Mount Athos at Princeton: Balancing Archival Access and Living Legacy

How can institutions broaden access to cultural heritage while honoring the traditions that continue to give it meaning?

That question was at the heart of the symposium “Athonite Collections and Their Challenges: Scholarly Access and Digital Surrogates,” which brought together an international network of scholars to explore the challenges of preserving, digitizing and sharing the rich cultural heritage of Mount Athos while respecting its ongoing spiritual life. 

Co-organized by Julia Gearhart, director of visual resources, and Maria Alessia Rossi, an art history specialist at the Index of Medieval Art, the symposium took place in Princeton on September 25 - 26, 2026, with the generous support of the Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies (PIIRS), the Seeger Center for Hellenic Studies, the Department of Religion, the Department of Art and Archaeology, and the Center for Digital Humanities.

“We could not be happier with how the speakers engaged with the questions and challenges we raised.” said Rossi. “It was a greatly productive gathering, offering many ideas and new research paths. Now the question is only what shape they will take and we look forward to the next phase of this project.”