Archaeological Site
In historical times the worship of Apollo succeeded
that of Phoebe and Earth-Themis at the Delphic
sanctuary which became famous for its oracle, one of
the oldest in Greece. As in the case of Olympia,
games used to be held in Delphi, likewise in honour
of the deity and they were known as the Pythian
Games but they were not confined to field events,
since they included contests among poets, musicians.
philosophers, etc. The temple of Apollo dominated in
the center of the sanctuary's enclosure. The Sacred
Way led up to the temple. It was lined by elegant
buildings such as Treasuries, Arcades (“Stoas”), the
Stoa of the Athenians being one of these.
Administrative buildings included the seat of the
Delphic Senate (Vouleutirion), the Prytaneion and
the Club of the Knidians and, of course, hundreds of
votive offerings. Masterpieces of sculpture were to
be seen among the decorations of the Treasuries of
the Sikyonians, the Sifnians and the Athenians. To
the north stand the remains the theater and below
the road are the ruins of the Gymnasium and the
temples of Athena Pronoia (also known as “Marmaria”)
with the famous 4th century B.C. Tholos (Argade).
Museum
The more interesting of the architectural pieces
exhibited come from the metopes of the Treasuries of
the Sikyonians and of the Athenians and from the
frieze and the carvings the Treasury of the Sifnians.
All date from the 6th century B.C. The frieze on the
Treasury of the Sifnians depicts the Judgment of
Paris, the seizure of the Leukippides by the
Dioskouri, the Assembly of the Olympian gods
watching a battle in the Trojan War and a battle
with giants. The pediment shows Apollo and Hercules
struggling for possession of the Delphi Tripod. Some
of the best sculptural works are those the twin
Kouri, Kleovis and Viton (6th century B.C.), the
bronze statue of the Charioteer exvoto of Polyzalos,
King of Gela (5th century B.C.), the statue of
Aghias (4th century B.C.), from the votive offering
of Daochos, Antinoos (2nd century B.C.), etc. The
Naxians presented a Sphinx as a votive offering (6th
century B.C.). The Column of Dancing Girls is
another votive offering and so is the Omphalos
(Navel of the World) which is a copy made either in
the Hellenistic the Roman period. Gilt, ivory and
golden votive offerings from the archaeological site
of Delphi and a silver bull in natural size, have
also been recently exhibited in a separate room.
This is an 11th century A.D. Byzantine monastery
dedicated to Saint Loukas Steiriotis from the Greek
mainland. It has churches adjoining it which are
completely unlike in every respect. The smaller and
older church is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and has
slender proportions with its dome supported on four
pillars. The interior contains the remains a few
original frescoes. The larger church of Ossios
Loukas, which is the monastery chapel, represents
the fuller form of the so-called octagonal style
which made its appearance in Greece at that time.
This style of architecture implies a cruciform
church with dome resting upon eight arches which in
turn, rest upon walls and pillars which transfer the
load to the outer walls. The dome thus becomes very
large and covers the entire center portion of the
church. The original dome fell in during an
earthquake in 1593, but was rebuilt.
The church consists of a narthex, the main church
and the altar. The outer narthex was added in the
16th century A.D. The exterior of the church carries
much skilled masonry triple aperture windows, while
inside, some excellent mosaics have been preserved.
In the apse there are representations of the Virgin
and Child on her Throne. The lower dome of the altar
shows the Pentecost in circular form while the
spherical triangles of the dome show the
Annunciation, the Nativity, the Presentation and
Baptism in the narthex, is the Washing of Christ's
Feet, the Crucifixion, the Resurrection and the
scene with Saint Thomas stretching forth his hand.
At the northern end of the cross formed by church,
is a crypt dedicated to Saint Barbara inside which
is the tomb of Ossios Loukas.
The Museums of Thermo (near Agrinio), Thebes,
Chaironia (Heronia), Halkis, Eretria, Kaveiriou
Archaeological Site (close to Thebes) and the
Treasury of Minyas Orhomenos.
In Thessaly there are the Larissa, Volos, and
Almiros Museums to be seen, the Acropolis of Sesklo
and the Archaeological Site of Vassilika at Anhialos
and the monastic complex of Meteora.
In Epirus it is well worth the while to visit the
Ioannina Archaeological and Municipal Museum, the
Dodoni Archaeological Site, the Museum and
Archaeological Site at Nikopolis near Preveza, the
Acheron River Necromanteion (Oracle where the
spirits of the dead were called upon) and the
Kassopi Archaeological Site.
At Mouzakaioi (Mouzakei), 12 km out of Ioannina,
there is a wax effigies museum. The exhibits cover
historical, religious and folkloric subjects of the
period 1611-1822. |
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