The Temple of Concordia ( it, Tempio della Concordia) is an
ancient Greek temple
Greek temples ( grc, ναός, naós, dwelling, semantically distinct from Latin , "temple") were structures built to house deity statues within Greek sanctuaries in ancient Greek religion. The temple interiors did not serve as meeting places, ...
in the
Valle dei Templi
The Valle dei Templi (; scn, Vaddi di li Tempri), or Valley of the Temples, is an archaeological site in Agrigento (ancient Greek ''Akragas''), Sicily. It is one of the most outstanding examples of ancient Greek art and architecture, and is one ...
(Valley of the Temples) in
Agrigento
Agrigento (; scn, Girgenti or ; grc, Ἀκράγας, translit=Akrágas; la, Agrigentum or ; ar, كركنت, Kirkant, or ''Jirjant'') is a city on the southern coast of Sicily, Italy and capital of the province of Agrigento. It was one o ...
(Greek: Akragas) on the south coast of
Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
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, demographics_type1 = Ethnicity
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, demographi ...
, Italy. It is the largest and best-preserved
Doric temple in Sicily
and one of the best-preserved Greek temples in general,
especially of the Doric order.
It is located a kilometer east to the
Temple of Heracles.
Description
The temple was built BC.
The well-preserved
peristasis of six by thirteen columns
stands on a
crepidoma
Crepidoma is an architectural term for part of the structure of ancient Greek buildings. The crepidoma is the multilevel platform on which the superstructure of the building is erected. The crepidoma usually has three levels. Each level typic ...
of four steps (measuring ,
and high)
The
cella
A cella (from Latin for small chamber) or naos (from the Greek ναός, "temple") is the inner chamber of an ancient Greek or Roman temple in classical antiquity. Its enclosure within walls has given rise to extended meanings, of a hermit's or ...
measures .
The columns are high
and carved with twenty
flutes
The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...
and harmonious
entasis
In architecture, entasis is the application of a convex curve to a surface for aesthetic purposes. Its best-known use is in certain orders of Classical columns that curve slightly as their diameter is decreased from the bottom upward. It also may ...
(tapering at the tops of the columns and swelling around the middles).
It is constructed, like the nearby
Temple of Juno, on a solid base designed to overcome the unevenness of the rocky terrain. It has been conventionally named after
Concordia, the Roman goddess of harmony, for the Roman-era Latin inscription found nearby, which is unrelated to it.
If still in use by the 4th-and 5th century, it would have been closed during the
persecution of pagans in the late Roman Empire. The temple was converted into a Christian basilica in the 6th century dedicated to the apostles Peter and Paul by San Gregorio delle Rape, bishop of Agrigento and thus survived the destruction of pagan places of worship.
The spaces between the columns were filled with walling, altering its Classical Greek form. The division between the cella, the main room where the cult statue would have stood in antiquity, and the
opisthodomos
An opisthodomos (ὀπισθόδομος, 'back room') can refer to either the rear room of an ancient Greek temple or to the inner shrine, also called the adyton ('not to be entered'). The confusion arises from the lack of agreement in ancient i ...
, an adjoining room, was destroyed, and the walls of the cella were cut into a series of arches along the nave.
The Christian refurbishments were removed during the restoration of 1785.
According to another source, the
Prince of Torremuzza transferred the altar elsewhere and began restoration of the classic building in 1788.
According to authors of a 2007 article, it is "apart from the Parthenon, the best preserved Doric temple in the world."
Gallery
File:Agrigento-Tempio della Concordia01.JPG
File:Concordiatempel Tempio della Temple of Concordia de la Concorde Tal der Tempel Valle dei Templi Agrigento Sizilien Foto Wolfgang Pehlemann DSC07490.jpg
File:Concordiatempelagrigent4.jpg
File:Valle dei Templi 3214.jpg
File:Charles Gore View of the Temple of Concord at Agrigentum.png, ''View of the Temple of Concord at Agrigentum'' by Charles Gore
Charles Gore (22 January 1853 – 17 January 1932) was a Church of England bishop, first of Worcester, then Birmingham, and finally of Oxford. He was one of the most influential Anglican theologians of the 19th century, helping reconcile the c ...
(1777)
File:A View at Girgenti in Sicily with the Temple of Concord and Juno.tif, ''A View at Girgenti in Sicily with the Temple of Concord and Juno'' by Charles Lock Eastlake
Sir Charles Lock Eastlake (17 November 1793 – 24 December 1865) was a British painter, gallery director, collector and writer of the 19th century. After a period as keeper, he was the first director of the National Gallery.
Life
Eastlak ...
()
File:Fig. 121 Temple of Concord at Girgenti.png, ''Temple of Concord at Girgenti'', a wood engraved print ()
File:Temple of Concord, Girgenti, Italy, 1895. (2826089766).jpg, ''Temple of Concord, Girgenti'' by William Henry Goodyear
William Henry Goodyear (1846–1923) was a noted architectural historian, art historian, and museum curator. He was the son of Charles Goodyear (1800–1860), inventor of rubber vulcanization, and Clarissa Beecher Goodyear.
Goodyear was ...
(1895)
File:Joseph Pennell Temple of Concord, Girgenti.png, ''The Temple by the Sea'' by Joseph Pennell
Joseph Pennell (July 4, 1857 – April 23, 1926) was an American draftsman, etcher, lithographer and illustrator for books and magazines. A prolific artist, he spent most of his working life in Europe, and is known for his interest in landmarks, l ...
(1913)
File:Fotografi på tempel Concordia - Hallwylska museet - 104077.tif, circa 1888
See also
*
List of Ancient Greek temples
This list of ancient Greek temples covers temples built by the Hellenic people from the 6th century BC until the 2nd century AD on mainland Greece and in Hellenic towns in the Aegean Islands, Asia Minor, Sicily and Italy ("Magna Graecia"), wher ...
References
;Bibliography
*
*
{{Authority control
5th-century BC religious buildings and structures
Concordia
Buildings and structures in the Province of Agrigento
Valle dei Templi
5th-century BC establishments in Italy
Roman temples by deity
Archaeological sites in Sicily