Temple of Apollo-Portara Naxos

It is located on the island “Palatia” at the entrance of the port of Naxos. Portara is the trademark of Naxos. It is a huge marble gate, a remnant of a temple of Apollo of 530 BC, which remained unfinished in its construction. It consists of 4 pieces of marble weighing 20 tons.It was built by Tyrant Ligdamis in the 6th century. BC, according to the specifications of the Temple of Olympian Zeus in Athens and Hera in Samos.Ionian rhythm, was 59 m long and 28 m wide, while its entry was on the western side unusual in temples of this type. The monumental gate that survives today was led by the precursor inside the temple and consists of four marble sections weighing tens of tons. There are traces of its foundations and the foundations of the perimeter colonnade that has never been completed. The Palatia islet has been linked to the worship of Ariadne and Dionysus – the legend wants Ariadne’s rapture from Dionysus to their shores – and is considered the place where the first “Dionysia” was celebrated.

Today Portara joins the land with a paved path that the visitor can admire the beautiful sunsets.