Temple of Hephaestus

Interesting facts

In the third century BC a small garden of pomegranate, myrtle and laurel trees and shrubs was planted around the temple.

Records show payments from 421 to 415 BC for two bronze cult statues of Athena and Hephaestus that once stood inside.

The temple was built mainly of marble from nearby Mount Penteli, with sculpture in both Pentelic and Parian marble.

In the nineteenth century the building served as a burial place for non-Orthodox Europeans, including Philhellenes who died for Greek independence.

Lord Byron composed the Latin epitaph for George Watson, one of the Europeans buried in the temple.

Its builders adjusted the slope of the platform by a few centimetres to allow for subsidence in the limestone bedrock beneath.

Why it is worth it

On a low rise above the ancient Agora of Athens stands the most complete Greek temple still on its feet: a Doric colonnade with its roof line intact, looking across the old marketplace towards the Acropolis. The Temple of Hephaestus, sometimes called the Hephaisteion, was begun in 449 BC, shortly before the Parthenon, and finished around 415 BC. Its architect's name is lost; scholars simply call him the Hephaisteion Master.

The building is a classic peripteral temple, ringed by six columns on the short ends and thirteen along each side, and measures roughly 32 by 14 metres. It was dedicated to Hephaestus, god of fire and metalwork, fitting for a district once full of foundries and potters' workshops. Only some of its metopes carry sculpture: the ten on the east front show the Labours of Heracles, and the end ones along the long sides show the deeds of Theseus. In modern times the building was wrongly thought to hold the hero's remains, hence the popular name Theseion. Inside the porches, carved friezes depict Theseus fighting the Pallantids and the battle of Lapiths and Centaurs.

The temple owes its survival to a second life. Around the seventh century AD it became the church of Saint George Akamates, and services continued until 1833. When Athens became the capital of the new Greek kingdom in 1834, King Otto was formally welcomed at the temple, and he then had it turned into a museum, a role it kept for a century. Continuous use is what spared it while so many ancient buildings were quarried away. It crowns the hill of Kolonos Agoraios within the archaeological site of the Ancient Agora, in the heart of central Athens.

Getting there

The temple is in central Athens, about 1 km from the city centre, on the north-western side of the Ancient Agora. Thiseio and Monastiraki metro stations are within a short walk. Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos (ATH) is about 20 km away.

From the encyclopaedia

The Temple of Hephaestus or Hephaisteion, is a well-preserved Greek temple dedicated to Hephaestus; it remains standing largely intact today. It is a Doric peripteral temple, and is located at the north-west side of the Agora of Athens, on top of the Agoraios Kolonos hill. From the 7th century until 1834, it served as the Greek Orthodox church of Saint George Akamates. The building's condition has been maintained due to its history of varied use.

Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Temple of Hephaestus

Interesting facts

Why it is worth it

Getting there

Plan your visit

On these lists

From the encyclopaedia