Temple of Apollo — Attraction in Municipality of Corinth

The Temple of Apollo in Corinth is one of the most iconic and well-preserved examples of Archaic Greek architecture. Located on an imposing rocky hill overlooking the ancient city, it served as an emblem of Corinth's prosperity and influence.

It is a Doric peripteral temple, meaning it has a colonnade (row of columns) surrounding its central structure. It was constructed around 540 BCE, making it one of the earliest Doric temples in the Peloponnese and mainland Greece.

It originally featured 6 \times 15 columns, totaling 90 columns, although some sources mention 42 monolithic columns, 6x15 columns, over 7m high. Only seven monolithic columns remain standing today, primarily from the western side of the temple. These columns are over 7 meters high and have a diameter of about 1.7 meters at the base.

The columns were quarried from local limestone. The temple was primarily built from local oolithic limestone. The column capitals were cut as separate blocks, and the sima (the upturned edge of the roof) was likely made of terracotta. The limestone was originally covered with a white marble stucco.

The archaic temple was built on the site of an earlier 7th-century BCE temple.

During the Roman period, when Corinth was refounded, the temple was renovated. The interior colonnades were removed from the cellas, and the columns were reused in an exterior colonnade near the forum. The main entrance was also changed from an easterly to a westerly approach. In later periods, parts of the temple were unfortunately demolished or incorporated into other structures, such as a Byzantine basilica and an Ottoman residence.

The Temple of Apollo is a crucial archaeological monument, offering insights into early Greek temple architecture and engineering. Its robust, monolithic columns and early use of refinements like the curved stylobate highlight the advanced building techniques of the Archaic period. It stands as a testament to Corinth's wealth and importance as a city-state in ancient Greece.

Today, it is the most prominent landmark of the archaeological site of Ancient Corinth and one of the few standing Archaic Greek temples...

Ancient Corinth was one of the Greek cities for over 1000 years. On the one hand it was an important trading and transshipment point, on the other hand it was the only access to the Peloponnese. As early as the 8th century BC, Corinthian settlers founded colonies throughout the Mediterranean region and in the 6th century Corinth was the center of vase painting and had a lively export industry. Callimachus is said to have invented the so-called Corinthian Chapter here in Corinth in the 5th century. The center of the ancient excavation is a mighty Apollo temple with some columns from the 5th century BC that are still standing. Its one-piece Doric columns are exceptionally compact in length, suggesting an early stylistic form. There is also an Octavia temple, a complete agora with wells for water supply etc. A special feature of the agora is a so-called bema, a sermon terrace from which the apostle Paul is said to have preached. Furthermore, Corinth has two little-preserved theaters and a beautiful closed museum in which the finds from the area are presented in a clear...

Only 7 of the original 42 pillars are still standing. Yet the Temple of Apollo is easily the most noticable and iconic of the archeological remains at Ancient Corinth. While it's roped off, you can get close enough to not miss a thing. The path leads all around it, so you can inspect it from all angles. As far as the rest of the archeological site goes, it's stunning how much work has already been done, and how much is yet to be done. You can easily spend 2-3 hours here, as a careful inspector more. The museum is well documented. And the biblical relevance (and references on the signs) is astounding. Definitely a highlight of our recent trip. The mountainous view from up here and the Gulf of Corinth in the background is just the icing on top. Usually a serene, not crowded places. If you come by train, you can take a taxi for ~12 € from the Korinth...