Colonne di San Basilio

Lentini, Italy

The Colonne di San Basilio (Columns of St Basil) are an ancient Greek structure, which take their name from the mountain of San Basilio where they are located, in the territory of Lentini.

The summit of the mountain shows trances of ancient settlement from the prehistoric period, with clear traces of the postholes of a hut, probably belonging to the Casteluccio culture.

A little way away is the imposing structure itself, carved in the limestone rock and measuring 18 x 16 metres, with 32 columns designed to support rock slabs. Part of the structure has collapsed, but many of the columns remain standing.

The structure was later reused by the Byzantines, who converted it into a church. Some traces of religious frescoes are even visible on some of the columns, but they are not legible.

References:

Wikipedia

Address

Unnamed Road, Lentini, Italy

See all sites in Lentini

Details

Founded: 5th century BC
Category: Prehistoric and archaeological sites in Italy

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.7/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Andrea G. Calí (26 days ago)
Lovely but sadly abandoned temple

paolomarc66 (11 months ago)
Very interesting site due to the presence of countless Heroa, Greek sanctuaries dedicated to the cult of heroes, used both as a temple of veneration and as tombs of the hero himself. It should be visited several times to discover all the hidden beauties of both archaeological, geological and naturalistic interest. The site is located on an ancient, partially collapsed volcano and the first certain evidence of man's presence dates back to the Copper Age.

Salvatore Casa' (3 years ago)
Sicilian Magical Place

Mauro Manca (3 years ago)
Beautiful and magical full of history

Vincenzo Agliata (5 years ago)
Extraordinary mix of history, geology, art, archeology,

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Photo from Flickr, copyright CONTROTONO

Historic Site of the week

Clementinum

The Clementinum is a historic complex of buildings in Prague. Until recently the complex hosted the National, University and Technical libraries, the City Library also being located nearby on Mariánské Náměstí. The Technical library and the Municipal library have moved to the Prague National Technical Library at Technická 6 since 2009. It is currently in use as the National Library of the Czech Republic.

Its history dates from the existence of a chapel dedicated to Saint Clement in the 11th century. A Dominican monastery was founded in the medieval period, which was transformed in 1556 to a Jesuit college. In 1622 the Jesuits transferred the library of Charles University to the Klementinum, and the college was merged with the University in 1654. The Jesuits remained until 1773, when the Klementinum was established as an observatory, library, and university by the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria.