THE PARTHENON: A GREAT TEMPLE

Its name means “the residence of the young ladies”, the Parthenon is one of the main temples of adoration constructed in the Acropolis of Athens between the years 447 and 432 after Christ. Dedicated to the goddess Athens, considered the protector by the Greeks, the Parthenon represents a Doric icon, which corresponds to the architectonic style characteristic of that Hellenic people, characterized by proportion, harmony and classical beauty.

Being 228 feet tall and 101 feet wide, the Parthenon is supported by columns more than 32.8 feet tall, constructed completely with white marble, which was extracted from Mount Pentelicus. Pericles was who motivated its construction, as a way to thank the deities who helped him on his battle against the Persians.  Ictinus and Callicrates where the architects of the Parthenon, who were under the supervision of the great Phidias, who is responsible for the structural decoration and the great Chryselephantine sculpture of Athena, which was the main piece found on the Parthenon, being made with 2645 pounds of pure gold.

Under religious character, the Parthenon was the host of Byzantine and Latin beliefs, and was even used as a Muslim mesquite. Also, it was the weapons warehouse after the Turks used it as a place to store gunpowder in the year 1687. During the Ottoman Empire, the Parthenon suffered major damage to its structure after a cannon shot destroyed part of its architecture, however, after a long time, it still stands with its original form.

Other damages caused by the hand of man to the Parthenon was in the XIX century, when the worker Thomas Bruce Elgin ordered the removal of most of the decorative sculptures, like friezes, metopes and pediments, and then were sold to the British Museum, being now part of its most significant collections.

Regarding the treasure it once kept, it has been know that the main objective of the Parthenon was safekeeping the colossal sculpture in gold of Athena Polias, referred to as the protector goddess, and sculpted by Phidias, which is why the design of the construction is divided in three zones, separated by a double row of columns. At the same time, as a part of the adoration practice, on the west zone a statue was in place to give honor to Athena Parthenon, known as “the virgin”, along with a wide pond which gave a shine to the frontal part of the divine image.

The Parthenon is renowned nowadays as one of the clearest examples of the architectonic development reached during the Ancient Greece. The studies regarding the geometry and mathematics its design has are a fundamental part of artistic teachings. Being also a sample of the varied beliefs which enriched the Hellenic culture, even with all the damage it suffered, the Parthenon is an invaluable jewel which has stood firm after all these years, even when it has been attacked by humans.