Archaeological Collection and Archaeological Site of Sangri, Naxos

About the museum

The Archaeological Collection of Sangri was founded in 2001 and is located within the archaeological site of the archaic Temple of Demeter, at Gyroula, south of the village of Sangri. The collection was awarded the international Europa Nostra prize for the way the building was constructed and for its harmony with the natural environment. It displays finds from the excavations at Gyroula, such as vessels, utensils and tools, architectural members of the temple, statues of kouroi and inscriptions, as well as fragments of the ambo and marble windows of the early Christian church.

The temple was located in 1949 by Nikolaos Kontoleon and was subsequently excavated by him and by Vasilis Lambrinoudakis, Gottfried Gruben and Manolis Korres. It was entirely of marble, from the walls to the roof tiles, and dates to around 530 BC. It is considered a work of the building programme of the tyrant Lygdamis. It is an almost square structure with a pronaos, two doors and a transverse cella, probably a telesterion for Demeter and Kore.

The temple provides rare information on the marble roof, the early forms of the Ionic order and the optical corrections, comparable to those of the Parthenon, which are found here a century earlier. Worship continued until the 6th century AD, when the building was converted into a Christian basilica. It was re-erected in the 1990s, with funding from the Ministry of the Aegean and the European Union.

Highlights

• Archaic all-marble Temple of Demeter (c. 530 BC)
• Archaeological collection with the Europa Nostra award
• Kouros statues and architectural members of the temple
• Finds from the early Christian church and basilica
• One ticket for the site and the collection

Permanent exhibition

• Μόνιμη έκθεση της Αρχαιολογικής Συλλογής Σαγκρίου – Vessels, utensils, tools, architectural members of the temple, kouros statues, inscriptions and sculptures of the early Christian church from Gyroula.

Founded

2001

Operated by

Υπουργείο Πολιτισμού – Εφορεία Αρχαιοτήτων Κυκλάδων

Admission & discounts

Free admission: 6 March, 18 April, 18 May, the last weekend of September, 28 October and the first and third Sunday of the month from 1 November to 31 March.

The same ticket applies to the archaeological site and the archaeological collection.

Accessibility

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Kids & families

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Getting there & parking

From the settlement of Sangri it is about 5 minutes by car and about 30 minutes on foot. From Chora (main town) of Naxos the drive takes about 30 minutes.

Amenities & dining

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Events & venue rental

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Plan your visit