Jaap van 't Veen's photos with the keyword: Δελφοί

Like many other Byzantine monasteries, Osios Loukas Monastery is situated in a picturesque valley with olive trees on the slopes of Mount Helicon - opposite Mount Parnassus. The monastic complex is in harmony with the surrounding landscape, following the example of the ancient temples. The buildings are considered being the largest and best preserved of the Middle Byzantine period, with extraordinary architecture and excellent decorations of mosaics, frescoes and sculptures. The complex is enclosed by a wall and comprises blocks of cells, a bell-tower, the refectory nowadays a museum - and two churches. The katholikon - main church of the monastery - was built in 1011-12. This cathedral is the only surviving structure to have eight pillars surrounding the central dome. The second one is the Church of Theotokos (Virgin Mary). This is the only church in Greece that is certain to have been built in the 10th century. The architectural design of the church follows the typical Byzantine architecture of "cross-in square" type and the walls have been built out of a mixture of bricks, marble and stone. It became the prototype for all the classical Byzantine churches of southern Greece. The monastery was founded around the middle of the 10th by the monk Loukás (St. Luke). His relics are exhibited in the katholikon. They were stolen by the Crusaders during the 13th century and kept in the Vatican for centuries. The monastery of Osios Loukas - still inhabited by monks - is included in the list of world heritage monuments of UNESCO.

The archaeological site of Delphi is located a couple of hundred meters east of ‘modern’ Delphi on the slopes of Mount Parnassus. The ancient Greeks did believe that Delphi was the center of the world. According to the mythology Zeus sent out two eagles from the two ends of the world. The eagles crossed their paths above the area of Delphi and since then the place was considered to be the center of the world. The sanctuary of Delphi, set within a most spectacular landscape, had the most famous oracle of ancient Greece. The Pythia was the name of the high priestess of the Temple of Apollo, who also served as the oracle of Delphi and was consulted about important decisions. The Temple of Apollo was the most important building of the Sanctuary of Apollo, also containing treasuries, theatre and a stadium. The original temple - built in the 7th century BC - was reconstructed many times. The present Doric temple - or at least the remains - is dating back to the year of 330 BC, during the reign of Alexander the Great. It has the same plan and roughly the same dimensions - 21.6 x 58.2 meters - as its predecessor, with six columns at the end and fifteen at the sides. The temple's foundations survive today along with several columns made of porous stone and limestone which is fairly soft material and have allowed for the temple's advanced decaying. Nowadays Delphi is an extensive archaeological site and is recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

The Tholos of Delphi is one of the ancient structures of the complex of the Temple of Athena Pronaia (locally known as the Marmariá, the marble quarry). The circular temple - tholos means dome - shares an immediate site with other ancient foundations of the Temple of Athena Pronaia, all located a couple of hundred meters east of the main ruins at Delphi. The tholos is considered being one of the most characteristic monuments at Delphi and the most important building of this small sanctuary. Twenty Doric columns - three have been reconstructed - supported a frieze with triglyphs and metopes. The building is dating back to 380 BC. The tholos was partially restored in 1938. Several architectural members and the surviving sculptures were restored and are now on display in the Delphi Archaeological Museum. The tholos is part of the Delphi UNESCO World Heritage Site.