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Temple of Apollo (Portara)

Ναός του Απόλλωνα (Πορτάρα)
View of the temple from the south
Shown within Greece
Location	Naxos (city), Greece
Coordinates	37°06′37″N 25°22′20″E / 37.1102°N 25.3723°E / 37.1102; 25.3723
Type	Temple
Length	38 m (125 ft)
Width	16 m (52 ft)
Height	6 m (20 ft)
History
Builder	Lygdamis
Material	Naxian marble
Founded	c. 530 BC
Periods	Archaic Greek
Site notes
Condition	Ruined
Ownership	Public
Public access	Yes
Architecture
Architectural styles	Ionic

The Temple of Apollo, or Portara (Greek: Πορτάρα, meaning 'large door'), was an ancient Greek temple in Naxos, dedicated to the god Apollo. The temple was constructed in the 6th century BC by the tyrant Lygdamis.

It is located on the islet Palatia at the northern end of Naxos' harbor. This islet is commonly thought to correspond to the place where, in Greek Mythology, Theseus abandoned Ariadne, who was then abducted by Dionysus and his entourage. The islet is connected to the town of Naxos by a causeway built in 1919.

History

Prehistory & Early history

During prehistory, the islet was connected by a narrow isthmus to the rest of the island and is believed to have been fortified. A sanctuary dedicated to Apollo is thought to have existed there since at least the 8th century BC. During the 7th century BC, the islet was captured and used as a base for assaults against Naxos by Miletus and Erythrae.

Construction of the Temple

Construction of the temple was started around 530 BC by the tyrant Lygdamis, whose building program included several public buildings and infrastructure projects on the island. The temple was of ionic order, 38 meters long and 16 meters wide, with an entrance on the west side. It is oriented towards the (then) sacred island of Delos. Construction work stopped at the latest around 524 BC, when Lygdamis was removed from power by the Peloponnesian League, a military alliance led by Sparta, and the temple remained unfinished.

The main surviving feature of the temple is its large marble door frame. It consists of five marble pieces (originally 4), weighing up to 20 tons each. There is a number of bosses (bumps) carved on the marble pieces, which would have been used to hold ropes in order to lift the pieces by wooden crane. These would normally be removed at the end of construction, which shows that the temple was never completed.

Later History

Much later, during the 5th century AD, a Christian Church was built on top of the ancient temple ruins. This church, which was dedicated to Saint Mary, was known as Panagia Palatiani. A cut, still visible today, was made in the Portara's threshold to make room for the door of that church. During the 9th century AD, a church dedicated to Saints Nicholas and Constantine was added. During the Venetian Period, many parts of the temple were reused for the construction of the Castle of Naxos. The massive marble pieces of the temple's gate could probably not be moved due to their large weight, resulting in them being left in place.

Today

Today, the temple is one of the main landmarks of both the town of Naxos and the entire island, and is often used as an emblem representing the island. It is visited by large numbers of tourists during the summer months, with large crowds often gathering there during the sunset. The entrance to the islet is free of charge.

Sources

• Kariotis, Panagiotis. Naxos the Eternal. Athens: Speech Processing Institute, 2004
• Kotsakis, Athanasios. Naxos during the Venetian occupation. Athens: Pelasgos, 2001
• Naxos : Archaeological sites; museums; nature; history; architecture; attractions; beaches; accommodation; maps: A complete travel guide. Minakakis, Vassilis; Sigala, Neli . Athens: Explorer, 2007
• Portara
• Portara: the monument - symbol of Naxos Archived 2015-02-28 at the Wayback Machine </link>
• Nikos Zervonikolakis: Portara
• Orinos Axotis, The churches in Portara, Naxos

References

1. ^ Anastasiou, Tasos (2024). A travelogue of Naxos. ΠΟΛΙΤΙΣΤΙΚΗ ΕΤΑΙΡΙΑ ΑΡΧΙΠΕΛΑΓΟΣ. p. 142. ISBN 9789608875982.
2. "οι εκκλησίες στη Πορτάρα της Νάξου" (in Greek). Retrieved 2024-11-30.

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• Greek temples