By Nicolas Bard
The Temple of Epicurean Apollo in Vasses of Figalia is one of the most important and imposing surviving temples of antiquity in Greek territory. He was devoted by the figures to the god Apollo, as he helped them overcome a plague epidemic. The church is perched at an altitude of 1,130 meters in the heart of the Peloponnese, in the lush mountains between the prefectures of Ilia, Arcadia and Messinia and is 14 kilometers south of Andritsaina, where it is administratively.
This spectacular confession of the church was erected in the second half of the 5th century BC, possibly in 420-410 BC, and attributed to Kiktino, the Parthenon architect. This monument, one of the best survivors of classical antiquity, was the first in Greece to be declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986. Unfortunately, however, this temple suffered theft and looting. Part of the temple frieze was detached in 1814 and is exhibited today at the British Museum in London, along with the Parthenon sculptures.
It is worth noting at this point to point out the correct spelling of the word “epicouri” with “I” and not with “e”, as, according to Greek mythology, the name is due to the fact that Apollo had assisted the area. That is, it does not come from Epicurus and the Epicureans (eg Pythagorean: from Pythagoras), while this script is already used by Pausanias.
The archaeological excavation revealed that the temple is founded on another pre -existing archaic temple of the god Apollo. This temple was founded by the Figalis, perhaps after 659 BC. In this temple there was a miraculous Xanos, a wooden worship statue, by Vasita Apollo. The name of God is related to the village of Vasses (Vassa and Vissa = Houni, Gorge). Dressed by some infectious figures, the figures came to pray in this miracle -worn, in order to heal. The movement did its miracle and healed them, after they left the morbidity of their area for some time and stayed in the pure, mountain air and the refreshing sun.
After this event, they decided to build a new and largest temple in the area of the old, which would be dedicated to Apollo the Epicurean, who came as auxiliary to the deadly pestilence. But there was another reason that the figures built this masterpiece … They wanted to follow the example of the other cities, which made magnificent monuments. So they called the architect who made the Parthenon, Iktino, and assigned him to make them an imposing temple in this position to place inside the miraculous Xano of Vasitita Apollo.
The temple combines in a masterful archaic, classic and traditional Arcadian elements. Thus, it offers an attractive mix of the old and the new, the rural and the sophisticated. The elongated peripheral structure is mainly made of gray limestone in the area. Still, the exterior colonnade of the hexagonal temple follows an extremely strict Doric rhythm, but inside we find an excellent quality sculpture, which is associated with a more elaborate architectural rhythm. The front part of the prune and the rearrange with two columns in Antis recast the Doric rhythm. It is, therefore, characterized as a Doric temple, a pavilion of a pavilion.
On the other hand, in the nave a series of built -in Ionic columns stand against low walls. In the southern part, where the sanctuary is located, the last two Ionian columns of the nave stand at the far end of oblique walls, and among them is a Corinthian column, alone in the center of the temple. The capitulation of this column is “the oldest surviving sample and is considered a model for all” Corinthian “monuments of Greek, Roman and later cultures”.
In 1975 the Maintenance Committee of the Apollo Temple was created with the task of planning and drawing up maintenance and restoration studies. A few years later, in 1982, the Commission was rebuilt and the Ministry of Culture undertook the restoration of the monument. The loose ground where it is built, the cold climatic conditions prevailing in the area and the limestone material from which it is made, imposed the permanent coverage of the temple with a shelter since 1987. According to the ministry’s planning, the roof, the anti -seismic seismic, and the anti -seismic seismic seizures.
Source :Skai
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