Ancient Splendors
In the Archaic period, the temple dominates the city. At the beginning essentially of raw brick and wood, the latter, henceforth rectangular and peripteral (surrounded by a peristyle with a row of columns), is more and more often erected in stone. At this time, the temples are of very simple plan, made up of a single room called naos or cella. The classical period represents the golden age of Greek architecture, characterized by a quest for rationality and harmony. The plan of the temples fleshes out according to the following diagram: pronaos (entry or vestibule) - naos (sanctuary containing the statue of the divinity, often with 3 naves) - opisthodome (symmetrical back porch). It is at this time that the Greek orders develop.
The Doric order is illustrated by its simplicity. Massive and squat, the columns play a supporting role, do not have any base and their capitals are empty of any decoration. The Parthenon
, symbol of the policy of prestige carried out by Greece, forsakes the modest materials of the preceding times for the majesty of marble and illustrates in all its splendor the Doric harmony. The Hephaestheion, in the lower city, is another marble masterpiece. Numerous researches carried out since the XIXth century have revealed that this marble did not have then the whiteness that we know today, but was on the contrary adorned with colors, sublimating in particular the important and imposing statuary!The Ionic order is manifested by its elegance and its lightness. The columns are more graceful, resting now on a base and their capitals are adorned with two volutes. The Temple of Athena Nike and theErechtheion
, both on the Acropolis, are perfect examples. Great importance is given to the search for ideal proportions and the architects, to underline the majesty of the buildings, do not hesitate to carry out some optical corrections in the form of curvature and inflection of the lines, in order to avoid the impressions of subsidence or of too great verticality. The decoration is also more worked. The entablatures that rest on the columns between the capitals and the roof are adorned with cornices and friezes punctuated by triglyphs, sculpted elements that protrude. The treasuries, small votive buildings receiving offerings, allowed the architects to give free rein to their imagination, in particular through a decoration all in mouldings and sculpted friezes. The Hellenistic period is that of monumentality and splendor. Henceforth, the temples - whose porticoes lengthened, doubled their span and gained a floor - were no longer the only flagship buildings of the city. Theaters, council rooms and gymnasiums multiplied. Thermal baths even made their appearance. The porticoes, always more impressive, delimit the space of the sanctuaries and the public places, while propylaea (monumental porches) make their appearance on the Acropolis. This skilful play of robustness and lightness is underlined by a refined decoration mixing the Doric and Ionic orders, by adding a third order, the Corinthian order, with its acanthus leaves and its crenellated columns. Surprisingly, the Corinthian order will be mostly used by the Romans with their desire for grandeur, as illustrated by the Temple of Olympian Zeus at the foot of the Acropolis. This period is also marked by a rise in individualism. Henceforth, the rich and powerful decorated their villa with luxury to show their success. These houses are organized around a central court surrounded by a peristyle. The mosaic decorations are of great refinement. At the same time, a reasoned urbanism was developed which presided over the construction of new cities like Piraeus. The town planner Hippodamos of Milet conceives a master plan in the form of geometrical plan by which the city is squared by rectilinear streets which are cut in right angle forming islands of the same dimension including 8 houses... a number which owes nothing to the chance, the town planner seeking by there even to control the number of inhabitants in the city. He also separated the zones and functions of the city (commercial zone, military zone, religious and public zone, residential zone) to facilitate the reading. The agora, serving as a link between the different zones, is the central place of the city and its porticos allow both to circumscribe its position and to offer citizens pleasant shaded spaces. A logical and reasoned master plan which, you will not have failed to notice, was not applied to Athens!Byzantine and Ottoman Athens
From the 4th to the 15th century, Greece was part of the Byzantine Empire. This period, which was often described as medieval obscurantism in contrast to the enlightened grandeur of antiquity, nevertheless gave Greece superb evidence of an astonishing syncretism in which architecture was the link between pagan cults and Christian traditions. Now an official religion, Christianity needed new buildings to mark its power. The Christians therefore developed new architectural solutions on existing Greco-Roman structures. The baths served as a model for the baptisteries and the mausoleums of the emperors inspired the sanctuaries. As for the basilicas - which until then had served as covered markets, public squares and courts of justice - they became churches. They had to allow the congregation to turn towards the altar... this is how the longitudinal or basilical plan was born with its central hall surrounded by colonnades. Then Greece will gradually adopt a centered plan in the shape of a cross. The decoration is extremely refined, as evidenced by the sumptuous decorations of mosaics and colorful frescoes. The mosaics are then made of cubes of glass paste colored by metal oxides and applied on a bed of fresh cement, before being covered with thin sheets of gold or silver. The church of the Virgin installed in the Parthenon is the perfect illustration of this syncretism between pagan cults and Christian tradition, while the monastery of Daphni, not far from the capital, impresses by its church with octagonal central plan decorated with sumptuous frescos and mosaics.
