An icon of Western civilization, it is one of the most famous buildings in the world. The temple was built in the fifth century BC overlooking the city of Athens from its majestic position at the top. sacred mountain Acropolis.The Parthenon was created in honor of the goddess Athena Parthenos (maiden Athena), the patroness of the city of Athens. The temple was originally known as the Great Temple (Megas Naosa), but later became known as the Parthenon.

Today's Parthenon was not the first temple built here in antiquity. There are traces of two earlier and slightly smaller temples: the first in stone and the second in marble.

Shortly after the Persians destroyed all the buildings on the Acropolis in 480 BC, Pericles commissioned the construction of a new large temple and the architect and sculptor Phidias supervised the project. The design of the Parthenon is attributed to Kallikrates and Iktinos. Construction began in 447 BC and the temple was completed just nine years later. Phidias continued to work on the magnificent sculptures that adorned the temple until 432 BC.

After antiquity the Parthenon was turned into a church and during the Turkish occupation of Athens it was used as an arsenal. It became a ruin only in 1687, during the siege of the Turks, the Venetians shelled the Acropolis from the hill of Philopappos. The ammunition that was stored in the Parthenon exploded, destroying the roof, the interior and fourteen columns.

The Parthenon was built as a peripter - the temple is surrounded by columns - in the Doric order. The temple measures 30.86 by 69.51 meters and contained two cellas (the inner main parts of the ancient temple). A large statue of the goddess Athena was kept in the eastern cella. Western - was exclusively for priests and contained the treasury of the union of Greek city-states.

The Parthenon was decorated with numerous sculptures and reliefs. There were fifty sculptures on the pediments alone. Most of the surviving sculptures are on display at the British Museum in London, while some are in the nearby Acropolis Museum. There were two friezes: an inner one in a cella and an outer one, which consisted of triglyphs (vertical stripes) and metopes (rectangular slabs) with relief sculptures. The inner frieze was designed by Phidias and depicted Panathenaia, a festival in honor of Athena. Many of the metopes and interior parts of the frieze can also be seen in the British Museum.

To achieve visual perfection, the creators of the Parthenon used optical techniques, seemingly defying the laws of perspective. The columns are slightly tilted inward and have a curved shape. As a result, the horizontal and vertical lines of the building look perfectly straight to the naked eye.

Most people think that ancient temples always had plain marble colors. But buildings and statues in antiquity were often very colorful. The Parthenon in Athens was no exception: the sculptures on the friezes and pediment, as well as the roof, were brightly painted in blue, red and gold.

The main pride of the temple is an approximately twelve-meter statue of Athena Parthenos, created by Phidias. The statue was made of gold and ivory on a wooden frame. Like all other sculptures of the Parthenon, the statue was painted in bright colors, mostly blues and reds.

