Ελληνικό Δίκτυο ΦΙΛΟΙ της ΦΥΣΗΣ
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Holy Monastery of Daphni
10 th km of Athens – Corinth National Road,
210 5811558
Daphni Monastery lies in the foothills of Poikilon Mount in Haidari. It is considered one of the
most significant Byzantine monuments of Attica and it is a World Heritage Monument of Unesco.
Pausanias, the ancient travel writer says that in the 2 nd century CE there was the temple of Daphneos
or Daphneios Apollo in the location of today’s monastery, by the Sacred Way. Daphne, laurel, was
Apollo’s sacred plant, and the area still abounds with the tree. The monastery had two entry gates
and was fortified with towers and ramparts on the surrounding square stone wall. Today, parallel
to the four sides of the wall, there still remain the ruins of the old monastic cells. The interior of the
fortress is dominated by the 11 th century domed octagonal cruciform church of the monastery. It is
dedicated to Virgin Mary’s Assumption. Among the monastery’s particular features are:
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The mosaics, typical
of 11 th -12 th century
Byzantine art. The plas-
ticity of the figures is
reminiscent of classical
and Hellenistic art. God’s
figure on the dome is
characterized by the
austerity and simultane-
ously tenderness of his
expression.
The Ionian Capital from
Apollo’s temple found
built-in in the church’s
south side arcade. Next
to it there are copies of
three Ionian columns,
the original having been
stolen by Elgin and now
exhibited at the British
Museum.
Daphni Monastery, World
Heritage Monument of Unesco.
Theodore Du Moncel, 1843.