops Paul of Thespiae and Apostolos of Tanagra.

Also present were Archimandrite Ioannis Karamouzis, Secretary of the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece; Archimandrite Varnavas Theocharis, Protosyncellus of the Holy Archdiocese of Athens; Archimandrite Nikodimos Farmakis, Director of the Administration of Economic and Church Property; the Vicar General, Archimandrite Eugenios Pantzaridis, Father Thomas Synodinos, President of the Special Synodal Committee for the Ecclesiastical Arts, the Abbot of the Holy Monastery of Hosios Loukas, Father Seraphim, together with the monastery’s fraternity, members of the Board of Directors of the Pastoral Training Foundation, as well as directors, vicars and priests of the Holy Archdiocese of Athens.

The event was also attended by the Minister of Digital Governance, Mr. Dimitris Papastergiou, the Deputy Minister of National Economy and Finance, Mr. Nikolaos Papathanasis, the Deputy Minister of Development, Mrs. Zoe Rapti, the General Secretary of the Public Investment Program and the National Development Program, Mrs. Katerina Oikonomou, the General Secretary of Information Systems and Digital Governance, Mr. Dimosthenis Anagnostopoulos, the Head of the Managing Authority of the Operational Program of Digital Transformation, Mr. Giampouras, and the Project Manager, Mrs. Vasopoulou.

The Rectors of Western Attica University, Mr. Panagiotis Kaldis, and Harokopio University, Mr. George Dedousis also attended the event. Representing the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) were Professors Mrs. Eirini Christinaki, Mrs. Kirki Kefalea, Mr. Athanasios Glaros, Mr. Ioannis Panagiotopoulos, and Mrs. Ioanna Komninou, as well as Mr. Panagiotis Douros from the University of Western Attica.

Representatives of regional and local governments were also present, including the Deputy Governor of Central Greece, Mr. Ntasciotis, the Mayor of Filothei-Psychiko, Mr. Bonatsos, the Mayor of Levadia, Mr. Karamanis, and the Representative of the Attica Region, Mr. Selimis, who expressed their support and participation in this initiative.

Mrs. Sofia Kounenaki Efraimoglou, Executive Vice President of the Foundation of the Hellenic World, welcomed the participants to Tholos and expressed her great pleasure, stating that the project is one of the most important interactive productions of the Foundation.

The event began with the Director of the Foundation, Archimandrite Theologos Alexandrakis, who first thanked all the distinguished guests for their presence and essential contribution, emphasizing the cooperation with the Greek State, the Ministers and Secretaries present, the European Union, the Managing Authority and the project contractors.

He also thanked the Minister of Health, Mr. Adonis Georgiadis, the Minister of Education, Mr. Kyriakos Pierrakakis, and the Minister of Labor and Social Insurance, Mrs. Niki Kerameus, for their invaluable support from their previous governmental positions during the planning phase of the project. He then presented a detailed overview of the project, while videos from the contractors were shown, explaining the processes and technical details of the digitization.

The presentation included information on the cataloging and management of the relics repository, emphasizing the importance of digital preservation for the future of the pastoral heritage.

The participants then had the opportunity to watch a 3D movie about the life of Hosios Loukas, which evoked strong emotions and provoked reflection on the spirituality and devotion of the saint.

The Minister of Digital Government, Mr. Dimitris Papastergiou, who played a key role in the implementation of the project, noted that “the digitization of ecclesiastical relics is not only a technological achievement but also a bridge for these relics to travel around the world”. He also emphasized that the work of the Pastoral Training Foundation demonstrates the Church’s outreach and the proper use of technology with a focus on humanity.

Afterwards, Mrs. Rapti noted that “the completion of this project is a significant innovation for the preservation of the ecclesiastical heritage and a clear demonstration of the alignment between society, the State and the Church”, while Mrs. Katerina Oikonomou, Secretary General of the Public Investment Program and the National Development Program, conveyed the congratulations of Minister Papathanasis, stressing that this is a targeted action for the preservation of the cultural heritage, fully in line with the new priorities of the Operational Program.

The Deputy Governor of Central Greece, Mr. Ntasciotis, pointed out the importance of the digitization of the Holy Monastery of Hosios Loukas, through which the Blessed Primate of Boeotia left an indelible mark for the world to discover this religious landmark of Central Greece.

The Rector of the University of Western Attica, Mr. Kaldis, and the Rector of the University of Harokopio, Mr. Dedousis, also addressed the audience, emphasizing that the excellent collaboration with the Pastoral Training Foundation will continue with new innovative research initiatives.

The event concluded with a speech by Archbishop Ieronymos. In particular, he thanked Father Theologos and those involved in the project for their excellent work. He expressed the hope that similar initiatives will continue to promote the spiritual and cultural heritage of the Church.

Translated by Ioanna Georgakopoulou