The site started in May 2003. Its main focus was on Greek Orthodoxy.
Orthodox Musical Texts, Religious Texts, and Information
There were many points of interest for those seeking more history and information on the Orthodox religious practice. These points of interest included:
- Byzantine Music
- Glossaries
- Religious Texts
- Bible
- Orthodox Books
- Mount Athos information
- Greek Orthodox photography
- Father Paisos information
- Sophronios
- HM. Michael
They also provided advertisements for different Orthodox websites including Byz Icons and online radio stations for ecclesiastical purposes.
The History of Byzantine Music section hosted a file available for download in a zip file containing instructions on using Byzantine Music Fonts.
Georgios Papadopoulos wrote the “Historical review of Byzantine ecclesiastical music from the Apostolic times to the early years (1-1900 AD).” It was published by Tertios Publications in Katerini and was republished on this Greek religious site. Georgios Papadopoulos is a Great Protector of Christ in the Great Church and director of his own Music School in Constantinople, Music Association.
The texts of Byzantine music included on the site: Trisagion - Those in Christ - Force; Doxastika; Stichera; Matins.
Rel.gr also provided theological glossaries and dictionaries of Orthodox terminology in both Greek and English.
They also provided texts, articles, and studies written by Fathers, modern theologians, and other writers. Some writers and their works included:
- Fr. Nicholas Louis - “The true meaning of a theological civil war”
- Grigoriou Palama - “Projects (multitone)”
- Foti Kontoglou - “Art of Iconography”
- Hieromonk Paisios Athonite - “The scandals of our Church from a spiritual point of view”
Both the New and Old Testaments were available for download in Greek as long as you had the Athena font downloaded also.
Overviews and insights into certain Greek Orthodox books included: “Living Father of the Mount Athos” by Isaac the Hieromonk; “Reference to the Theology of Gerontos Sporniou” by Archimandrite Zacharia (Zaharou); “Experience Psychology and Orthodoxy Psychotheraphy - The Life after the Death of the Jewish Church” by Metropolitan of Nafpaktos and Agios Vlasios Mr. Ierotheos.
Under the Mount Athos page, Rel.gr provided an interactive map of Mount Athos and its 20 monasteries. For more information on Mount Athos, site visitors could read “The Aryristian Monasticism in the Beginnings of the Second Millennium,” “The Old Calendarism and the Holy Monastery of Esphigmenou,” and “The prayer of St. Athos yesterday and today” provided on the website.
Orthodox Monasteries of Mt. Athos
The list of monasteries on Mt. Athos are:
- Zographou
- Kastamonitou
- Docheiariou
- Xenofontos
- Panteleimonos
- Xeropotamou
- Simonon Petras
- Gregoriou
- Dionysiou
- Aghios Pavlou
- Megistillaura
- Karakalou
- Filotheou
- Iveron
- Koutloumousiou
- Stavronikita
- Pantocrator
- Vatopediou
- Esphigmenou
- Chelandariou
- Karyes (starred)
The photos section included pictures of hagiographies of Jesus Christ, Theotokos, Angels, as well as photographs of saints, Anthonite elders, and elders such as Paisios, Sophronios/Sofronios, Porphyrios/Porfyrios, and icons of saints as well.
The website was designed internally by Orthodoxy. Visitors to the site could also find links for more information on Greek Orthodoxy as well as specific information on a few notable Orthodox saints. An internal Google search was available. The site had hundreds of thousands of visitors.
The site ran until the end of 2017.
