The fascinating stories behind places in Athens that you pass by unnoticed – part A!

Where can one find the powder-smoked temple of Hercules? Which sacred procession was commemorated by the column in Kolonaki? To which altar did the ancient Athenians offer their tears? Join us on a lengthy stroll through the city center, where we’ll explore both well-known and obscure stories about monuments, churches, and statues.

Godown: Socrates’ Prison

Approximately 100 meters outside the southwestern edge of the Agora, amidst the ruins of homes and workshops, a public building carved into the natural rock has been discovered. This building is believed to be the prison from classical times. Excavated by British historian Thomas Smart Hughes in the 19th century, the building housed thirteen miniature vases (out of a total of 21 found in the Ancient Agora area), which may have been used for hemlock, the poison given to those sentenced to death. All thirteen were discarded in the same tank. Despite the building’s location in an industrial area and its structure that could have accommodated a shopping center or guesthouse, the layout of the rooms would have been ideal for a prison. There’s a long corridor leading to a large courtyard, flanked by five square rooms on one side and three on the other, which could have been used as cells.

At the entrance, there’s a complex of four additional rooms with a different orientation, constructed during the same period as the others. These rooms could have been used as guard cells. The large courtyard could have been used for mass incarcerations or preliminary detainment of prisoners. Built in the mid-5th century, the building was located alongside a main road, situated in a depression, and equipped with bathing facilities. All these characteristics align with what we know about the prison from the Platonic dialogues and Plutarch’s writings. Among the artifacts discovered in the ruins of the building is a small, worn statue of Socrates, placed there to honor his memory. If this site is indeed the Desmotirion, it’s likely that Socrates drank the fatal hemlock and drew his last breath here.

Holy Power: The Powder-Smoked Dynamism of Hercules

The quaint chapel of Agia Dynami was erected during the Ottoman era in Rodakio, at the crossroads of Mitropoleos and Penteli streets. This spot was once home to the renowned Dioharous Gates of the Themistoclean Wall in ancient times. As per ancient Greek tradition, baths were located near the gates, which later transformed into thermal baths (Roman valaneia). In the same vicinity, sanctuaries associated with the operation of the ancient gymnasia would have been present. As such, a sanctuary of Hercules was initially constructed, and centuries later (in the 16th century AD), the temple of Agia Fortami was built atop its ruins. This temple was dedicated to the “patroness of women in labor” (those about to give birth).

Indeed, ancient dedications to the demigod Hercules have also been discovered, including a dedicatory relief featuring a bas-relief club and the inscription “HERACLEIDI (OMOIO) AND ANETHEKEN”. The dynamism associated with Hercules was later Christianized to represent the dynamism of the Virgin Mary. This source of strength is not only significant to women but also to the warriors of the 21st century. According to Athenian tradition and the testimonies of the abbot of the Penteli Monastery, Kirillos Degleris, Agia Dynamisa was part of the Penteli Monastery and was known as “Mendelitissa” (a variant of Pentelitissa), “of Mendeliotis” or “of Rodakios” (named after the district). Until the 1950s, when the Ministry of Education was constructed, the site housed a courtyard and other buildings, which were demolished to make way for the ministry and the road.

In 1641, a Jesuit monk named Francis, who taught Italian and French until he was accused of proselytizing and subsequently expelled, resided near the Church of the Holy Power. In his house, which had an underground passage to the Church of the Holy Power, a munitions workshop operated on the eve of the Revolution. This workshop was run by Alexis of Barouxis, a master pyrotechnician and ancestor of the Pavlidis family. His son Spyridon established the “Pavlidis Confectionery” in 1841 at the site of the old powder mill at the intersection of Aeolou and Vyssis. Alexis produced pistachios under the guise of providing for the defense of the Acropolis castle, as instructed by the Turks. The pistachios were secretly transported through the underground passage of his workshop to Menidi, where villagers would collect them on mules and deliver them to the fighters. The most trusted person for the secret transportation of the ammunition out of town was Maria Biniari, also known as Manolina. She would hide the precious cargo under her unwashed clothes, pretending to be on her way to wash them in the Ilisos, and then deliver it to the fighters. The treasures of the Penteli Monastery were once stored in the basement of the church, but sadly, they were lost during the Turkish invasion led by Omer Vryronis on July 21, 1821. After the liberation in 1837, Agia Dynami was converted into a cavalry station. The church also houses the holy relic of the modern Saint Nicholas of Plana.

Greece Crowns Byron: A Tribute or a Theft?