the main temple of the Athenian Acropolis, dedicated to Athena Parthenos (ie the Virgin), the patron goddess of the city. Construction began in 447 BC, the consecration of the temple took place at the Panathenaic festival in 438 BC, but the decoration (mainly sculptural work) continued until 432 BC. The Parthenon is a masterpiece of ancient Greek architecture and a symbol of Greek genius. Story. A new temple was erected at the highest point of the Acropolis, on a site dedicated to the gods. The ancient temples were probably small in size, and therefore significant leveling of the Acropolis was not required. However, in 488 BC. a new temple was laid here to thank Athena for the victory over the Persians at Marathon. Its dimensions in terms of plan are very close to the current Parthenon, and therefore in the middle of the southern slope it was necessary to erect a retaining wall and lay limestone blocks in the base, so that southern edge construction site rose above the rock of the Acropolis by more than 7 m. The conceived temple was a peripter, which apparently had 6 columns on the sides and 16 on the sides (counting the corner columns twice). Its stylobate (upper platform) and steps, as well as the columns themselves, as well as other structural elements, were made of marble (or at least they were conceived as marble). When in 480 BC The Persians captured and plundered the Acropolis, the temple under construction, which by that time had been brought only to the height of the second drum of columns, was destroyed by fire, and work was interrupted for more than 30 years. In 454 BC the treasury of the Delian maritime union was transferred to Athens, where Pericles then ruled, and soon, in 447 BC, construction work on the almost finished site resumed. The Parthenon was erected by the architects Iktin and Kallikrates (they also call Carpion), as well as Phidias, who was primarily responsible for sculpture, but in addition carried out general supervision of the progress of work on the Acropolis. The creation of the Parthenon was part of the conquest of Athens by Pericles, not only in the military and economic field, but also in religion and art. Relatively further fate temple we know that approx. 298 BC the Athenian tyrant Lahar removed the golden plates from the cult statue of Athena, and in the 2nd century. BC. The building, which was damaged by the fire, was thoroughly repaired. In 426 AD The Parthenon was converted into a Christian church, originally St. Sofia. Apparently, at the same time, in the 5th century, the statue of Athena was transported to Constantinople, where it subsequently died in a fire. The original main eastern entrance was closed by the altar apse, so that now the western entrance has become the main one through the room behind the cella, previously separated by a blank wall. Other changes in the layout were also made, and a bell tower was erected in the southwestern corner of the temple. In 662 the temple was re-consecrated in honor of Holy Mother of God("Panagia Afiniotissa"). After the Turkish conquest, c. 1460, the building was turned into a mosque. In 1687, when the Venetian commander F. Morosini was besieging Athens, the Turks used the Parthenon as a powder warehouse, which led to disastrous consequences for the building: a red-hot cannonball that flew in here caused an explosion that destroyed its entire middle part. No repairs were carried out then, on the contrary, local residents began to pull apart marble blocks in order to burn lime out of them. Appointed in 1799 as British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Lord T. Elgin received permission from the Sultan to export the sculptures. During 1802-1812, the lion's share of the surviving sculptural decoration of the Parthenon was transported to Great Britain and placed in the British Museum (some of the sculptures ended up in the Louvre and Copenhagen, although some remained in Athens). In 1928, a fund was created, which set itself the goal, as far as possible, to put the fallen columns and blocks of entablature in place, and on May 15, 1930, the northern colonnade of the temple was inaugurated.
Architecture. The Parthenon in its current form is a Doric peripter standing on three marble steps (total height approx. 1.5 m), having 8 columns at the ends and 17 at the sides (if you count the corner columns twice). The height of the peristyle columns composed of 10-12 drums is 10.4 m, their diameter at the base is 1.9 m, the corner columns are slightly thicker (1.95 m). The columns have 20 flutes (vertical gutters) and taper upwards. The dimensions of the temple in plan (according to the stylobate) are 30.9*69.5 m. it has six-column prostrate porticoes at the ends, the columns of which are somewhat lower than in the outer colonnade. Cella is divided into two rooms. The eastern one, longer and called the hecatompedon (internal size 29.9 * 19.2 m), was divided into three naves by two rows of 9 Doric columns, which closed at the western end with a transverse row of three additional columns. It is assumed that there was also a second tier of Doric columns, which was located above the first and provided the required height of the ceilings. In the space bounded by the inner colonnade, there was a colossal (12 m high) chrysoelephantine (made of gold and ivory) cult statue of Athena by Phidias. In the 2nd century AD it was described by Pausanias, and its general appearance is known from several smaller copies and numerous images on coins. The ceilings of the western cella (internal size 13.9 * 19.2 m), which was called the Parthenon (the treasury of the Delian Union and the state archive were kept here; over time, the name was transferred to the entire temple), rested on four high columns, presumably Ionic. All elements of the construction of the Parthenon, including the roof tiles and steps of the stylobate, were hewn from local Pentelian marble, almost white immediately after mining, but over time acquiring a warm yellowish tint. Mortar or cement was not used, the laying was carried out dry. The blocks were carefully fitted to each other, the horizontal connection between them was carried out with the help of I-beam iron braces placed in special grooves and filled with lead, the vertical one - with the help of iron pins.
Sculpture. The decoration of the temple, which complemented its architecture, is divided into three main categories: metopes, or square panels, provided with high reliefs, located between the triglyphs of the frieze above the outer colonnade; a bas-relief, which encircled the cella from the outside with a continuous strip; two colossal groups of free-standing sculptures filling deep (0.9 m) triangular pediments. On 92 metopes, scenes of martial arts are presented: gods and giants from the east side, lapiths and centaurs (they are best preserved) - from the south, Greeks and Amazons - from the west, participants in the Trojan War (presumably) - from the north. The sculptural group on the eastern pediment depicted the birth of Athena, who, fully armed, jumped out of the head of Zeus after the blacksmith god Hephaestus cut his head with an ax. The group from the western pediment represented the dispute over Attica between Athena and Poseidon, when the olive tree presented by the goddess was recognized as a more valuable gift than the source of salt water discovered in the rock by Poseidon. A few statues from both groups have survived, but even from them it is clear that it was a great artistic creation of the middle of the 5th century. BC. The bas-relief strip on top of the cella (total length 160 m, height 1 m, height from the stylobate 11 m, in total there were about 350 foot and 150 equestrian figures) depicted the Panathenaic procession, which annually brought Athena a new attire - peplos. Along the north and south sides, horsemen, chariots, citizens of Athens are represented moving from west to east, and closer to the head of the procession are musicians, people with gifts, sacrificial sheep and bulls. Along the western, end wall, above the portico, there are groups of cavalrymen standing near their horses, mounted on them or already leaving (this part of the bas-relief remained in Athens). On the eastern end is the central group of the procession, consisting of the priest and priestess of Athena with three young servants: the priest receives the folded peplos. On the sides of this scene are the figures of the most important gods of the Greek pantheon. They are divided into two groups and turned to face outward, towards the corners of the building, as if watching the approach of the procession. Next to them, on the right and left, are two groups of citizens or officials, and at the edges are slowly moving people leading the procession.
"Subtlety" of the Parthenon. The scrupulous thoughtfulness of the construction of the Parthenon, which aims to deprive the building of mechanical straightforwardness, to give it liveliness, is manifested in a number of "refinements" that are found only with a special study. We will mention only a few. The stylobate rises slightly towards the center, the lifting boom along the northern and southern facades is approx. 12 cm, along the northern and western - 6.5 mm; the corner columns of the end facades are slightly inclined towards the middle, and the two middle ones, on the contrary, towards the corners; the trunks of all columns have a slight swelling, entasis, in the middle; the front surface of the entablature is somewhat inclined outward, and the pediment inward; the diameter of the corner columns, visible against the sky, is slightly larger than the rest, and in addition, they represent a complex figure in cross section, different from the circle. Many parts of the building were painted. The lower surface of the echinus (extensions on the capitals of the columns) was red, as was the tenia (the belt between the architrave and the frieze). Red and blue were used on the underside of the eaves. The marble caissons of the colonnade ceiling were tinted with red, blue and gold or yellow. Color was also used to emphasize the elements of the sculpture. Bronze wreaths were also used in the decor of the building, as evidenced by holes drilled in the architrave for their fastening.

