Top 10 Unknown Facts about The Sanctuary of Apollo Hylates

The Sanctuary and Temple of Apollo Hylates at Kourion, Cyprus photo by Carole Raddato – Wikimedia commons

Top 10 Unknown Facts about The Sanctuary of Apollo Hylates

In its original use, the word “sanctuary” referred to a shrine-type of hallowed location. The phrase has come to be used for any location of safety as a result of the utilization of such locations as havens.

This secondary application can be divided into two categories: non-human sanctuary, such as an animal or plant sanctuary, and human sanctuary, a haven for individuals like a political refuge.

One such renowned sanctuary is The Apollo Hylates Sanctuary. The sanctuary is One of ancient Cyprus’s most significant shrines. One of the most significant sanctuaries in ancient Cyprus is located west of Kourion at the Sanctuary of Apollo Hylates.

This shrine was the same as the Apollo sanctuaries in Argolida and Epidavros. Here are the top 10 unknown facts about the sanctuary of Apollo Hylates.

1. The Sanctuary of Apollo Hylates was established in the 8th century BC

This large sacred complex, one of the most important religious centres on the island of Cyprus, was established in the 8th century BC and was used continuously until the 4th century AD.

Archaeological investigation on the site suggests that the earlier evidence of the worship of Apollo dates back to the 8th century B.C and continued until late antiquity, in the 4th century A.D.

2. The sanctuary site covers 15,000 square meters with two entrances

Sanctuary of Apollo Hylates (Kourion, Cyprus) photo by Rüdiger Stehn – Wikimedia commons

The sanctuary site covers 15,000 square meters with two entrances; either the Kourion Gate to the east or the Paphos Gate to the west.

There are many buildings within the site including the Temple of Apollo, bathhouse, treasury, palaestra and the priest’s residence where athletic games used to take place and a long collonaded stoa.

3. The Sanctuary of Apollo Hylates was dedicated to Apollo Hylates

A beautiful shrine to Apollo Hylates can be found on Limassol’s western side, not far from the legendary kingdom of Kourion. According to this legend, the local forests were formerly guarded by an ancient god of beauty and song.

The location of the place that has long been regarded as one of the principal religious centres of ancient Cyprus is surrounded by a lot of untamed and bushy flora, which was probably considerably more abundant and dense at the time.

On the island of Cyprus, a god named Hylates was revered; he was later compared to the Greek god Apollo. His name probably derives from “barking” or “forest”, which is why he was called Apollo of the woods.

He was worshipped from the 3rd century BC until the 3rd century AD.

4. It underwent many extensions and conversions in three different historical periods

The sanctuary underwent many extensions and conversions in three different historical periods. The Archaic Sanctuary grew significantly in the 7th century BC, the Ptolemaic Sanctuary belonging to the 3rd century BC and the Roman Sanctuary in the 1st century AD.

The Archaic Sanctuary was originally a closed place in the centre. Today’s ruins date back to the 1st century AD. The site of the sanctuary is a palaestra, a gallery, a treasury, the baths, the Archaic mosque, the circular monument, the central courtyard and the temple of Apollo.

5. The Sanctuary of Apollo Hylates had two basic architectural phases

Eastern area of the Sanctuary of Apollo Hylates in Kourion, Cyprus. photo by Wknight94 – Wikimedia commons

The Roman sanctuary of Apollo had two basic architectural phases. The first dates back to the end of the Classical or Proto-Hellenistic period and the second half of the 1st century AD.

6. The Sanctuary of Apollo Hylates served as an archaic Altar

Temple at the Sanctuary of Apollo Hylates in Kourion, Cyprus. photo by Wknight94 – Wikimedia commons

The original layout of the site included a temple (traces of which may still be seen in the current temple’s foundation), a ring-shaped monument, and a formalized Archaic Altar and Precinct.

The south and north buildings, which may have been used to display votives or to provide lodging for visitors, were added to the site during the Roman era. The votive pit had terracotta figures and pottery that had amassed at the temple from the fifth century BC through the Roman era.

The Archaic Altar Precinct housed two open-air altars where worshippers made votive offerings. The Circular Monument, dating to the 6th century BCE, is a paved, ring-shaped pathway thought to have supported religious rites; cuts in the bedrock of its centre suggest that a sacred grove of trees was planted there.

7. Its surviving remnants seen today were built in the 1st century B.C

The columns and building ruins that are still standing now date back to the first century B.C. The Apollo temple’s original appearance has been altered by the restoration, and various new structures have been built.

A location for competitions in honour of Apollo can be found along the Palaestra’s outer eastern wall. There are also baths and practice fields, and close to the southern wall is a small structure that might have been the priest’s residence.

8. This sanctuary was destroyed in 365 AD due to a strong earthquake

Kourion: Sanctuary of Apollo Hylates photo by Ziegler175 – Wikimedia commons

An enormous earthquake that struck the region in 365 AD destroyed this shrine. Many of the sanctuary’s devastated structures, though, were rebuilt. The sanctuary was destroyed by an earthquake in 365 BC.

It is important to note that the discovered circular monument’s fragments were intended to be processions or dances circling a garden of holy trees.

The sanctuary was destroyed by an earthquake in 365 CE, 27 years before pagan worship was banned in the Roman Empire.

9. The Sanctuary of Apollo Hylates presents awe-inspiring views

Southern coast of Cyprus from the Sanctuary of Apollo Hylates in Kourion. photo by Wknight94 – Wikimedia commons

In the temple of Apollo Hylates, located on top of a hill, an atmosphere of peace dominates. There you can spend a couple of hours enjoying the sounds of nature and exploring the amazing story of ancient Cyprus.

The remains of the temple of Apollo are awe-inspiring as are the sacred street and partial buildings and baths remain.

10. The sanctuary of Apollo Hylates in Cyprus is currently a museum

Ancient baths at the Sanctuary of Apollo Hylates in Kourion, Cyprus. photo by Wknight94 – Wikimedia commons

The temple of Apollo Hylates in Cyprus is now a museum that is open every day to the public.

The complex has been well-preserved; there are still remnants of the cypress trees that once surrounded the entire hill, as well as walls from some of the sanctuary’s structures, sections of the wall, a few steps, and columns from the Temple of the Alter of Apollo.

Visitors are free to take their distinctive photos at any location in the Temple of Apollo since there are no limits on photography inside the museum. For those who are interested in the dates and specifics of the history of the Temple of Apollo Hylates. there is a pedestal with a description and a complete map of the sanctuary.