Temple of Apollo – Delphi

The archaeological site of Delphi includes two sanctuaries, dedicated to Apollo and Athena, and other buildings, mainly intended for sports. The Temple of Apollo is the most important building in the sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi.  This is where the statues and other offerings to the god were kept, and where the cult rituals, including that of divination, took place.  The Temple of Apollo as we see today dates from the 4th century BC.  It is an imposing temple of Doric style, however it went through numerous incarnations before settling in its current form.

This temple was destroyed in 373 B.C. by an earthquake and was rebuilt for the third time in 330 B.C. The temple’s foundations survive today along with several Doric columns made of porous stone and limestone which is fairly soft material, and have allowed for the temple’s advanced decaying. Very little is known about the temple’s interior arrangement.

The cella was divided into three naves by two colonnades of eight Ionic columns each. The divination ceremony took place in the adyton, or inner shrine, an underground chamber where only the priests interpreting Pythia’s words had access.

Helen

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