Hephaisteion

The Temple of Hephaistos, the god of metalworking, was built during the second half of the fifth century BC. The date of the monument is controversial, but construction seems to have begun around 449 BC and continued for the next few decades. This Doric-order temple was designed by Ictinus, one of the architects who worked on the Parthenon. Its sculptures depict the exploits of Theseus, the labors of Herakles, and a Centauromachy. According to Pausanias, it housed statues of Athena and Hephaistos. Around it are casting pits and slag furnaces that characterize the industrial metalworkers’ quarter where the temple is known to have been located.

In the seventh century AD, the temple of Hephaistos became a Christian church dedicated to Saint George. Excavations of the building began in 1936, clearing the land surrounding the temple down to bedrock. Thanks to its use as a church throughout the Middle Ages, the Temple of Hephaistos is today one of the best-preserved ancient Greek temples in the world.