Greek Temples
Below is an illustrated index of the 22 Greek Temples profiled on Sacred Destinations so far. For photo credits, please see corresponding articles.
Aphrodisias is one of the oldest sacred sites in Turkey, dedicated first to the ancient Mother Goddess and then the Greek goddess Aphrodite.
Located 48 miles west of Athens, Corinth was an important Greek city that also played a prominent role in the life of the Apostle Paul. Ruins include Temples of Apollo, Aphrodite and Octavia.
Delos was a major sacred site in ancient Greece, second only to Delphi. A short boat ride from the island of Mykonos, the ruins of Delos include a variety of ancient temples and shrines.
One of the most sacred cities in the ancient Greek world, Didyma had an oracle of Apollo that rivaled Delphi. Today, its massive Temple of Apollo is still majestic in ruins.
Famed for its Caryatid Porch, this beautiful temple on the Acropolis honors Erechtheus, a legendary king of Athens, as well as the great Greek gods Poseidon and Athena.
The Temple of Sobek (the crocodile god) and Haroeris (a form of Horus) in Kom Ombo dates from about 180 BC during the Ptolemaic era, with additions made into Roman times.
An important port city visited by Paul, Miletus contains the ruins of a Temple of Serapis, a Byzantine church, an important inscription, and a Sacred Way to Didyma.
The Paestum Archaeological Site in southern Italy is home to three Doric Greek temples - the Temple of Neptune, Temple of Hera and Temple of Ceres - and other ancient ruins.
The famous Temple of Athena Parthenos, built in 440 BC, crowns the Acropolis. It was a major sacred site and is considered one of the finest examples of Greek architecture anywhere.
This iconic door that leads nowhere is the entrance to an unfinished Temple of Apollo that faces exactly toward Delos, the god's birthplace. It was begun about 530 BC.
Home to the famous Oracle of Delphi, this mountain sanctuary was the holiest site in Ancient Greece. It was believed to be the center of the world, marked by the sacred Omphalos stone.
Located about a mile east of the Sanctuary of Apollo, this sacred precinct was dedicated to the goddess Athena. It contains the mysterious and beautiful Tholos, a 4th-century-BC rotunda.
Very little remains of the great Temple of Serapis, the most important sacred site in ancient Alexandria. It was infamously destroyed by Bishop Theophilus in 391 AD.
Dating from the 6th century BC, this is the oldest Doric temple in western Europe. Subsequently used as a church and a mosque, it now lies in ruins on the island of Ortygia.
Dedicated to "Apollo the Helper," this is one of the largest and best-preserved temples in Greece. It was completed in 400 BC using an unusual combination of Doric, Ionic and Corinthian styles.
In ancient times it was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, but today the Temple of Artemis is represented by a single column standing in a swamp.
Dedicated to Victorious Athena, this elegant and beautifully proportioned Ionic temple was built in 427 BC. It is currently undergoing a major reconstruction.
Demeter was a grain goddess, and it's not hard to see what she is doing in this beautiful spot among farmlands on Naxos Island. The temple dates from the 6th-century BC.
This fine Doric temple was built just two years before the Parthenon, dedicated to the god of volcanoes and metalworking.
Finally completed by the Roman Emperor Hadrian after centuries of construction, this was one of the largest temples in the ancient world.
Overlooking the sea from atop the sheer cliffs of Cape Sounion, the Temple of Poseidon was built in 444 BC for the god of the sea.
The Zeus Altar was constructed by Eumenes II (d.159 BC) as a memorial of his victory against the Galatians. The altar is now in Berlin's Pergamon Museum, but the original site provides a sense of the altar's size and spectacular location.