Collier Encyclopedia. - Open Society. 2000 .

Parthenon

(Greek Παρθενών; English Parthenon)

Opening hours: from 8.30 to 19.00 daily, except Monday.

Parthenon - a temple dedicated to Athena Parthenos - the patroness of Athens, is rightfully considered one of the greatest examples of ancient architecture, a masterpiece of world art and plastics. The temple was founded on the initiative of Pericles, the famous Athenian commander and reformer. Its construction proceeded quite quickly - the temple was built from 447 to 438 BC (under the leadership of the architects Iktin and Kallikrates), and its sculptural decoration and decoration (under the direction of Phidias) were completed in 432 BC.

The first temple of Athena known in modern times, the existence of which is recognized by most scientists of the world, was built on the Acropolis, probably under Peisistratus. It was called the same as later the naos of the modern Parthenon - Hekatompedon, however, during the campaign of Xerxes, it, like other buildings on the Acropolis, was destroyed. There is a version about the connection of the ancient meaning of the word "hekatompedon" with the custom of child sacrifices (Greek "hekaton" - "one hundred", tome - "dissection", "raidos" - "child"). Later, with the abolition of this cruel custom (infants were laid in the foundation of the building for the sake of its strength), the concept of “one hundred child victims” was transferred to the original measure of the length of the naos (sanctuary) of the temple.

During the reign of Pericles, Athens reached its highest glory. After the end of the Greco-Persian wars, already on the prepared site, it was decided to build a new, more majestic and luxurious temple. The victorious attitude was also reflected in the wasteful urban plans, which were financed mainly from the tribute that Athens levied from its allies. The best artists at that time were involved in the construction and huge sums were spent. The builders of the Parthenon were the ancient Greek architects Iktin and Kallikrates. Then there was a period of the highest rise of ancient culture, and the temple of the goddess Athena on the Acropolis hill, to this day, proudly reminds the whole world of this.

The Parthenon is located in the high point Athenian Acropolis. Therefore, the beautiful temple of the goddess Athena is visible not only from all corners of the city, but also from the sea, from the islands of Salamis and Aegina. The main facade of the temple is located at an angle to the Propylaea (entrance gate), which are located in the western part of the temple mount. All permeated with light, the temple seems airy and light. There are no bright patterns on the white columns, as is found in Egyptian temples.

The Parthenon is a Doric peripter with elements of the Ionic order. It is located on a stylobate (69.5 m long and 30.9 m wide) - three marble steps, the total height of which is about 1.5 meters, the roof was covered with a tiled roof. From the side of the main (western) facade, more frequent steps were cut, intended for people.

The building itself (cella) has a length of 29.9 m (width 19.2 m), which was 100 Greek feet, and is bordered around the perimeter by an outer colonnade (peristele). There are 46 of these columns, 8 from the end, and 17 from the side facades. All columns are fluted, that is, they are decorated with longitudinal grooves. The height of the corner columns together with the capitals is 10.43 m (the same as in the temple of Zeus at Olympia).

The lower diameter of the corner columns - embat, when proportioning the temple, was taken as the first module (1.975 m). For vertical dimensions, the builders used the second module - the height of the abacus of the capital (0.3468 m). The amazing harmony of the building, which has been preserved to this day, despite the fact that only ruins remained of the great building, is based, first of all, on the polyphony of the ratios of magnitudes; the dimensions of the same type of parts vary, depending on their place in the overall composition.

The columns of the Parthenon do not look like a continuous undivided mass, but are perceived as a row in which individual trunks are not lost. Hence the correlation of the colonnade with the rhythm of the triglyphs and metope frieze, as well as with the rhythm of the figures of the Ionic frieze, which was located in the upper part of the walls of the naos, and on the inner colonnade of the porticos.

The Parthenon was not only a temple, but also something like an art gallery or a museum, it created an excellent backdrop for many works of plastic art. The sculptural decoration of the Parthenon was carried out under the guidance of the great master Phidias, and with his direct participation. This work is divided into four parts: the metopes of the outer (Doric) frieze, the solid Ionic (inner) frieze, the sculptures in the tympanums of the pediments, and the most famous statue of Athena Parthenos.

