The Temple of Poseidon (Ναός Ποσειδώνος) in Sounion has always held a special place in the hearts of visitors. Built during the Golden Age of Athens, at the same time as the Parthenon, the temple was not just a place of worship for the sea god Poseidon (whose 6m high bronze statue stood at its center), but which also — because of its location in the extreme southeast of Attica, well above sea level - indicated to sailors returning to Piraeus that they were very close to home.
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| Temple of Poseidon Sounion |
Temple of Poseidon - the ruins of an ancient Greek temple located at Cape Sounion, 69 kilometers southeast of Athens. It is considered one of the visiting cards of Greece. The Temple of Poseidon was destroyed in 399 by Emperor Arcadius. Unfortunately, to this day, only a part of the columns have survived from the sanctuary.
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| Temple of Poseidon Sounion |
The image of Cape Sounion, with the profile of the Temple of Poseidon silhouetted against the cliff above the sea against the setting sun, makes up one of the most evocative pictures of the Greek landscape. The magnificent Doric columns support the structure of the temple that for centuries has served as a guide and reference to navigators on this side of the Aegean.
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| Temple of Poseidon Sounion |
Temple of Poseidon - The reduced number of grooves that tear the marble of which they are composed reduces the effect of the elements on the cortex, mitigating the erosive action, in another exercise of intelligence of the architects of the time. However, it has not managed to avoid being lacerated by the effect of the signatures that were marked on the pillars, of which it stands outthe engraving with the seal made by Lord Byron in 1810. Of the 34 original columns, only 15 remain standing, an undaunted vestige of a sanctuary whose original construction, dating from 444 BC, is erected on the site of previous ruins.