Heraion was a sanctuary dedicated to the goddess Hera and is located in a small bay of the Corinthian gulf at the end of the Perachora peninsula, at the western end of the Geraneia mountain range. Heraion – one of the most important and rich ensembles of the archaic era in Greece – and Lake Vouliagmeni, a blue lake like a true paradise are located 25 km from the town of Loutraki.
Lake Vouliagmeni, with a length of two kilometers and a width of one kilometer, has beautiful places for swimming. The waters are shallow and deepen smoothly, while on its banks you are welcomed by the beautiful Ypanema! Sandy beach with natural shadows direct a unique landscape able to travel even the most skeptical visitors.
Led by Sotiris Protopapas, former chief warden of the Museum and ancient site, the APE-BPE and the Video-services department made a trip to the lake and visited the miracle of the ancient aqueduct which is today a special attraction of the area.
The visitor can 25 minutes from Loutraki combine an archeological walk with the beauties of the Corinthian lagoon.
You can also enjoy:
– The tourist sides offered around the lake
– The archeological sites and Heraion, but especially the findings of great importance for the ancient aqueduct which is a miracle of construction for the time
– The only lighthouse in beauty, which is also a rare attraction.
According to studies, the lake is a geological phenomenon and existed years ago. The reason it was created is said to be due to the underground layers of the subsoil, which were very fragile and in a very big earthquake receded and the lake was created.
“In the third millennium, around 2600 BC we find the first habitation on the southwest side of Lake Vouliagmeni. Many excavations have been carried out and the findings and results that have emerged are very important. Archaeologists and scientists point out that the settlement that developed west of the current canal is one of the most important prehistoric sites in Greece “, notes Mr. Sotiris Protopapas in APE-MPE.
“It is characteristic that in a tomb at a depth of 4 meters, in the slope of the ground on a hill were found 20 burials – of course the bones were placed anarchically – and about 60 clay vessels. In fact, one was made of precious stones. “
To these findings that confirm the habitation of the area in the 3rd millennium BC, for example, a two-room cave was added, which was then used as an “ossuary of the settlement”.
The miracle of the Aqueduct
With the former chief warden of the museum, we will visit perhaps the largest attraction, in terms of scientific and historical significance of the area, although few know it: The ancient aqueduct of the sanctuary.
At the stepped entrance, Mr. Protopapas tells us that during the excavations it was confirmed that at some point “due to the influx of people in the temple of the Extreme Hera, there was not enough water in Heraion. Worship had to either stop or a solution be found in order to have enough water to offer to the then pilgrims of the area. “The Corinthian engineers built a huge, complex and labyrinthine aqueduct, perhaps the most important in the ancient world.”
At the stepped entrance we will record 160 steps that lead to the springs where the water came out. We reach a depth of 40 meters.
If one looks inside the way the Aqueduct is so perfectly built, one can well consider “that it happened 20 years ago and not in ancient times”.
How the construction was done: “Four trenches have been dug in the ground with a depth of 40 meters, 20 meters in length and two in width. These are connected by a tunnel that communicates with the stepped entrance. This tunnel ends in a well. The water reached the height of the ditches and flowed into the tunnel. In the well with a mechanism that we meet for the first time in the sanctuary of Perachora, they pumped water from 40 meters and brought it to the surface “.
The sanctuary of Hera
Perhaps unique on an excellent beach in Corinth on the other side of the lagoon will be discovered in the 7th century the sanctuary of Extreme Hera, (= at the tip of the mainland) at Cape Heraion.
The official naval name today is Melagavi and gives the name to the visitable lighthouse in the area.
The lighthouse at the northern entrance of the bay of Corinth, separates it from the Gulf of Alkyonides to the north. It leads the ships that sail in the Corinthian Sea and move towards the port and the Corinth canal. It operated in 1897 with oil as its energy source and characterized by a white flash every 10 dl. and lighting 20 nm. During World War II the lighthouse remained off.
The Temple of Hera is the first geometric temple with special architectural elements and there is a copy in the National Archaeological Museum of Athens.
Around 800 BC the first arched temple of Hera was built, of which nothing survives today. During the 6th c. e.g. a new temple of Hera was built a little further west. It was of Doric style, with a rectangular plan and dimensions of 10.30x31m. It was accompanied by an altar to the east, which was elongated and decorated with triglyphs.
“It is said that it was built by craftsmen of Argos, as at that time Argos dominated the area” says Mr. Protopapas.
We also record a small church next to the temple. “It was built on the temple and with the excavations it was transported,” notes the former guard of the museum at the APE-MPE.
We leave from there and will visit the narrow canal that connects the Corinthian with Lake Vouliagmeni.
“In the canal – as in the strait of Evripos – every 6 hours the water changes flow and when they get stronger in the direction of the Corinthian it is very difficult for the boats to enter – usually fishmongers – and they have to power their engines to enter the lake”, | notes Mr. Protopapas.
High visitation
In recent years the area has developed relatively touristy as visitors, usually in summer combine their bath with the archeological walk.
We will talk to Mrs. Anastasia Papadimitriou, a restaurant owner who has lived in the area with her family since 1981.
“We have had the tavern since ’93. I love the place, it has a positive aura. Here the mountain and the sea are combined. The water is crystal clear. “Let me tell you – it’s shallow, so many families with small children prefer it.”
However, the tourist traffic with the pandemic had been limited and only in the last few months has the traffic started to increase again.
Below we will find a beach bar with modern facilities and accommodation. And here they will talk to us about the blockade that the pandemic put on the visitors but the one-day excursions mainly never stopped.
Lake Vouliagmeni of Corinth can be reached by passing Loutraki in the direction of Perachora.
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