From the 16th to the 19th century, Greece was integrated into the powerful Ottoman Empire. Many Byzantine churches were transformed into mosques, thus adapting Christian sanctuaries to the rites of Islam. For the mosques built from scratch, the Ottomans favored modest proportions, the mosques being often limited to a prayer room. Hammams, bazaars and caravanserais dotted the territory. In Athens, one can still see the remains of the Fethiye mosque and the Turkish baths.Neoclassical and modernism
1821, Greece is freed from the Ottoman yoke and celebrates its independence. The young nation seeks to give back to its cities their authentic Greek character. It is then decided to make a clean sweep of the Ottoman past. King Otto I, a former prince of Bavaria, brought in many foreign architects who imported the neoclassical style. This style, which uses all the codes of ancient architecture (columns, pilasters, pediments, monumentality...), allows the Greeks to close the Ottoman parenthesis by reviving their most glorious past. It is also a way for the country to get closer to the other European countries very fond of this style. This is particularly visible in Athens, which became the capital in 1834. A brand new district was built and witnessed a major urban renewal for the city: the creation of wide and large arteries, such as Stadiou and Panepistimiou streets, inspired by the large avenues of European capitals. Under the impulse of the Danish architect Theophil Hansen, assisted later by the German Ernst Zeller, the capital is adorned with hundreds of public buildings with the appearance of classical temples. Hansen was responsible for the Academy (whose Ionic columns were inspired by theErechtheion), the National Library in marble (inspired by the Doric style of the Temple of Hephaestus
), and the University. The neoclassical style was also very popular with the wealthy classes, especially the shipowners, who built lavish villas with first floors punctuated by Doric columns and pilasters framing monumental porches, while on the upper floors, elegant Ionic columns and balconies adorned the façades. Pediments and sculpted bas-reliefs were very fashionable at the time. The house of the great archaeologist Schliemann and his tomb decorated with columns, caryatids and a replica of the Temple of Athena Nike are perfect examples. In 1933, off the coast of Athens, the Athens Charter was signed on the occasion of the4th Congress of the CIAM (International Congress of Modern Architecture). A manifesto of the modernist movement and a theory of functionalist urbanism, this charter takes up all the points made by Le Corbusier, then a key figure in the CIAM. Many buildings in Athens bear the mark of this modernism: use of reinforced concrete, large bay windows, absence of ornamentation... A major program had even been initiated by the Ministry of Education to popularize modernism and to counter the strong criticism of which it was the object because of its austere aspect. This program included the construction of numerous schools. The 1950s, on the other hand, were marked by ever-increasing demographic pressure on the city, a phenomenon that pushed developers to raze entire historic neighborhoods in order to build ever faster and cheaper soulless blocks of flats and houses of questionable quality, in an unreasonable jumble that gave the city an impression of disorder that it would have trouble getting rid of. A phenomenon that contrasts totally with the neoclassicism that was still very popular after the war and used for large public buildings. The 1960s marked the advent of the international style of which the glass curtain wall is the great representative. The offices of Valsamakis on Kapnikareas Square are a good example. An international style that harmoniously blends glass and concrete in buildings with sober and pure lines can be found in three key creations of the time: the US Embassy by Walter Gropius, the Hellenikon East Terminal by Eero Saarinen, and the Hellenic National Foundation by Constantinos Doxiadis, whose smooth marble facade is reminiscent of the works of Oscar Niemeyer, another major figure of this international style. At the same time, the city saw the birth of its first skyscrapers, while Xenia, the great governmental plan for the promotion of tourism, saw the appearance of numerous hotels with a resolutely modern design.Contemporary architecture
In the early 2000s, Italian architect Mario Botta designed the administrative headquarters of the National Bank of Greece, whose modern monumentality blending shades of beige stone, black granite and light wood contrasts surprisingly with the classicism of the surrounding buildings. But it was the 2004 Athens Olympic Games that marked a major turning point for the city. Athens was first equipped with new sports facilities, including the Olympic Complex designed by Santiago Calatrava. One of the key elements is the Olympic Stadium with its glass and steel roof suspended by cables from a large arch. The Olympic Games are also an opportunity for the city to completely rethink its downtown. The aim is to make it more pleasant to live in for both visitors and residents. A large pedestrian walkway paved as in ancient Athens now links all the archaeological sites and, at night, it is illuminated with sumptuous light shows designed by Pierre Bideau (the brilliant creator of the Eiffel Tower lighting); the metro network is extended; and a newly built bypass now allows the bypass of part of the city. While the center of Athens is becoming more village-like, old abandoned industrial sites are being rehabilitated, such as the former Gazi gas complex transformed into a large cultural center called Technopolis, or the former Fix Brewery, which now houses the National Museum of Contemporary Art in a decidedly industrial setting.
After the Olympic Games, the excitement did not subside and the city continued to implement a cultural policy, notably by creating a number of ultra-modern museums and cultural centers. The two most famous of the city are without doubt the Acropolis Museum and the Stavros Niarchos Cultural Center. The first is the work of Bernard Tschumi. Considered by some as the elegant counterpart of the Parthenon and by others as a "postmodern wart" that required the destruction of a part of a historic district (a feat for a museum!), the latter leaves no one indifferent. An ultra-modern building of glass, steel and grey cement, the museum is organized around a cella surrounded by steel columns (equal in number to those of the Parthenon) and offers an astonishing view of the archaeological excavations in progress via a glass floor. The Stavros Niarchos Foundation is the work of Renzo Piano. Created on an artificial island, the building slightly overhangs the bay. The architect also designed a vast park linking the building to the sea. The two flagship elements are the Opera House and the National Library, both connected by an agora, an elegant canopy providing protection from the sun ... sun that floods the photovoltaic panels placed in number on the buildings. At the same time, many Athenian architects are promoting less grandiloquent and better targeted actions in order to give the inhabitants the desire to reinvest in the different districts of their city, especially the center. Pedestrianization and greening are the key words. The Point Supreme Architects agency (which is still dreaming about its crazy project called "Athens by Hills" giving back to each hill of the city a main function and transforming the Kallithea district into a vast park connecting the Acropolis to the sea!) multiplies elegant and sustainable interventions in the city, as with the very popular Six D.O.G.S bar/cultural center whose earth and wood structures are resolutely sustainable.
