Parthenon’s Western Facade Whole For First Time in 220 Years
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Visitors to the Acropolis of Athens can now savour the site’s looming Parthenon in a manner unseen for centuries.
The Greek Ministry of Culture’s Acropolis Restoration Service (YSMA) announced that it has officially restored the pediment atop the Parthenon’s western facade, after eight years of work. The facade’s exterior scaffolding is, at long last, permanently gone.
“Today we are talking about the completion of an extremely demanding restoration intervention, thanks to which the west pediment of the Parthenon is being presented in its fullest form in some 220 years,” Greece’s culture minister Lina Mendoni said. “The sight is truly breathtaking.”
“They allow the unique proportions and the geometric perfection of the Parthenon’s western face to be seen once again,” she said.
“It is a moment of historic significance for the monument, for the Acropolis and for world culture,” Mendoni emphasized in her statement. “A moment that fills us with pride, but also with a sense of responsibility to continue, with the same consistency, the great work of protecting and showcasing the foremost symbol of Western civilization.”
Ancient Athenians constructed the Parthenon in the 5th century B.C.E. as a temple to the city’s namesake patron goddess. Since then, the Parthenon has served as a treasury, a mosque, army barracks, and more. The 25-century-old monument overlooking the Greek capital attracted about 4.6 million visitors last year. Long-term restoration projects address damage caused by war, weather and looting, including the broken outline of the western side.
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