Portara: The Massive Marble Doorway Standing Proudly on Greece’s Naxos

The Portara, the lintel of Lygdamis’ Temple of Apollo astatine Naxos. Credit: Greek Reporter

The imposing ruins of the Portara, oregon gate, inactive basal connected the islet of Palatia connected Naxos. What remains of a temple dedicated to Apollo, which was built successful the 6th to 7th period BC and was ne'er completed, stands down it contiguous successful mute beauty.

According to Greek mythology, the deity Theseus near Ariadne, whom helium had abducted from Crete earlier aft helium had killed the Minotaur to unrecorded connected Naxos.

According to the myth, during their travel from Crete, Theseus and Ariadne made a halt astatine the island. Theseus saw the Greek deity Dionysus successful a imagination portion staying there, and the deity told him that helium had to permission Naxos without Ariadne since she was meant to enactment determination and go his wife.

Ariadne so stayed connected Naxos and joined the deity Dionysus, and her worship arsenic a goddess flourished for centuries connected the island.

The past of the Portara successful Naxos

At 1 point, the tyrant Lygdamis began to physique a temple connected Naxos’ tiny islet of Palatia. He had expansive ideas of creating a temple adjacent larger than that of Zeus successful Athens oregon the temple of Hera connected Samos.

After the tyrant’s fall, the temple remained unfinished, leaving lone its instauration and portion of its gate, oregon Portara.

The gross was primitively constructed of 4 ample pieces of section marble, each weighing astir 20 tons. The Portara has a tallness of astir six meters (sixteen feet) and a width of astatine slightest 3.5 meters. After the emergence of Christianity, a religion was built connected the ruins of the temple, but this was aboriginal destroyed by the Venetians.

Portara contiguous is connected with the Naxos mainland via a paved footpath. The spot offers 1 of the astir enchanting sunsets successful Greece.

Where are the marbles of the Portara?

The marbles erstwhile comprising parts of the Portara were known to person been utilized by the Venetians to conception different buildings, chiefly the Castle of Chora successful Naxos, which was built successful medieval times by the Venetian Marco Sanoudo.

Sanoudo constructed the castle connected a elevation that rises astir 30 meters supra oversea level implicit the remains of the past acropolis, which helium considered a suitable spot for the constitution of the metropolis of Naxos. The astir singular diagnostic of his castle is that its partition is made up of the houses of the metropolis itself, which were erected on its perimeter.

Today, the visitor, portion taking a stroll done the beauteous alleyways of Naxos, tin spot gleaming marble stones from the Portara successful assorted places astir the city. The unmistakable smooth, glassy chromatic stands successful stark juxtaposition to the darker, rougher chromatic utilized for the remainder of the walls.

The past past of the land of Naxos continues astatine each step, with stones quarried astir 3 1000 years agone telling an eternal communicative of demolition and survival.