Greece > The Oracle of Delphi

The Temple of Apollo is located just outside Delphi. Yesterday I already walked past the entrance. Although it is a short distance, we are still picked up by the bus. At the hotel, I meet Jorgos, the new driver. It still feels a bit strange to step onto his bus. At the archaeological site, Maria is already waiting. She will guide us around. Since the weather forecast predicts temperatures well above thirty degrees today, we first explore the temple and finish with the museum. For now, it isn’t too hot. Maria enthusiastically explains that Delphi was regarded as the center of the world. Long ago, she continues, two birds were released from the west and the east. They met precisely at Delphi. Here, the god Apollo, in the form of a dolphin, defeated the serpent Python. This is how the city of Delphi got its name. Apollo had a temple built on this spot, which was rebuilt several times. The fifth temple was the first to use stone and marble. When that temple was destroyed by an earthquake, the current temple was built in 330 BC. The “navel,” a large round stone in the temple, marked the true center of the earth. In the temple, the oracle of Delphi spoke

Greece - The pillars of the Temple of Apollo

. Thousands of people came to the oracle for guidance in difficult decisions. The oracle was always right, although the answers were often open to interpretation. A general consulting the oracle because he wanted to defeat the Persians was told that if he crossed the river, a great kingdom would be destroyed. He crossed the river, was defeated, and lost his own kingdom. Just behind the Temple of Apollo lies the amphitheater from the third century BC. This semi-circular theater could hold five thousand people. At the top of the mountain is the ancient stadium—an almost two-hundred-meter-long athletics track with stands. This track, dating from the second century BC, served as the venue for the Pythian Games. After the tour of the site, Maria takes us to the museum. Here many original pieces from the temples are displayed. Delphi’s ruins were only discovered in 1892. Excavations were complicated because a village had been built directly above the temple. The village had to be relocated first. Very little remains of the old temple. Yet the museum does an excellent job of showing what the complex must have looked like.

Greece - The oracle was spoken in the Temple of Apollo

Sometimes fragments are reconstructed, sometimes missing parts are indicated through drawings. The highlight, Maria concludes, is a bronze statue of a charioteer. This bronze statue, from the fifth century BC, was found in relatively good condition. For lunch, we descend the mountain back to the town of Itea on the Gulf of Corinth. At a seaside restaurant, I order souvlaki. About an hour’s drive from Delphi is the Monastery of Osios Loukás. Many consider this monastery the most beautiful Byzantine building in Greece. Osios Loukás means “the blessed Loukas.” In 940, Loukas decided to devote himself to reflection and live as a hermit. Together with other monks, he founded the monastery. After his death, the monastery church was built over his grave. It is said that Loukas is buried in the crypt, though this is not certain. The Katholikon, the largest and most famous church, was built a hundred years after Loukas’ death next to the original Mary church. The church features stunning frescoes and murals depicting various phases of Jesus’ life. The churches, the crypt, and the monastery complex are a delight to see. It is a pleasure to wander around the grounds. In the afternoon, we drive back to Delphi to the hotel.