The late Georgios A. Rigas Oikonomos is counted among the last bearers of the tradition of the Kollyvades, as it gradually developed on the islands of the Sporades from the 18th century onwards. Ecclesiastical education, liturgical life, musical training, folkloric care, literary skill, pedagogical and pastoral activity, constitute the personality of one of the most important scholars of modern Hellenism, largely unknown in contemporary Greek reality.

The bibliography to date has not offered a systematic work that covers the entirety of his life and work, especially his contribution to ecclesiastical music. This research gap served as the impetus for the present monograph. The main concern is the indexing and recording of all those elements that form a complete and well-documented picture of his biography and bibliography.

Engaging with Georgios A. Rigas simultaneously requires a systematic approach and investigation of the individual factors that shaped his life and activity: the cultural and broader ecclesiastical scene of Skiathos at the end of the 19th and the middle of the 20th century, his relationship with Papadiamantis and Moraitidis, his educational background, his musical education, as well as the sources of his literary production.

This edition presents for the first time previously unknown works of his, along with rare recordings of the Kollyvades musical tradition, complemented by valuable and unpublished photographic material. This monograph highlights not only the work of Georgios A. Rigas but also the legacy he leaves to today's scholars, encouraging new research initiatives.