Temple of Hephaestus

The Temple of Hephaestus is a well-preserved Doric temple on the northwest side of the Ancient Agora in Athens, completed in the classical period around the mid 5th century BC. It is among the finest surviving examples of an ancient Greek peripteral temple.

Architectural highlights include the hexastyle peristyle with six columns on the short sides and thirteen on the long sides, an intact entablature in many places and an internal cella that retains classical proportions. The temple’s preservation owes in part to its late conversion into a Christian church.

Built during the classical era of Athens, the temple originally served a cult role dedicated to Hephaestus, the god of metalworking and craft. Over time it was maintained, altered for ecclesiastical use, and later conserved as part of archaeological protection of the Agora.

The temple stands within the archaeological area of the Ancient Agora, immediately northwest of the Roman-era marketplace and near modern Thiseio station in central Athens. It is accessible on foot from the city centre and is a principal stop on visits to the Agora museum and ruins.

• Date and preservation: Construction began in the mid-5th century BC and the temple is commonly dated to the period c. 449-415 BC, making it one of the best-preserved ancient Greek temples.
• Historical name and location: Historically referred to as the Theseion, the building is now identified with the cult of Hephaestus and stands on the northwest side of the Ancient Agora of Athens.

What to See #

• Peristyle and colonnade: Peristyle and colonnade - a hexastyle Doric arrangement with six columns on the short ends and thirteen on the long sides, forming a well-preserved outer colonnade.
• Cella and interior spaces: Cella and inner rooms that retain structural features of the original temple plan and interior divisions used in the classical period.