Temple of Apollo in Kardamena

The temple of Apollo in Kardamena (in antiquity known as Alasarna) , was in its time one of most impressive Hellenistic monuments in Kos.Its foundations have been uncovered underneath a building of the early Christian period. This discovery has strongly supported that life in the settlement of Alasarna goes well beyond the times of late antiquity. Alasarna along with the Asklepieion remained a religious center even after the founding of new Kos in 336 B.C.

Unfortunately,  a large part of the temple was destroyed during the construction of a local hotel. In the sanctuary three distinct buildings have so far been excavated: Building A was excavated in 1981 and includes the well known, through inscriptions, sanctum of Apollo. Building B could either be an altar or an inclined entrance to the temple. Building C, although note precicely dated yet, is most probably a temple dated between late classical and early Hellenistic times.

The temple was discovered during a salvage excavation that was conducted by C.Kantzia in 1985. Excavations are carried on today by a team of professors from the University of Athens in cooperation with volunteer student groups.

Source: www.kos.gr