Temple of Delian Apollo (”The Portara”, the lintel)
Peninsula of Palatia, Naxos, Cyclades, Greece
6th Century BCE
Ionic peripteral
On the small peninsula of Palatia, north of Naxos Town, a sanctuary developed, probably from Protogeometric times. The main period of floruit was in Archaic times under the reign of the tyrant Lygdamis (third quarter of the 6th century). The location of the sanctuary is coastal and can also be considered as urban. The divinity worshiped was most probably Apollo Delios.
The Ionic temple is oriented West. Built of marble, it is divided into a pronaos, cella and opisthodomos. The cella is divided into three naves by a double row of four columns. The temple must have been surrounded by a pteron (6x12), doubled on the small sides (overall dimensions 59m x 20m). The threshold level of the monumental entrance is 1,10m. higher than that of the cella. The difference between this level and the cella, could be associated with a detail of the worship, a ceremony intended to be seen by all. The temple was never completed, its construction was halted immediately after the end of the tyranny of Lygdamis, in 524 BCE The huge main doorway with its monumental jambs is the only elevation preserved today: it consists of four monolithic elements and its dimensions are 3,6m. wide and 5,96m. high.