The pediment and cornices of the building were decorated with sculptures. The pediments were decorated with the gods of Greece: the Thunderer Zeus, the mighty ruler of the seas Poseidon, the wise warrior Athena, the winged Nike. For example, the dispute between Athena and Poseidon for the possession of Attica is presented on the western pediment. The judges decided to give the victory to that of the gods, whose gift would be more valuable to the city. Poseidon struck with a trident - and a salt spring gushed out of the rock of the Acropolis. Athena struck with a spear - and an olive tree grew on the Acropolis. This gift seemed more useful to the Athenians. Thus, Athena emerged victorious in the dispute, and the olive tree became the symbol of the city.

Along the perimeter of the outer walls of the cella, at a height of 12 meters, the famous Parthenon frieze stretched like a ribbon, the details of which, however, were almost indistinguishable from below. This frieze is considered one of the pinnacles of classical art. Of the more than 500 figures of young men, women, elders, on foot and on horseback, not one repeated the other, the movements of people and animals were conveyed with amazing dynamism. The figures are not flat, they have the volume and shape of the human body.

The metopes were part of the traditional, for the Doric order, triglyph-metope frieze, which encircled the outer colonnade of the temple. In total, there were 92 metopes on the Parthenon, containing various high reliefs. They were connected thematically, on the sides of the building. In the east, the battle of the centaurs with the Lapiths was depicted, in the south - the battles of the Greeks with the Amazons (Amazonomachy), in the west - probably scenes from the Trojan War, in the north - the battles of the gods and giants (Gigantomachy). To this day, only 64 metopes have survived: 42 in Athens and 15 in the British Museum.

In general, the architectural appearance of the Parthenon takes its origins in wooden architecture: built of stone, the temple retained, in its outlines, the lightness and elegance of a wooden building. However, the outward simplicity of these outlines is deceptive: the architect Iktin was a great master of perspective. He calculated very precisely how to create the proportions of the building in order to make them pleasing to the eye of a person looking up at the temple.

The Greeks built temples from limestone, the surface of which was covered with plaster and then painted with paints. But the Parthenon is built of marble. During construction on the Acropolis, near Athens, on Mount Pentelikon, deposits of snow-white Pentelian marble sparkling in the sun were discovered. During production, it has a white color, but under the influence of the sun's rays it turns yellow. The northern side of the building is exposed to less radiation - and therefore, there the stone has received a grayish-ash tint, while the southern blocks give off a golden yellowish color. With the help of ropes and wooden skids, marble blocks were delivered to the construction site.

The masonry was carried out without any mortar or cement, that is, it was dry. The blocks were regular squares, they were carefully turned along the edges, adjusted in size to each other, and fastened with iron staples - pyrons. The trunks of the columns were made up of separate drums, and connected with wooden pins. Only the outer edges of the stones were carefully trimmed, the inner surfaces were left unprocessed, “for stealing”. The final processing, including the flutes on the columns, was carried out after the stones were set in place.

The roof was made of stone, truss construction, reproducing earlier wooden floors, and covered with double-shaped marble tiles. Chiaroscuro on the deeply embedded flutes of the columns and in the intercolumns (between the columns) emphasized the spatial composition of the building, its connection with the surrounding landscape.

The central hall of the temple was illuminated only by the light falling through the doorway and numerous lamps. In this twilight, in the center of the temple, stood the statue of Athena Parthenos, which was made by Phidias himself. It was upright and about 11 m high, made in the chryso-elephant technique (from gold and ivory, on a wooden base), and the eyes were inlaid with precious stones. According to ancient custom, the statue of a deity placed inside the temple should face east, towards the rising sun, so the entrance to the Parthenon was on the east side.

The ancient Greeks considered the Parthenon to be the home of a deity and believed that the goddess Athena sometimes descends from Olympus to incarnate in her statue. Every year, on the feast of Athena, a peplos (veil), woven by the Athenians, was placed on the statue of the goddess. On it were woven pictures of the exploits of the goddess, especially her victory over the giants.

Phidias portrayed Athena in long heavy robes, with her left hand leaning on a shield, under which Erichthonius curled up into rings of snakes. On the shield that Athena held, scenes of the battle of the Greeks with the Amazons, and the battle of the gods with the giants were depicted. Among the characters in the first scene, Phidias portrayed himself as a bald old man brandishing a stone. Such boldness was considered sacrilege. To this were added accusations of abuses that Phidias allegedly committed with the gold and other valuables he received to create a statue of Athena. As a result, in 431 BC, the great sculptor was imprisoned. According to some reports, Phidias died in captivity, according to others, he was sent into exile.

Plates of pure gold (1.5 mm thick), depicting the attire of the statue of the goddess Athena, were periodically removed and weighed - they were part of the state treasury. According to the plan of Pericles, gold could be borrowed from the goddess if necessary, for example, for waging war, and then returned. Any citizen could donate their products or weapons to the temple of Athena. Alexander the Great, after defeating the Persians on the Granicus River, in 334 BC, sent 300 shields captured from the enemy to Athens. The temple was also used to store gifts to the goddess. Gold and silver caskets, figurines, weapons, vessels were found in all rooms of the Parthenon - there were inventories for each room.

