Athens is bathed in light with the new lighting for the Temple of Hephaistos and the Philopappos Monument

On the last day of September, images of the Acropolis were beamed around the world. Following the new lighting of 14 landmarks on and around the Acropolis, the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports is today handing over another two monuments lit brighter than before to lift them out of the urban bustle – works donated and delivered by the Onassis Foundation, and designed by the internationally renowned lighting designer Eleftheria Deko.

The new project studies went beyond esthetic considerations to focus on upgrading the existing technical infrastructure, with the installation of state-of-the-art electric power and lighting systems, as well as automated lighting control systems, all of which save energy, minimize maintenance costs, and reduce light pollution.

Following her work on the Acropolis, the Emmy Award-winning Eleftheria Deko turned her attention to these two monuments and their immediate surroundings: to the volume and geometries of the Philopappos Monument, and to the architecture of the Temple of Hephaistos, as seen from afar across the city and up close. The new lighting focuses on highlighting the architecture of the Temple of Hephaistos, emphasizing the three-dimensionality of the monument as a whole as well as the sculptural qualities of its individual elements, with intensities that approximate the tonalities of daylight. The new lighting program also highlights the sculpted elements of the Philopappos Monument façade, as well as its architectural structure. Two sculptures that sit on the upper part of the monument, which depict Philopappos and his father, are given special emphasis. And on the south-west side, in addition to the back side of the monument, attention is also drawn to what remains of the tomb chamber.

These two monuments are inextricably tied to the history of the Acropolis. The Temple of Hephaistos, also known as the Theseion, sits on Agoraios Kolonos Hill, on the west side of the Ancient Agora of Athens. It was dedicated to the gods Hephaistos and Athena Ergani. The Philopappos Monument, which took its name from Gaius Julius Antiochus Epiphanes Philopappos, a magistrate of Athens under the Roman Empire, sits on the Hill of the Muses, south-west of the Acropolis rock.

It is worth noting that the first phase of this lighting project, covering the Athens Acropolis, was delivered in September. Nine landmarks were completely re-lit: the Acropolis rock, the fortification walls, the Parthenon, the Propylaia, the Temple of Athena Nike, the Erechtheion, the Ancient Theater of Dionysos, the Stoa of Eumenes, and the Shrine of Dionysos Eleutherios. Another five monuments were illuminated for the first time: the Monument of Thrasyllos, the choragic columns, the Asklepieion, the Cave Sanctuaries of Apollo and Aglauros / Klepsydra, and the Shrine of Aphrodite.

The old spotlights have been replaced with cutting-edge, high color fidelity LED lighting fixtures. As with the lighting of the Acropolis monuments, these fixtures can be independently controlled at every level, offering significant flexibility for the creation of different lighting states, and delivering suitable lighting effects wherever they are placed and whatever they are drawing attention to (be it arches, columns, metopes, or pediments).