Temple of Hera, Olympia, Doric temple in Olympia, Greece
The Temple of Hera is a ruined Doric structure in ancient Olympia with six columns along the short ends and sixteen columns along the long sides, spanning approximately 164 by 59 feet (50 by 18 meters). Four columns have been restored to standing height, while the rest of the site shows foundations, massive upright stone blocks from the inner chamber, and lower sections of columns.
Residents of Skillous constructed the building around 590 BCE, making it one of the earliest examples of large-scale temple construction in Greece. The design marked a turning point in Greek building methods through its systematic use of the Doric order.
The structure bore the name of the goddess Hera and served as a repository for offerings brought by worshippers from across the Greek world. Today visitors walk among the foundations and column remains that mark this former place of worship.
Visitors can walk through the temple area year-round and move freely among the preserved foundations and column fragments. The four standing columns provide a good reference point for imagining the original height and scale of the structure.
An altar in front of the building serves as the site where the Olympic flame is lit every four years by a high priestess in a ceremony. The ritual uses a parabolic mirror to capture sunlight and ignite the flame before it begins its relay to the host city of the modern Olympic Games.
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