The statue of Athena, a great work of ancient sculpture, having existed for more than 900 years, died in the storms of time, and it can only be judged by a few unsuccessful copies. Today, the place where the statue of Athena stood is marked by several rectangular stones.

The Parthenon was thought out in the smallest detail, completely invisible to an outside observer, and with the aim of visually lightening the load on the load-bearing elements, as well as correcting some errors of human vision. Architectural historians single out the concept of curvature of the Parthenon - a special curvature that introduced optical adjustments. Although the temple seems to be perfectly straight, in fact, there are almost no strictly straight lines in its contours: the columns are not set vertically, but slightly tilted into the building; the width of the metopes increases towards the center, and decreases towards the corners of the building; the corner columns are somewhat thicker in diameter than the others, as otherwise they would appear thinner, and in cross section they are not round; the entablature is tilted outward, and the pediments are inward. To compensate for future reductions, the Greeks increased in size the upper parts of the building and reduced those that are closer. It is also known that a horizontal line of considerable length appears concave in the middle. In the Parthenon, the lines of the stylobate and steps are made not straight, but slightly convex, which compensates for visual distortion.

Emphasized contours and ornamentation were also intended to enhance the readability of relief images at high altitude. Lightness and flexibility distinguish the architecture of the Parthenon from its predecessors: the temples at Paestum, Selinunte, or the temple of Zeus at Olympia. The dimensions of the individual parts were determined "by eye", varying them in such a way that when viewed from below they create a sense of dimension, the same relationship. This principle is called the "law of angles" (meaning the angle of view of the observer). Our eye mentally continues the axes of the columns up and connects them at one point, located somewhere high in the sky, above the temple. Under the shadow of the colonnade, in the openings of neighboring columns, as in a picture frame, landscapes arranged by architecture open up to a person. From the side, from all points of view, the Parthenon looks like a statue on a pedestal. When evaluating the Parthenon, from an average distance (about 35 m), the temple looks harmonious and whole; up close - it impresses with its monumentality and seems even larger than it actually is. The setting of the temple building relative to the Acropolis hill is also important: it is moved to the southeastern edge of the cliff, and therefore visitors see it as distant, in fact, the large Parthenon does not suppress its size and “grows” as a person approaches it.

The popular notion that Greek temples were always white is actually wrong. In ancient times, the Parthenon was very colorful, and according to current tastes, even, almost, luridly painted. The tenia and the underside of the echinus were red. The lower surface of the cornice is red and blue. The red background emphasized the whiteness, the narrow vertical ledges that separated one frieze slab from another clearly stood out in blue, the gilding shone brightly. The coloring was made with wax paints, which, under the action of hot sunlight, impregnated the marble. This technique provided an organic combination of the natural texture of marble and color, the stone was painted, but remained slightly translucent and “breathed”.

The Greatest Temple Ancient Greece– The Parthenon went through all the stages of its history with it. For a while, the Parthenon stood untouched, in all its splendor. With the sunset of Greece, the sunset of the temple began.

In 267 BC, Athens was invaded by the barbarian Heruli tribe, who sacked Athens and set fire to the Parthenon. As a result of the fire, the roof of the temple was destroyed, as well as almost all the internal fittings and ceilings. In the Hellenistic era (about 298 BC), the Athenian tyrant Lacharus removed the golden plates from the statue of Athena. After 429, the statue of Athena Parthenos disappeared from the temple. According to one version, the statue was taken to Constantinople and installed in front of the Senate building, and later it died from a fire.

In connection with the strengthening of the cult of the Mother of God, under Emperor Justinian I (527-565), the Parthenon was turned into the Church of the Holy Virgin Mary (“Parthenis Mary”). In general, ancient temples easily turned into Christian ones. The transition from a pagan temple to a church affected the architecture of the Parthenon. In ancient times, the entrance to the Parthenon was located in the eastern part under the pediment, the sculptures of which depicted the birth of Athena. However, it is in the eastern part of the Christian temple that the altar should be located. As a result, the temple was replanned and the internal columns and some walls of the cella were removed, due to which the central slab of the frieze was dismantled. The sacred eastern part of the Christian temple could not be decorated with the scene of the birth of the goddess Athena. These bas-reliefs were removed from the pediment. The colonnades were laid with stone. Most of the sculptures of the ancient Parthenon were lost: those that could be adapted for Christian worship were left, but most of them were destroyed.

