The first modern Hellenic Temple! In Thessaloniki, Makedonia!

Also click Here:
Opening estaplishment ceremony of the Temple – many photos (July 2009)
Celebrated ceremony of the Autumn Equinox (September 2009)
Celebrated ceremony of the winter solstice (December 2009)

This article was written in February 2009.

The first modern Hellenic Temple has almost been built (photo) and soon, the official ceremony will be done. Dedicated to the Gods and to our Greek ancestors, delivered to the admiration of every individual that honors the Greek wisdom and basic and moral principles, dominate inside a green environment with virgin vegetation.

The Hellenic Temple of the Hellenes is built at the area of Oreokastro (“Beautiful castle” in English), few kilometers outside Thessaloniki. It is located in a big and green private place and neighbours on a small forest with virgin vegetation (of the same property), near a small river full of trees.

photo: January 2009

Inside this small forest, on a small flat within the wild vegetation, dominates the marble statue of Hera, whereas at the path between the trees, while the visitor walks, is able to see the ceramic resemblances of Heracles and Poseidon. The park is about to be decorated with more ceramic and marble statues, while the reformation works of the park with small marble paths paved with slabs (in order to become easier for the visitors to walk, because there is steep gradient in some parts of the park) and wooden constructions of benches and seats for relaxation, conversations and Greek symposiums within nature, have already been started. The works stopped (temporarily) due to the bad weather and will be continued when the weather becomes better.

At the Temple’s yard dominates the marble statue of the Goddess Demeter which weighs 2 tons. In her hands she holds sheaf of wheat.

At the same space is placed the marble statue of Aphrodite (weighs 1,5 tons, right photo). In this case was preferred the depiction of the statue of the Aphrodite of Milos (Venus de Milo) as it is survived nowadays.

Marble statue, is also the statue of the Kourotrofos Artemis (as the Goddess who protects the infants, left photo) who holds 3 cute little children, while at the center dominates the marble complex of the Charites (below photo).

Left: Goddess Themis, at the internal of the Temple. She has her eyes blindfolded, holds the balance with her left hand and the sword with her right hand. Right: You can see Trofos at the yard of the Temple. She holds a vessel from which flows the nectar. Bronze statues.

Bronze is the statue of Trofos, 1,90m high. A beautiful young woman that holds a vessel from which flows, symbolically, the nectar. At the yard, there are apophthegms of the ancient Greek wisdom and basic and moral principles, like the «Gnothe safton» (Know thyself), «Eso egrates» (Be abstemious), «Meden Agan» (Do not exaggerate), «Metron areston» (Moderation in everything), «Eso enaretos» (Be virtuous) etc.

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There are still works to be done at the yard’s space, one of which is the construction of the central altar. They will start again, as I have already said, when the weather gets better. These works and the constructions are being done manually by the owner of this huge space (inspirer and founder of the Hellenic Temple) with the voluntary help of some friends and members of Hellenic clubs that stand by his side in this work. Owner, creator and founder of the Hellenic Temple is Mr. Aristoteles Kakogeorgiou (right photo).

Aristoteles Kakogeorgiou is a veteran world class Marathoner, who has won many medals. At the same time, he is president of the Marathon Club  of  Makedonia, a club that has the responsibility of organizing 5 Marathons annually at the area of Macedonia.

Mr Kakogeorgiou did all the plans of this monumental project (for an individual) alone, summoned up all his strength and implemented the plans, working at the biggest part of this project manually. He traveled abroad in search of sculptor’s studios for the construction of expensive marble and bronze statues, sculptors who worked and completed them, according to his instructions.

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The temple’s direction is from East to West, while the front part of the temple is built on a base that has stairs. It consists of a squared building surrounded by simple columns (same number/side), compact, without stripes.

The columns stand on bases and have chapiters of Ionic order.

The epistyle is compact. At the back part of the temple, the epistyle has a decoration of meanders in all of his length (some temples have had  decoration on the epistyle, like the temple of Assos). At the front of the temple the epistyle has no decoration, but  there is written at the center the ancient Greek saying “GNOTHE SAFTON” (Know yourself).

The fronton (aetoma) is based directly on the entablature. The entablature consists of the epistyle and the copestone, without metope or zoforos (frieze), as it was used to in Ionic Temples of Asia Minor.

The colors that dominate, as an imitation of ancient temples, are the red and the blue.

The system of the masonry, imitates the one of the ancient temples (ashlaring  false-ashlaring), without meaning that the size and the analogy fit exactly with the structure of the ancient constructions.

The gates are not, of course, the proper because the security of the construction was the priority. There will be built gates with wooden lining, close to the ancient model of temple-structure.

The internal of the temple is symbolically decorated with paintings that Mr. Kakogeorgiou did himself with a lot of work and love, inspired from the greek history and mythology, as well as with statues of Gods.

The most important thing in a temple is undoubtedly the altar, that will be constructed soon.

In the same space, a little further from the temple, has been constructed a big and elegant indoor space, which is well-lighted for the organization of meetings, galas, conferences, symposiums, sessions, seminaries, events etc., that promote the ancient spirit and the ancient Greek culture.

All these things we talk about don’t have commercial purpose. The temple, the surroundings, the events room etc. will have free access to the visitors, as well as all the admirers of the ancient Greek culture.

As Mr. Kakogeorgiou declared: «My intention was to create a work like this with conscientiousness and love. A home, inside of which, the Greek Gods and Heroes deserve to rest and to become a space for everyone who think according to the Greek spirit, without regard to one’s race and nationality. I took into consideration both the East and West in order to place the direction of the construction, but I didn’t follow the exact ancient models. I know the constructional weaknesses. I want to note that it is very difficult to construct a temple with the exact ancient models, because in order to achieve the exact models, it needs many and different technical groups, as well as studies from architectural offices, something that will make the cost unbearable for an individual. If I had followed the classical specifications, my financial strength would have been enough to place only the initial foundations. But for me, it was and it still is very important to exist a resemblance of a Temple. It was something spontaneous to implement an eager desire for a Hellenic Temple in Northern Greece (Makedonia)».

Mr. Aristoteles Kakogeorgiou

We should remind that the ancient temple had in many cases the form of a simple home (e.g., the early Hera’s temple in Samos, Apollo’s in Thermo of Aetolia, Eretrias’s temple, but also whatever survived in the area of Macedonia until late classics and the early Hellenistic years, like Demeter’s temple in Dion, Zeus’s temple in Florina etc.

However, it is true that the architectonical and the aesthetics knowledge is not enough for the construction of a temple, close to the classical masterpieces of our ancestors, if there isn’t the financial strength in order to realize such an architectural plan. But, instead of waiting for a possible sponsor and not do anything until then, we choose to act, even if we disappoint few of the admirers of the ancient Greek art who have high demands concern the design, but… are waiting others to take the initiative. Nowadays is more important the existence of a Temple, that can be useful as a start for even better, richer and aesthetically completed constructions. Let’s hope others will follow this example and make it even more perfect.

For all of us here in Thessaloniki, the existence of a Temple can not be judged only by its aesthetics. We think it is more important the vitality and the soul with which it will be invested. Consequently, the Temple of the Greeks and the surroundings are operational, and after the completion of the remained works and its dedication (in May approximately), it will become a place of everyday meetings of anyone who think according to the Greek spirit and admire it. It will become a place functional and alive for events, galas, ceremonies and of anything else that boosts the elevation and exposure of the perception of the ancient Greeks.

It is very important that the administration of the Municipality of Oreokastro and its citizens support this initiative and consider it as a jewel for their place.

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