Temple of Apollo- The Land of Great Civilization

Religious tourism is not a new concept, recently invented. It is the oldest and most prevalent form of movement in the history of mankind, as members of all societies seek to communicate with the divine.
As a consequence, the religious journey reduces the payments to the pilgrimage activity of earlier times. Since ancient times yet, the journey of a religious character was strong motivation that led Greeks and foreigners directed at religious centers throughout Greece. Historically the Greeks used to express their religious feelings, their deep faith and devotion to God, a key feature of Orthodoxy for 2000 years.
The "Parthenon" of the Peloponnese!
In the center of the Peloponnese , in the ancient Bassae Figaleias, at 1130 meters above sea level stands proudly and evergreen temple of Epicurean Apollo. Inspirer and manufacturer of the temple is considered the Kite, great architect of antiquity, along with Kallikratis designed the Parthenon .The this universal jewel of architecture was the first of the marvelous monuments of Greece, which was recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1986. In the church you can reach the Elis after a magnificent path next to the river course Neda, or from Tripolis and Megalopolis.
The Vasses always been venerable venue, which hosted numerous temples. The region name means "small valleys." Indeed, the mountains of the Peloponnesian land, creating an attractive relief and between them emerges the imposing landscape of the temple. The Kotylio mountains Lykaio, Tetrazio and protective oils rise around the valley of Vasses. In this nature reserve worshiped all the gods of antiquity -the Pan, Aphrodite, Artemis and, of course, Apollo, as Vassitas and Epicurean, ie voithos- here was to erected one of the largest religious centers of the whole Hellenism .

The church, in its present form, was built between 420 and 400 BC Archaeologists are convinced that the foundation is oldest temple, possibly the 7th century BC The newest church, this unique monument of Iktinos summarizes the structure of the whole architecture knowledge of Greek culture.
With archaic, and major innovations was the admiration of all travelers over the centuries. Pausanias, who arrived in the 2nd century AD Vasses, was stunned in front of the greatness and power. It is assumed that the central column of the temple reflected the first ray of the summer solstice, representing eternal Apollonian light. If this is true, then this is the first non-figurative, abstract concept, statue in the history of mankind.

For the construction of preferred use the ash, limestone, which is a material of the place. This option has led the church to look like a natural element of space, afthyparktos and eternal. The proportions of length and width is calculated so that the enormous size of the temple is balanced by grace that conveys. The light itself is used by the great artist as a structural element of the church. The shadings initially create the illusion that the church is smaller than the actual size, as you approach, but gradually reveals the true dimensions • in this way the monument is not imposed on the volume of the space while exuding strength and awe when someone found him. At the same time, it creates an ongoing relationship with the same god, Apollo, and the light is the main factor that gradually revelation.

The outside parts of the church is strictly Doric. Inside the sculptural compositions and architectural decoration is incomparable art and beauty. The central column, which dominates the temple is of Corinthian capitals and constitutes the oldest preserved example of this type. The major frieze of the temple, with representations of Hercules, the Centaurs and the Amazons, is now in the British Museum.

The temple was in use throughout the Hellenistic and Roman period. In 1765, driven by Pausanias, the French architect J. Bocher could equate some findings with the great temple of Apollo.

This destination is really a library for the historians, the story of worlds greatest civilization is really interesting one. 

 The temple of Epicurean Apollo is the first Greek monument included in the list of World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO in 1986 with the following commentary: "The famous temple dedicated to the sun god and the healing of diseases was built around the middle of the 5th century. B.C. in the highlands of the Arcadian mountains. The church with the oldest Corinthian capital that has been found so far combines the archaic style and the Doric style with some innovative architectural features. "