In 662, the miraculous icon of Our Lady Afiniotissa (Our Lady of the Most Holy Athens) was solemnly transferred to the church. In 1458, after a two-year siege, the last Duke of Athens surrendered the Acropolis to the Turkish conquerors. In 1460, by decree of Sultan Mohammed II, the Parthenon was turned into a mosque, the altar and iconostasis were destroyed, the paintings were whitewashed, and a high minaret was erected over the southwestern corner of the temple, the remains of which were demolished only after the Greek Revolution. In the Erechtheion, the new ruler of Athens placed his harem. At the beginning of Turkish rule, Athens and the Acropolis disappeared from the routes of Western European travelers: hostilities between the Venetians and the Ottomans, periodically renewed in the 16th and 17th centuries, became a serious obstacle. The Turks had no desire to protect the Parthenon from destruction, but neither did they have the goal of completely distorting or destroying the temple. Since it is not possible to accurately determine the time of mashing the metopes of the Parthenon, the Turks may have continued this process. However, in general, they committed less destruction of the building than the Christians a thousand years before the Ottoman rule, who turned the majestic ancient temple into a Christian cathedral.

Beginning in 1660, there was a period of peace between the Venetians and the Ottomans, and travelers began to visit Athens again. Not only travel notes, but also studies of the Greek ancient heritage became widespread. But this peace did not last long. A new Turkish-Venetian war began. Finally, in 1687, during the siege of Athens by the Venetians, led by Francesco Morosini, a gunpowder warehouse was set up in the temple. On September 26, the core, which flew through the roof, produced a huge explosion, and the Parthenon forever became ruins. After the explosion of the Parthenon, its further destruction no longer seemed reprehensible. Shooting the surviving fragments of sculptures and reliefs was considered not a robbery, but a salvation, because earlier the Turks simply broke the sculptures and burned them into lime for construction. When, a few days later, the Turks surrendered and the Venetians entered the territory of the Acropolis, they decided to take to Venice, as trophies, the figure of Poseidon and the horses of his quadriga - the remains of the composition "Athena's Dispute with Poseidon" on the western pediment. When they began to be removed, the sculptures, barely holding on after the explosion, fell and broke.

A few months after the victory, the Venetians gave up power over Athens: they did not have enough strength to further protect the city, and the plague epidemic made Athens a completely unattractive target for the invaders. The Turks again set up a garrison on the Acropolis, albeit on a smaller scale, among the ruins of the Parthenon, and erected a new small mosque. During the decline of the Ottoman Empire, the Parthenon, having lost its protection, was destroyed more and more.

The misfortunes of the Parthenon ended only at the beginning of the 19th century, when the famous robber of ancient monuments, Lord Elgin, took to England 12 figures from the pediments, 56 plates with reliefs from the Parthenon frieze, and a number of other fragments of the monument, and sold them to the British Museum, where they are, until now, are the most valuable exhibits. Today, sculptures from the Parthenon are in many museums around the world. In particular, in the British Museum there are sculptures of Helios and Selena - corner fragments of the pediment "The Birth of Athena". In recent decades, there has been a trend towards the return of lost relics to the Parthenon. An important issue for the Greek government, at the present stage, is also the return of the Elgin marbles.

The idea of ​​recreating the Parthenon was brought to life in the United States. In the city of Nashville (Tennessee), architects W. Dinsmoor and R. Garth, in 1897, built a full-scale replica of the Parthenon, restored according to the latest scientific data of that era. The restoration of the temple began in XIX century. In 1926-1929 the northern colonnade was restored. Following this, an attempt was made to restore the pediment sculptures, the originals of which were partly lost, partly ended up in foreign museums.

But despite the constant restoration work, even today, the Parthenon continues to slowly but surely collapse. In recent years, the poisonous smog and suffocating stench of modern Athens, just like the marks left here by hordes of tourists, have caused sensitive damage to the Parthenon marble.

In the eyes of contemporaries, the Parthenon was the embodiment of the glory and power of Athens. Today, the Parthenon is rightfully considered one of the greatest examples of ancient architecture, a masterpiece of world art and plastics. This is the most perfect creation of ancient architecture, and even in ruins - a striking, exciting monument ...

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Athena patronizes those striving for knowledge, cities and states, sciences and crafts, intelligence, dexterity, helps those who pray to her to increase their ingenuity in this or that matter. At one time, she was one of the most revered and beloved goddesses, competing with Zeus, since she was equal to him in strength and wisdom. She was very proud of being a virgin forever.

Birth of Athena

She was born in an unusual way, like most divine creatures. According to the most common version, the Almighty Zeus heeded the advice given by Uranus and Gaia, after which he absorbed his first wife Metis-Wisdom at the time of her pregnancy. A son could be born who would overthrow the thunderer as a result. After absorption from the head of Zeus, his heiress, Athena, was born.

Description

The warrior goddess differed from her companions in the pantheon in that she had an extremely unusual appearance. Other female deities were gentle and graceful, while Athena did not hesitate to use the male attribute in doing business. So, she was remembered for wearing armor. She also had her spear with her.

Even the patroness of urban planning kept an animal near her, which was given a sacred role. She wore a Corinthian helmet, on top of which was a high crest. It is typical for her to wear an aegis that was covered with a goat skin. This shield was adorned with a head that the Winged One lost in the past and is the companion of Athena. The ancient Greeks considered the olive tree to be a sacred tree and associated it directly with this deity. The symbol of wisdom was the owl, which was not inferior in this responsible role to the snake.

