Greece’s Central Archaeological Council (KAS) completed a “very important meeting”, on Wednesday, May 8, 2019, as it gave the green light to an effort that has been going on for more than three decades: the restoration of the northern wall of the chamber in the Parthenon temple.

In the ancient Greek temples, the “sekos” was the main interior space where was kept the statue of the god (or the goddess) to which it was dedicated. In the case of the Parthenon, it is the famous colossal ivory and gold cult statue of Athena Parthenos, made by master sculptor Phidias.

“Today’s meeting is of great importance because, through the implementation of the research concerning the restoration of the sekos, we will have a reconstruction of the facades, a very important event in the later history of the Parthenon”, noted the responsible for the Department of Restoration of Ancient Monuments.

This means that after the project’s completion, the geometry of the building will be greatly restored, “the identity and history of the monument will be highlighted, while the visitor will have an understanding of its particular architecture”, noted a KAS member.

The study intends to exploit the rich material and the vast knowledge gathered over nearly four decades, starting with the 1983 memorial volume for the restoration of the Parthenon by C. Bouras and M. Korres. Its aim is to highlight the limit of wall retention as it was formed after the bombing of Morozini in 1687 and before the siege of the Acropolis in 1822 when the Turks broke the ancient stones to remove the lead.

In the next phase, the restoration will include the section where the frieze and the architrave were located, but destroyed during Elgin’s seize and the siege of 1822.