The promotion, through the use of digital technologies, such as virtual reality (VR) and three-dimensional visualization (3D), of thirty-two (32) of the most important religious monuments of Greece was the aim of the project “Digital tour of monuments of the religious cultural heritage of the historical centre of the city of Athens”.

The project and its results were presented during a special event held on 12 December 2024 at the Ceremonial Hall of the National & Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), with the participation of all the implementing bodies.

The project, which was funded by the Operational Program “Digital Transformation” 2021-2027 of the NSRF 2021-2027, was carried out by the Archdiocese of Athens. The implementation was undertaken by ADAPTIT, one of the most important systems integrators in Greece with extensive experience in digital projects, in collaboration with the University of Athens, which had the scientific supervision, and COMIC (Content Management In Culture).

“This project of a digital tour of 32 historic holy churches of the Holy Archdiocese of Athens is not a simple mental journey. It is a call to all of us. It invites us to return to our roots where the hearts of Christians have been beating for centuries, to experience spiritually, through digital images, the history of the capital of Athens and its religious life. It is a “reverent pilgrimage”, addressed to all ages and to those who are unable to visit and to young children who are so familiar with modern digital technology. We cannot invite the world to join us without speaking the language of today and one of the modern ways of communication is the digital image, which, properly and moderately used, becomes an efficient means of transmitting the message of our Church,” His Beatitude Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, Hieronymos II, noted in his message to the guests at the event.

The aim of the project is to provide the opportunity for a digital tour of 32 important religious monuments of great cultural and tourist interest in the historic center of the city of Athens, using new digital technologies, making use of the existing Religious Tourism Destinations platform.

Among the monuments where the digital tour is available are some of the most important and well-known religious monuments, such as:

– I. Saint Catherine’s Nunnery (Plaka)
– I. N. of Agia Irini (Aeolou Street, Placa).
– I. N. Aghia Marina Thiseion
– I. N. Agios Georgios Karitsis

– I. N. St. Demetrios Loubardiaris
– I. N. of Agion Anargyron (Psirri)
– I. N. Asomaton Petraki (Catholic)
– I. N. Panagia Chrysokastriotis, Acropolis
– I.N. Dionysiou Areopagitou
– I.N. Zoodochos Pigis (Akademias Street)
– I.N. of the Annunciation of Theotokos, Cathedral

“This is a project of great significance, as it highlights the country’s important religious heritage in a new and different way. Through technologies such as VR and 3D imaging, we can now offer a different experience, even to people located anywhere in the world,” said Athanasios Tzafferis, CEO of ADAPTIT.

The project created for the selected 32 monuments  provides:

– Three-dimensional models through laser scanning and photogrammetry techniques, both for the exterior and the interior of the monuments.

– Digital guided tours for the physical visitors, through their mobile device.

– Web virtual reality tours (web VR & VR headset) via computer and virtual reality goggles.

– Extended (5-7 minutes) and short (1-2 minutes) narrative videos of the monuments in five languages (Greek, English, French, German and Russian).

For the implementation of the above, the Vice Rector of Administrative Affairs, Student Affairs and Lifelong Learning, Mr. Christos Karagiannis, carried out thorough historical research, scientific documentation and tour descriptions, translated into five languages (Greek, English, French, German and Russian) with accessible language that is addressed to people of all ages and educational levels.

“In this project we tried through the virtual tour to convey to the digital visitor the information, the knowledge about 32 historic holy churches of the Holy Archdiocese of Athens. The historical research on the 32 holy temples brought to light unknown aspects of them and at the same time highlighted the role they played in the Christian and social life of Athens, as they were associated with historical moments of the capital. Bearing in mind that this work is a legacy for the local Church and future generations, we tried to use scientific information and reason to reach people of all ages and education. This delicate balance makes, in our view, this project accessible to all and at the same time an innovative invitation for a digital tour experience in the sacred spaces of the Holy Archdiocese of Athens” said the Vice Rector of Administrative Affairs for Student Affairs & Lifelong Learning of the National Kapodistrian University of Athens, Professor Christos Karagiannis.

The project utilized leading technologies from the world’s largest manufacturers, such as NVIDIA, which it is worth noting made a special mention in its highly popular blog.

All of the videos created have been uploaded and are also available on the official Archdiocese’s religious tourism channel on YouTube.