What I can see

We see a part of a building from the time of the Roman emperor Hadrian (117-138 AD) and more specifically, a part of its northern side. A little further south, there are remains of cruciform pillars, which probably supported domes or arches in the interior. Its shape was that of a three-aisled basilica, it was larger than the Parthenon and its dimensions are 85 X 40m. When the building and a relevant inscription were discovered, scientists estimated that it was the Common Sanctuary of the Gods (Pantheon), which Pausanias also mentions as one of Hadrian’s buildings in Athens. According to another scientific approach, the building is identified with the Panhellenium or Panellinion, i.e. the place where the representatives of the city-states met.

What I can't see

It was built on the remains of late Hellenistic and early Roman buildings and it was probably not destroyed by the Herouli (267AD). Emperor Hadrian was a great lover of Athens and gave huge sums of money to the Athenians to carry out major reconstruction works and build new impressive buildings. In the basement of the adjacent building (to the east), there are remains of the gate of the Byzantine fortress, built during the reign of Emperor Justinian I, and the ruins of the Christian church of Our Lady Krystalliotissa of the 17th century.

Info

• Address: Adrianou St.

Bibliography