(picture
insert: Fr. Tomas)
The Parthenon seen from the hill of the
Pnyx to the west.
The
Parthenon is a temple of Athena, built in the 5th century BC on the
acropolis of Athens. It is considered the most famous surviving building of
ancient Greece, and has been praised as the finest achievement of Greek
architecture. Its decorative sculptures are considered one of the high points of
Greek art. The Parthenon is an enduring symbol of Ancient Greece and of Athenian
democracy. It is regarded as one of the world's greatest cultural monuments.
The name of the Parthenon likely derives from the monumental cult statue of Athena Parthenos housed in the eastern room of the building. This statue was sculpted in ivory and gold by Phidias. Athena's epithet Parthenon refers to the goddess's unmarried and virginal status.
The Parthenon replaced an older temple of Athena that had been destroyed by the Persians in 480 BC. Like most Greek temples, the Parthenon was used as a treasury, and for a time served as the treasury of the Delian League, which later became the Athenian Empire.
In the sixth century AD, the Parthenon was converted into a Christian church dedicated to the Virgin. After the Turkish conquest, it was converted into a mosque. In 1687, a Turkish ammunition dump inside the building was ignited by a Venetian cannonball. The resulting explosion severely damaged the Parthenon and its sculptures. In the 19th century AD, Lord Elgin removed some of the surviving sculptures and took them to England. These sculptures, now known as the Elgin Marbles or Parthenon Marbles, are on display in the British Museum. An ongoing dispute concerns whether the Elgin Marbles should be returned to Greece.
The Parthenon, along with the other buildings on the Acropolis, is now one of the most visited archaeological sites in Greece. The Greek Ministry of Culture is currently carrying out a program of restoration and reconstruction.
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