Temple of Hera at Olympia: Where the Olympic Flame Is Lit

The Story of the Temple of Hera at Olympia

Long before the mighty Temple of Zeus was built at Olympia, another temple already stood at the foot of the wooded hill of Kronos. It belonged to Hera, queen of the gods and wife of Zeus, and it is one of the oldest Doric temples in Greece. Built around 600 BC, it offers a glimpse into the moment when the Greeks first began building grand temples in stone.

The temple is long and narrow, with 6 columns across each end and 16 along each side. Its lower walls were made of stone, while the upper walls were built of mud brick, and its roof was of wood covered in terracotta tiles. Most remarkably, its columns were originally made of wood. Over the centuries, as each wooden column decayed, it was replaced with one of stone, in the style of the time. That is why the columns still standing today differ in thickness and the shape of their capitals.

The travel writer Pausanias, who visited Olympia in the 2nd century AD, noticed this too. He reported that one column at the back of the temple was still made of oak in his day. The temple also served as a storehouse for treasured objects, and Pausanias saw many precious offerings inside, including an ivory and gold table on which the victors' crowns were displayed.

Hera was honored at Olympia with her own festival, the Heraia, which was one of the very few athletic contests for women in ancient Greece. Every four years, unmarried girls ran a footrace in the stadium, their hair loose and wearing a short tunic. The winners received crowns of olive and a share of the sacrifices. The festival was organized by a group of sixteen women, who also wove a new robe for the goddess.

In 1877, during the German excavations, archaeologists made one of the most famous discoveries in the history of Greek art inside the temple. They found a marble statue of Hermes holding the infant Dionysus, lying where it had fallen among the ruins. Pausanias had mentioned a statue of Hermes by the great sculptor Praxiteles in this temple, and the find is widely identified with that work. It is now one of the treasures of the Archaeological Museum of Olympia.

In modern times, the Temple of Hera has gained a new role. Before every Olympic Games, a ceremony is held in front of the temple, at the ancient altar of Hera. Actresses dressed as priestesses use a curved mirror to focus the rays of the sun and light the Olympic flame. The torch is then carried in a relay to the host city, a tradition that began with the Berlin Games of 1936 and links today's athletes to the ancient sanctuary.

Today the Temple of Hera is one of the most atmospheric corners of ancient Olympia. Several of its columns have been reassembled, and you can see the different styles that tell the story of their replacement over the centuries. Stand before the altar where the Olympic flame is lit, then walk a few steps to the entrance of the ancient stadium. It is a place where three thousand years of history, from the first temples to the modern Olympic Games, come together.