According to legend, Pallas had gray eyes and blond hair. Her eyes were large. In addition to beauty, she also had good military training. She carefully polished her armor, was always ready for a fight: the spear was sharpened, and the chariot was ready to rush to the battle for justice. In preparation for the battle, she turned to the cyclops blacksmiths for help.

Shrines erected in her honor

She came to us from antiquity, but the goddess is still worshiped today. Athena is widely revered. The temple is the place where everyone can come and turn to her. People are trying to preserve these places of worship.

One of the most significant buildings glorifying the goddess can be considered a temple created by Pisistratus. Archaeologists excavated two pediments and other details. Hekatompedon was built in the sixth century. The size of the cella reached one hundred feet. It was found in the nineteenth century by German archaeologists.

On the walls of the building there were paintings from the mythology of the ancient Greeks. For example, there you can see Hercules in the fight against terrible monsters. An extremely picturesque place!

When it passed, the construction of the Opitodom, also dedicated to the warrior, began. The construction could not be completed, because the Persians soon attacked and sacked the city. Drums of columns from the northern walls of the Erechtheion were discovered.

The Parthenon is also considered one of the most significant monuments. This is a unique building erected in honor of Athena the Virgin. The building dates from the middle of the fifth century BC. The architect is considered to be Kallikart.

The Old Parthenon left behind several details that were used to build up the Acropolis. This was done by Phidias during the era of Pericles. In connection with the wide veneration of Athena, the temples in her honor were numerous and pompous. Most likely, many of them have not yet been found and will delight us in the future. Although even now there are a large number of buildings representing a rich historical heritage.

In Athens can be called an outstanding monument. It was built by Greek architects. The temple of Pallas Athena is located in the north - near the Parthenon on the Acropolis. It was built between 421 and 406 BC, according to archaeologists.

Athena inspired people to create a beautiful structure. The temple is a model In addition to the goddess of war and knowledge, within these walls you can worship the lord of the seas Poseidon and even the Athenian king Erechtheus, whom we can learn from legends.

Historical reference

When Pericles died, Greece began to build the temple of Athena, whose construction was not such an easy task and was completed at the time when the city collapsed.

According to legend, at the point where the building was built, the warrior goddess and Poseidon once argued. Everyone wanted to become the ruler of Attica. Information about the temple of Athena includes references to the most important relics of the policy kept here. Previously, the archaic Hekatompedon, which was built during the reign of Pisistratus, was assigned to this.

The temple was destroyed during the Greco-Persian confrontation. For this place, the goddess Athena also played a big role. The temple included her wooden idol, which was supposed to have fallen from the sky. Hermes was also revered here.

In the temple, great importance was attached to the flame of a golden lamp, which never died out. It was enough to pour oil into it only once a year. The temple was named in reference to the remains, which used to be the coffin of Erechtheus. In addition to all of the above, there were many other shrines, which, however, were not of such great importance.

Serving the Warrior Goddess

Temples and statues of Athena as one of the most important Greek deities are numerous and impressive. An olive tree was associated with the goddess, which was burned in 480, but it grew from the ashes and continued its life.

The tree grew near the temple-sanctuary dedicated to the nymph Pandrosa. Entering the holy place, one could look into the waters of the well, replenished from the salty water spring. It was assumed that the god Poseidon himself knocked it out.

Transfer of ownership of the temple

The goddess Athena did not always reign within these walls. The temple for some time belonged to Christians who held their services here during the existence of Byzantium.

Until the 17th century, the building was monitored, maintained and looked after. The damage was done when the year 1687 brought the troops of Venice to Athens. During the siege, the shrine was damaged. When Greek independence was restored, the fragments that had fallen were put back in their proper places. At the moment, nothing but the ruins, unfortunately, is left. You can still see the former features in the portico of Pandrosa, which is located on the north side.

Lord Elgin, who was sent by the British to Constantinople in 1802, received permission from Sultan Selim III to remove from the country all parts of the shrine found on which inscriptions or images could be found. One caryatid of the temple was transported to the territory of Britain. Now this relic, like the frieze of the Parthenon, is an exhibit of the British Museum.

architectural design

This sanctuary has an unusual asymmetrical layout. This is due to the fact that there was a difference between the heights of the soil on which the construction took place. From south to north, the level of the earth decreases. There are two cells. Each of them had to have an entrance. Relics of antiquity richly fill the structure. Parishioners entered from two entrances: northern and eastern. Ionic porticos were their decoration.

In the eastern part of the Erechtheion, which was located higher, there was a space dedicated to the guardian of the city, which was Athena-Polyada. The image of the goddess made of wood was kept here. When the Panathenaic passed, they made an offering to him of a new peplos. In the portico of this cella there are columns, whose number is six.

Interior view of the temple

In the western part of the temple one could see things and elements that glorified Poseidon and Erechtheus. On the front side, there is a restriction created by two ants. Between them - four semi-columns.

The presence of two porticoes is confirmed: north and south. The framing of the door entrance from the north included carvings that included rosettes. The south side is notable for the famous Portico of the Caryatids.

