The Tempio dei Dioscuri (Temple of Castor and Pollux) was located in the second terrace of the Sanctuary of the Chthonic Deities. It was built in Doric style in the 5th century BC as requested by the tyrant Theron, but over the years neglect and adverse weather have reduced it to a pile of rubble.
In 1836, four columns and a piece of architrave were brought to light from the ruins.
Today this monument has become the symbol of the Valley of the Temples and its landscape, with the Kolymbetra standing in the background, is one of the most evocative places in the park. The term “Tample of the Dioscurs” refers the partial reconstruction of a template building of the fifth century BC located in the Santuary of the Ctonie Divinity. The works, carried out in 1836, allowed to rebuild the four columns, in Doric style, which formed the north-west corner of the temple. The columns rest on a base of four steps and have, on the stems, pronounced vertical grooves and traces of white plaster. The Doric capitals positioned at the end of each column shall support a portion of an architrave on which rests the frieze, where metopes and triglyphs alternate. Above the frieze is still visible the frame and, on the west side, the beginning of the pediment.
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MiC – Ministero della Cultura
Legge 77/2006 - Misure Speciali di Tutela e Fruizione dei Siti Italiani di Interesse Culturale, Paesaggistico e Ambientale, inseriti nella “Lista Del Patrimonio Mondiale”, posti sotto la Tutela dell’ UNESCO Regione Siciliana.
Assessorato dei Beni Culturali e dell’Identità Siciliana, Dipartimento dei Beni Culturali e dell’Identità Siciliana.
Parco archeologico della Valle dei Templi di Agrigento.
The Tempio dei Dioscuri (Temple of Castor and Pollux) was located in the second terrace of the Sanctuary of the Chthonic Deities. It was built in Doric style in the 5th century BC as requested by the tyrant Theron, but over the years neglect and adverse weather have reduced it to a pile of rubble.
