The most interesting thing about the Greek temples is that they were to dedicate respected Gods and Goddesses not to worship. These Gigantic Greek temples that symbolize the wealthy history of the ancient empire are popular tourist attractions even today. Every year millions of people come to visit the elegant beauty of these ancient Greek temples.

Temple of Olympian Zeus: 

• The Greeks started building the temple of Olympian Zeus in the 6th century BC and finished in the 2nd century AD. 
• It was counted as the largest and the most beautiful among all the Greek temples in Greece. 
• The temple was dedicated to Olympian God Zeus and was built in Corinthian style of architecture with the Pentelic marble. 
• It had 104 majestic columns, a huge chryselephantine statue of Zeus along with many other statues of Greek gods and Roman emperors. Only 15 columns are standing today that glorifies the beauty of the Greek temples. 

2. Temple of Poseidon at Sounion: 

• The architecture of the Temple of Poseidon and the Hephestus are similar. Hence, it’s believed the same architectures designed both Greek temples. 
• The temple was built in 440 BC on the tip of the Attica Peninsula and is surrounded by sea from the 3 sides. 
• Out of 34 Doric-style white marble columns, only 15 are standing today. Yet it made it to the list of the Greek temples.

3. Temple of Zeus at Cyrene: 

• It was built during the 5th century in Cyrene ancient time which is present-day’s Libya. 
• In 115 AD Jewish destroyed and 5 years later the Romans restored it on the order of the emperor Hadrian. 
• However, in 365 AD an earthquake destroyed a great deal of the temples and British, Italian archaeologists rebuilt them directly in modern times. 
• The temple is located on the highest point of the city that used to represent the richness of Cyrene. 
• The Temple of Zeus at Cyrene is larger than Parthenon, making it well-known among the Greek temples. Thus, all this makes it one of the popular Greek temples of all times.   

4. Erechtheum: 

• The Erechtheum is located on the north side of the Acropolis in Athens and is dedicated to the Greek hero Erichthonius. 
• The temple was built between 421 and 407 BC in the Lonic style. The 6 Caryatids (female figures) are supporting the porch area of the temple which is the most intriguing thing, unlike other Greek temples. 
• Due to such features, it’s popular as one of the beautiful Greek temples.

5. Temple of Apollo Epicurius: 

• The temple of Apollo Epicurius is standing on a remote location of a mountainside in the Peloponnese at Bassae. 
• This structure is one of its kind among the list of ancient Greek temples. It’s constructed in the alignment of North-South, but most of the Greek temples are aligned East-West. 
• Another interesting thing is, the temple is built with 3 classical Greek architecture styles. Doric columns form the Peristyle, Ionic columns for the support of the porch and Corinthian columns feature in the interior part. 
• Presently, it’s covered in a tent to protect the ruins from the elements that keep it like other Greek temples. 

6. Doric temple of Segesta: 

• The Doric temple of Segesta was made during the 5th century and is now part of North-West Sicily, Italy. 
• The temple is well preserved outside the ancient site with 6×14 Doric columns and was never finished. 
• The Doric columns are not fluted here unlike the other Greek temples. Also, there is no roof and the main chamber that shows incompleteness of the structure. 
• Yet, this pleasing-looking monument is added among the famous Greek temples.  

7. Temples at Paestum: 

• Paestum is an ancient Greco-Roman city that houses 3 Greek temples. 
• The oldest temple built around 550 BC is dedicated to Hera, the Goddess of marriage and childbirth. 
• Another temple was built after a century for Hera nearby and the last temple built in 500 BC is dedicated to Athena which is further away. 
• Many visitors come to the ancient city to witness the Greek temples.

8. Temple of Hephaestus: 

• Now this is one of the most famous Greek temples and is best-preserved. 
• It’s dedicated to Hephaestus, God of craftsmanship and is famous for its architectural charm among the other Greek temples. 
• It’s located 500 meters North-West away from Acropolis and one of the architects of Parthenon designed the temple. 
• The Temple of Hephaestus made of Pentelic and Parian marble welcomes millions of visitors each year just like other Greek temples. 

9. Valley of temples: 

• The remains of 7 Greek temples situated outside Agrigento Sicily are called ‘the Valley of temples’. 
• The Temple of Concordia was built in the 5th century BC and is the best-preserved among all the Greek temples on-site. It’s also one of the largest and is the best-preserved Doric-style temple that exists today. 
• The Doric columns are 22 feet tall including the capitals and the base diameter is 4.5 feet. 
• The Temple of Juno was used for the celebration of weddings and the Temple of Heracles is the oldest with only 8 columns at the site among the other Greek temples. 

10.Parthenon: 

• Parthenon was built in Acropolis during the 5th century to replace an older temple that was destroyed because of the Persians. 
• It’s dedicated to Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war of Athens and UNESCO has declared Parthenon ‘World heritage site’.
• Originally, there was a statue of Goddess inside the temple which was made of ivory, silver and gold, but it was looted and destroyed.
• Parthenon is the most famous tourist attraction in Athens among the other Greek temples that acted as a fortress, a church, a mosque and a powder magazine in the past.  

Conclusion

It’s astonishing to know such spellbinding details on the ancient Greek temples! So these are some amazing Greek temples that are helping local places to thrive due to tourism as well. 

At Secret Temples, you will learn details on different ancient religions.