It was named after the six statues just over two meters high. They support the architrave. The composition of the statues includes Pentelicon marble. Today, they are replaced by copies. As for the originals, the British Museum became their repository. Lord Elgin imported one caryatid there.

Also the Acropolis Museum contains the rest. Pandrozeion - this was the name of the portico of caryatids. Pandrosa was the daughter of Cecrops. The building is named after her. As a plot on the basis of which the frieze was built, they took the myths that tell about the Cecropids and Erechtheus. Some remains of the monument have survived to this day. The sculptures, the material for which was Parian marble, were fixed in front of a dark background, which formed the Eleusinian material.

The great Temple of the Parthenon was built in Athens during the heyday of Greece in the 5th century BC. as a gift to the goddess - the patroness of the city. Until now, this amazing temple, even being badly destroyed, never ceases to amaze with its harmony and beauty. No less fascinating is the fate of the Parthenon - he had to see a lot.

After the victory of the Greeks over the Persians, the "golden age" of Attica began. The actual ruler of Ancient Hellas at that time was Pericles, who was very popular among the people. Being a very educated person, having a lively mind and oratorical talent, great endurance and diligence, he had a great influence on the impressionable townspeople and successfully carried out his plans.

In Athens, Pericles launched large-scale construction work, and it was under him that a magnificent temple ensemble grew up on the Acropolis, the crown of which was the Parthenon. To implement grandiose plans, the architectural geniuses Iktion and Kallikrates and one of the best sculptors Phidias were involved.

The grandiose construction also required colossal costs, but Pericles did not skimp, for which he was repeatedly accused of squandering. Pericles was adamant. Speaking to residents, he explained: “The city is sufficiently supplied with the necessities of war, so the surplus in money should be used for buildings, which, after their completion, will bring immortal glory to the citizens”. And the citizens supported their ruler. The entire construction took an amount sufficient to create a fleet of 450 trireme warships.

In turn, Pericles demanded from the architects the creation of a real masterpiece, and the ingenious masters did not let him down. After 15 years, a unique structure was built - a majestic and at the same time light and airy temple, the architecture of which was not like any other.

The spacious room of the temple (about 70x30 meters) was surrounded on all sides by columns, this type of building is called a periptore.

White marble was used as the main building material, which was brought 20 km away. This marble, which had a pure white color immediately after mining, began to turn yellow under the influence of sunlight, and as a result, the Parthenon turned out to be colored unevenly - its northern side was gray-ashy in color, and its southern side was golden yellow. But this did not spoil the temple at all, but, on the contrary, made it more interesting.

During construction, dry masonry was used, without mortar. Polished marble blocks were interconnected with iron pins (vertically) and braces (horizontally). Currently, Japanese seismologists are actively interested in the construction technologies used in its construction.

This temple has another unique feature. From the outside, his silhouette appears to be absolutely even and flawless, but in fact there is not a single straight detail in his contours. In order to level the results of the perspective, slopes, curvature or thickening of details - columns, roofs, cornices - were used. Brilliant architects have developed a unique correction system due to optical tricks.

Many believe that all ancient temples had a natural color, but this was not always the case. In the ancient period, many buildings and structures tried to be colorful. The Parthenon was no exception. The main colors that dominated his palette were blue, red and gold.
The interior was decorated with many different sculptures, but the main among them was the legendary 12-meter statue of Athena in the form of the goddess of war, Athena Parthenos, the best creation of Phidias. All her clothes and weapons were made of gold plates, and ivory was used for the exposed parts of her body. More than a ton of gold was spent on this statue alone.

The Dark Days of the Parthenon

The history of the Parthenon is rather sad. The heyday of the temple fell on the heyday of Greece, but gradually the temple lost its significance. With the spread of Christianity in the Roman Empire in the 5th century, the temple was re-consecrated and turned into a Byzantine church of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

In the XV century, after the capture of Athens by the Turks, the temple began to be used as a mosque. During the next siege of Athens in 1687, the Turks turned the Acropolis into a citadel, and the Parthenon into a powder warehouse, relying on its thick walls. But as a result of a cannonball hit from a powerful explosion, the temple collapsed and almost nothing remained of its middle part. In this form, the temple became completely useless to anyone, and its looting began.

At the beginning of the 19th century, with the permission of the authorities, an English diplomat brought to England a huge collection of magnificent ancient Greek statues, sculptural compositions, fragments of carved walls.

The fate of the building became interested only when Greece gained independence. Since the 20s of the 20th century, work on the restoration of the temple began here, which is being carried out to this day, the lost details are being collected bit by bit. In addition, the Greek government is working on the return of the exported fragments to the country.

As for the most important value of the Parthenon - the statue of the goddess Athena by the genius Phidias, it was irretrievably lost during one of the fires. Only numerous copies of it remained, stored in various museums. The most accurate and reliable of the surviving is considered to be a Roman marble copy of Athena Varvakion.

Of course, there is no hope that someday the temple will appear in its original form, but even in its current state it is a real masterpiece of architecture.