Temple of Ephara Acraea

In the highest part of the city lies a meadow reached by wide stairs, the last flight of which leads directly inside the temple of Ephara. The temple is said to be the oldest building in Altrisos and the reason for the creation of the city. It seems to have been an ancient shrine to some deity or titan. The temple can be seen from anywhere in the city overlooking the mountain that serves as its dwelling. The meadow surrounding the temple is covered with vegetation in the form of low shrubs and flowering plants of various colors. Olive trees, cypresses, pines and oaks are part of the grove formed around the temple, and make the white stone of the temple stand out even more. Externally the temple looks archaic, with columns without bases and simple capitals. The sculptures of its friezes also appear to be of an ancient and unrefined style, with geometric shapes and humanoid figures in profile positions. The gods of the Pantheon are represented at some point in the frieze, which extends into the interior of the colonnade. Some of the figures seem to represent titans, but many others are not recognizable. The interior also exudes sobriety, but its walls have been covered with marble slabs magically joined together, renewing its space and giving the sensation of a single piece. The image of Ephara, in the background, is shown in the center of a fountain with a background of blue and turquoise tesserae. The image is particularly delicate and the face of the goddess seems to soften her traditional hieratism, leaning on her amphora, from which the water of the fountain flows on a column. The young people of Altrisos offer during the Polidrysion a new linen dress for the image of the goddess, as in Meletis, and it is in this temple that the processions in honor of the founding goddess end that day.