The inauguration of the restoration and promotion project of the Roman Stadium of Patras was held tonight by the Minister of Culture, Lina Mendoni, during a ceremony held in the surrounding area of ​​the archaeological monument.

The construction of the Roman Stadium in the last quarter of the 1st century AD, according to the Ministry of Culture, is related to the celebration of the centenary of Patras as a Roman colony in 86 AD. and is attributed to the offering of the emperor Domitian.

As Lina Mendoni pointed out during her speech, “this particular monument, which we see restored and re-displayed in a small part of it, is perhaps the largest monument of that period in the Greek area”, adding that “it is a unique monument in its size and this is precisely what presupposes the importance that Patras had during the Roman period”.

Referring to the efforts to raise the monument, Lina Mendoni said that “the monument was demolished, buildings were built on top of it, but since the 70s the Ministry of Culture has been trying to expropriate them and many have already been expropriated”.

But, as he added, “there are other expropriations left, which must be done, in order for the largest possible part of the specific monument to be highlighted and attributed to the city”.

In fact, as he characteristically mentioned at this point, “the Ephorate of Antiquities has already agreed with the Municipality on the demolition of four properties and we will seek to proceed with the expropriation of the other necessary buildings, in order to recover the Roman Stadium for the city”.

Also, Lina Mendoni noted that “we are in the urban fabric of Patras and obviously the concern of the Ministry of Culture, but also of the Region of Western Greece is to highlight as much as possible the largest part of our cultural stock”.

At the same time, he spoke about “the importance of cultural heritage, in social cohesion, in education and training, but also in the development of any region and in this case Patras”.

Referring to the neighboring Roman Conservatory and the works being done on this particular monument, she said that “we should think about how these two monuments will be unified, so that they can be visited together”.

Furthermore, Lina Mendoni made a special reference to the municipal theater, “Apollon”, saying that “the restoration of the theater is a big project, which has been included in the programming period 2014-2020”, adding that “the studies are progressing with the right pace and the project immediately moves to the next programming period in order to be implemented.”

Therefore, he continued, “within the urban fabric of Patras we have three very important projects, which when completed will completely change the cultural and touristic map of the city.”

Regarding the Roman Stadium, it is, according to the Ministry of Culture, an emblematic monument that was located in the center of Roman Patras. Its impressive ruins are visible today on Hephaistou Street, in the heart of the historic center of the modern city. Artistic and athletic competitions, the ‘Caesareas’, as well as gladiatorial competitions took place in the Stadium.

The project, with a budget of 335,000.00 euros, was implemented in the period 2020-2023 under the supervision of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Achaia, within the framework of the cross-border cooperation program “INTERREG Greece ¬- Italy V¬-A 2014¬-2020”.

In addition to the initial study of fixing and restoring the monumental remains, during the implementation of the project four additional studies were prepared, necessary for the complete restoration and completion of the promotion of the Stadium and its surrounding area. During the project, fixing and restoration, geotechnical and rainwater management works, improving accessibility for all and highlighting were carried out.