<Location> Acropolis, Athens, Attica, Greece
The monumental entrance to the Acropolis that impresses every visitors. The construction of the Propylaia was started in 437 BCE, right after the dedication of the Parthenon. We know it was still under construction in 432, but it seems to be interrupted soon later and never restarted. The reason of the interruption is probably the Peloponnesian War that started in 431 BCE. The architect was Mnesikles, who also made the Parthenon.
On both facades six Doric columns are arranged, while the central corridor is between two rows of Ionian columns; the presence of both Doric and Ionian orders is seen also in the Parthenon. The roof was covered with marble panels, just like the Parthenon. The large hall of the northern side is sometimes called "Picture Gallery", because Pausanias wrote it was decorated with the paintings. This hall was used for ritual dinner of the officials. In Antiquity, there were statues of deities and offerings in and around the Propylaia, but they were all gone.
During the Byzantine period it was used as the residence of the bishops, and it was converted into the ducal palace during the Latin domination.
Under the Ottomans, it was the residence of the military governor. The building was heavily damaged in 1645 when a thunder struck it and the gunpowder stored there exploded.
After the independence of Greece, the monument was restored during 1909 and 1917. Currently, the work to restore the roof is under way. One of the objects is to protect the Propylaia from erosion by acid rain. The ordinary visitors can watch only the outside and the central corridor of the monument, and the other parts are closed to the public.