At the Zappeion, where Amalias Avenue intersects with Olga Avenue, stands a statue of Greece crowning Lord Byron. The statue depicts Greece as a larger, half-naked woman seated beside Byron, expressing her gratitude by holding a palm branch over his head, symbolizing immortality. Despite some unfortunate aspects of Byron’s pose and gesture – particularly the orientation of the palm and the positioning of his fingers – the overall effect is one of romantic passion. His gaze, directed towards Greece, is intense and full of ardor. The semi-nude male figure on the back side represents the subjugation of Hellenism. Upon closer inspection of Greece’s actions, it seems that she is attempting to distract him by crowning him with her left hand, while simultaneously reaching for his wallet with her right. This work, deemed scandalous in its time, incited the ire of renowned sculptor Dimitrios Filippotis, who declared in Palingenesia: “I am ashamed as a Greek because the work lacks symbolism and national identity. The foreign sculptor depicted Greece as a vulgar woman with sagging breasts.” The history of the statue’s creation is also intriguing: in April 1888, a competition was held for the construction of a larger-than-life statue of Byron atop a pedestal adorned with allegorical or historical portrayals, funded by expatriate Dimitrios Stefanovic Skylitsis. I. Vitsaris’ model was the standout in the competition (all participant models were displayed at that year’s Olympia exhibition). However, per the competition rules, the sponsor was not obligated to award the project to the winning artist. Consequently, the contract was given to French artists, sparking widespread protest. Greek artists’ bitter and disappointed critiques and statements filled the newspapers of the period. The statue’s model was crafted by Henri Michel Antoine Chapu, and after his passing, Alexandre Falguière executed the marble rendition. The statue was unveiled on July 20, 1895.

The Column in Kolonaki: A Testament to an Ancient Ritual

In 1789, the same year the famed French Revolution erupted, a peculiar event transpired in Athens. To fend off a plague ravaging the Ottoman Empire, the city’s residents organized a ritual procession. It started from the south of the Acropolis, likely from a chapel of St. Charalambos (the plague’s protector according to Christian beliefs). At the procession’s forefront, two twin heifers pulled a plow. Following them, townsfolk carried a large vessel filled with various items and inscriptions, listing the ailments threatening their community. The procession circled Athens, passing by specific ancient columns believed to have healing properties and symbolizing the city’s protection. The procession concluded at its final landmark, a column where Otto’s Bavarians would later (in 1835) commence work on Pireos Street, not far from present-day Gazi. There, they dug a large pit, slaughtered the heifers, and buried them along with the plow and the vessel containing the disease names. Following this, the ground hole is “sealed” by an ancient pillar, serving as a guardian to prevent the future emergence of evil in the city. Stemming from ancient Buffonia, this ritual survived until the late 19th century. The pillars associated with the periarosis ritual were believed to possess healing properties. As such, citizens would hang messages and objects related to their ailments in their recesses, a practice tied to the ancient worship of Artemis of Brauronia. Today, the capital’s center houses two pillars known to be associated with the periarosis rituals of past centuries. The first, from the Roman era of the 2nd post-Christian century, is located on Misaraliotou Street. This pillar was used as the seal for the oxen’s tomb during the 1789 periarchy. Its original location was between the Herodion and the Dionysus Theatre. This column “has always been visible and is referenced by foreign travelers visiting Greece during the years of Ottoman occupation. It has always served as a “landmark”. The second pillar is located in Filiki Etaireia Square, in Kolonaki. It was relocated from a tank next to the Adrianion Aqueduct, and its presence gave the entire area its name. This too is a periarosis column, the ritual for which likely took place several years before the one in 1789. Until recently, Greeks would attach a hair or thread from the stocking of a patient seeking treatment to the column with two balls of wax.

The Altar of the Twelve Gods: Where Athenians Offered Their Tears

Nestled between the temple and altar of Ares and the Poikili Stoa, in the Ancient Agora area, near the railway line, remnants of the Sanctuary of the Twelve Gods can barely be discerned amidst the vegetation. Traveler Pausanias referred to it as the Altar of Eleus, the god of mercy. An undeniable testament to the sanctuary’s existence is an inscription among the stones embedded in the grass: “Leagros anetheken, Glauconos twelve gods”, translating to “Leagros, son of Glauconos, dedicated the statue [which no longer exists] to the twelve gods”. Historian Thucydides informs us that Pisistratus, son of Hippias and grandson of the renowned Pisistratus, established a sanctuary in the Agora dedicated to the twelve gods of Olympus. This sanctuary was a square enclosed area with a central altar. It was destroyed by Xerxes’ invaders and later rebuilt by the Athenians at the end of the Golden Age. Due to its central location in the Agora, the Altar of the Twelve Gods served as a reference point for distance measurements (stadiosmos), much like Syntagma Square does today. The sanctuary also functioned as a primary asylum for those seeking refuge. It appears that even during the latter part of the Roman era, the location retained its sanctity, leading Pausanias to dub it the Altar of Mercy. Philostratus notes that the deity Eleus was revered by the Athenians as the thirteenth god. This benevolent deity was not honored with bloody sacrifices or bloodless offerings, but with the tears of the devotees. Furthermore, the Athenians constructed altars and paid homage to Aedo, Orme, and Fame. This is why the traveler Pausanias holds the Athenians in high regard, asserting that they are more fortunate than other humans. He justifies this by stating, “it’s evident that those who exhibit a level of piety that is somewhat higher than the norm, also possess a corresponding measure of happiness.”

The following sources were consulted:

Monastiraki-Plaka, The Neighborhoods of the Gods, Artemis Skumbourdi, Pataki Publications

The Sculptures of Athens, Outdoor Sculpture 1834-2004, Zetta Antonopoulou, Potamos Publications

Athens, Tracing the city through history and literature, Thanasis Yochalas-Tonia Kafetzaki, Estia Bookshop Publications

Great Lily, Minas Papageorgiou, Daidaleos Publications