Greek god Apollo - Andritsena Greece

Apollo was always associated with beauty and grace and was god of music. He was also a symbol of light and reason. As god of truth he took over the shrine of the Delphic Oracle, first seizing Pan and forcing the goat-god to teach him the gift of prophecy and then capturing the Delphic Oracle, making the Pythoness (thre priestess) his own servant.

Apollo temple

Where is Andritsena on map - GreeceGreek God Apollo

Visitors to the Delphic Oracle would put their questions to the priestess who would then go into a trance before replying. This state of trance was deepened by a vapour which rose out of the rock over which she sat, perched on a three legged stool. Apollo was the first god to fall in love with a boy, though many other stories recount his pursuit of women, a reflection of the prevalence of practice and acceptance of bi-sexuality in ancient Greek times.. Temple of Apollo Greek god

Apollo temple at 2007Apollo a god of prophecy

Apollo was primarily a god of prophecy. He sometimes gave the gift of prophecy to mortals whom he loved, such as the Trojan princess Cassandra.

As a prophet and magician, he is the patron of medicine and healing. He was a gifted musician, who delighted the gods with his performance on the lyre. He was also a master archer and a fleet-footed athlete, credited with having been the first victor in the Olympic games. His twin sister was Artemis. He was famous for his oracle at Delphi. People traveled to it from all over the Greek world to divine the future. He was also the god of agriculture and cattle, and of light and truth. .

Temple of ApolloApollo temple in the area of Bassai Peloponnese

The worship of Apollo in the area of Bassai goes back to at least the 7th c. B.C. Apollo was originally worshipped as a warrior god, which is confirmed by the weapons of war that form the majority of the archeologocal finds.

This is probably due to the fact that he came to the aid (epikouros) of the Phigaleians in their efforts to recover their city from the Spartans in 629 B.C . It appears, however, that the gods military character had been converted into that of a healer god by the Classical period, and that the god was given the epithet epikourios because he averted the spread of the plague that struck Greece at the time of the Peloponnesian War.

 

 


Secured place Temple of ApolloThe temple of Apollo Epikourios

Temple occupies a natural Plateau, known as Bassa on Mount Kotilion, at a height of 1130 meters.

It probably formed - together with the two small temples on the summit (at Kotilon) and the spring in the lower slopes of the Mountain - a single sanctuary, the precinct of Bassai-Kotilon. The temple is according to the testimony of the 2 nd c. A.D. traveller Pausanias, the work of Iktinos, the well- known Athenian architect of the Parthenon. It was built in the last quarter of the 5th c. BC (420-400 BC) for the cult of Apollo.