Temple of Sangri, Ancient Greek temple in Sangri commune, Greece.
The Temple of Sangri is a Late Archaic Greek temple at Gyroulas, about 1.5 km south of Ano Sangri on Naxos, built entirely of Naxian marble around 530 BC. Its almost square ground plan measures 13.29 by 12.73 m, with the facade on the south side formed by five unfluted columns in antis. The columns taper slightly toward the top, and the capitals were painted rather than carved in the round.
The temple was built around 530 BC, probably dedicated to Demeter or Kore, with traces of a cult to Apollo also found on the site. In the 6th century AD it was largely demolished and a three-naved Christian basilica was built from the same stone on the same spot. Nikolaos Kondoleon investigated the site in 1949, and excavations by Vassilis Lambrinoudakis and Gottfried Gruben followed from 1976 to 1985.
This sanctuary was dedicated to Demeter, goddess of crops and harvest. Archaeological finds at the site show how important this place was for the ancient community's religious life.
This archaeological site is easy to reach on foot and can be visited at any time since it is an open outdoor area. There are information boards on site, but little shade, so bring water and sun protection.
The marble roof over the entrance hall rested on seven beams nearly four metres long, each curved upward by about 2 cm; this bend was carried through every element above, giving the whole roof a slight curvature. The roof tiles were only 2–4 cm thick, so daylight filtered into the inner room even with the doors shut.
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