Temple of Hera - Perachora
I present to you the Unique Beach site of the Temple of Hera, Queen of the Gods during Winter!
By Alexios Demos on April 1, 2020
Swimming Next to an Ancient Site Priceless! | Temple of Hera | Loutraki | © Copyright 2021 Alexios Demos
Indicative Information | Tickets: Potentially Free Year-round | Visiting Times Summer: 08:00 -15:00 | Loutraki, Peloponnese (Agioi Theodoroi Municipality) Postcode: 20300
Located 110km from Athens and 18km from Loutraki the drive, especially, the last 9km or so are from the most memorable I have taken in Greece and I would suggest if you are a motorcycle driver to do it as you will enjoy it.
“The sanctuary was established in the 8th c. BC and there is something about the surrounding landscape and the way the site is accessed through a spiraling footpath that the visitor actively feels an ancient mysticism long gone from our world. ”
In Euripides’s tragedy “Medea” he refers to a legend that strongly suggests the Sanctuary of Hera as the location where Medea buried her murdered children as she fled from Corinth.
Temple of Hera - Perachora (Corinthia Region)
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Wishing you a Happy, Hopeful & Constructive April! During the Coronavirus quarantine, my mind has been racing to this destination and I have longed to revisit this dazzling beach and swim for the first time next to the Sanctuary of Hera in the Peloponnese! The site was thoroughly excavated in 1930-1933 by the British School of Archaeology at Athens but for the most part has been forgotten today by both Greeks and tourists alike! The sanctuary was established in the 8th c. BC and there is something about the surrounding landscape and the way the site is accessed through a spiraling footpath that the visitor actively feels an ancient mysticism long gone from our world. Although the site was originally founded probably by Megarians it soon came under Corinthian control when it flourished through the 6th – 4th c. BC and many additional structures were created such as a second shrine to Hera, an L shaped stoa, an agora, dining rooms, and even a cistern. Unfortunately, by 146 BC when Corinth became a Roman Colony the sanctuary was ultimately abandoned as a place of worship. To this day the sanctuary gives important architectural clues of the development of the morphology of the Greek Temple in its cultic dimension.
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In Euripides’s tragedy “Medea” he refers to a legend that strongly suggests the Sanctuary of Hera as the location where Medea buried her murdered children as she fled from Corinth. “Medea” is one of the most famous Greek tragedies and in the play, Medea is a woman deeply scorned, sidelined by her husband and in her blindly rage to achieve revenge she commits hubris and murders her children to get even with her husband Jason (see the Greek myth: Jason and the Golden Fleece).
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Located 110km from Athens and 18km from Loutraki the drive, especially, the last 9km or so are from the most memorable I have taken in Greece and I would suggest if you are a motorcycle driver to do it as you will enjoy it. There are many activities to engage in this location besides visiting the archeological sanctuary you can swim, hike, visit a lighthouse above the sanctuary, visit Cycladic style Greek churches in the region and enjoy a killer sunset!
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