Athina in Kentrikos Tomeas Athinon, Attica, Greece — Ελλάδα (Southeastern Europe, Balkan Peninsula)

Temple of Hephaistos

ΝΑΟΣ ΤΟΥ ΗΦΑΙΣΤΟΥ

— (ca. 460-415 BC)/(περ 460-415 π.Χ.) —

Temple of Hephaistos Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 19, 2018

1. Temple of Hephaistos Marker

Captions: (top left) Reconstruction drawings of the Ancient Agora; (top center) Restored plan of the Temple of Hephaistos; (top right) Plan of the Ancient Agora, 2nd c. AD; (lower right) Reconstruction drawing of the interior of the Hephaisteion.
Greek text is on the left.

Inscription. A Doric peripteral temple, with pronaos (fore-temple), cella (inner shrine), and opisthonaos (rear wing), the best preserved of its type in the Greek world. The facade of the pronaos and opisthonaos, to the east and west, are distyle, and the inner shrine has an interior colonnade. It occupies the crest of the Kolonos Agoraios Hill and was designed by an unknown architect probably in honor of Hephaistos, patron of metal-workers, and Athena Ergane, patroness of potters and crafts in general. It is built mostly of Pentelic marble, with its decorative sculpture in Parian. The east side, which faces the Agora, received special attention: it has ten metopes showing the Labors of Herakles, and the four easternmost metopes of the longer north and south sides show the Labors of Theseus. From these last the temple and its surroundings took the name «Theseion» in recent years. The frieze above the pronaos shows a scene from the Battle of Theseus and the Pallantids, with gods present, and that of the opisthonaos shows the Battle of the Lapiths and the Centaurs. Fragments of sculpture from the pediments are on display in the Museum

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of the Stoa of Attalos. The east pediment seems to have shown the Deification of Herakles, his entry onto Mount Olympos, and the west a scene from the Battle of the Lapiths and the Centaurs. The two bronze cult statures of the cella are believed to be the work of Alkamenes (prob. 421-415 BC), In the 3rd century BC a garden with small trees and shrubs was planted around the temple.
The Temple was converted into the church of St. George probably in the 7th century. In the early 19th century the church was used as a burial place for Protestants and for many European Philhellenes who died in the Greek War of Independence in 1821. The building remained in use through 1834, when it was the site of the official welcome of King Otto, the first king of the modern Greek state. Since then until the 1930's it was used as a museum.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Notable Buildings • Religion & Religious Structures.

Location. 37° 58.531′ N, 23° 43.297′ E. Marker is in Athina, Attica, in Kentrikos Tomeas Athinon. It is on Adrianou close to Agiou Filippou. Touch for map.

Temple of Hephaistos and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 19, 2018

2. Temple of Hephaistos and Marker

Marker is in this post office area: Athina, Attica 105 55, Greece. Touch for directions.

Regionally, it is in Europe,

the European Union,

the Balkans,

the Schengen Area,

a coastal Mediterranean country,

and the Western World.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Byzantine Empire,

the Ottoman Empire,

and specifically the Roman Empire.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Temple of Apollo Patroos, Temple of Zeus Pharatrios and Athena Phratria, Benches or "Synedrion" (within shouting distance of this marker); Odeion of Agrippa and Gymnasium or "Palace of the Giants" (about 120 meters away, measured in a direct line); Water Clock (about 120 meters away); Stoa of Attalos (159-138 B.C.) (about 210 meters away); The East Side of the Ancient Agora and the Stoa of Attalos (about 210 meters away); Church of the Holy Apostles (ca. A.D. 1000) (approx. 0.2 kilometers away); The Library of Pantainos (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); Areopagus Hill (approx. 0.4 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Athina.

More about this marker. The Temple

The <i>pronaos</i> image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 19, 2018

3. The pronaos

of Hephaistos is located in the Ancient Agora site. The street intersection above is near the entrance to the park.

The <i>opisthonaos</i> image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 19, 2018

4. The opisthonaos

Temple of Hephaistos image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 19, 2018

5. Temple of Hephaistos

Local resident image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 19, 2018

6. Local resident

Credits. This page was last revised on March 21, 2022. It was originally submitted on November 8, 2018, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 330 times since then and 25 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on November 8, 2018, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.