The Temple of Athena Alea in Tegea served as a crucial symbol for Tegeans from the tenth century BCE, showing links to nearby regions. Legend credits local hero Aleus with its construction, although this may be a later addition.
The original temple likely dates to the early Archaic period, with a renowned replacement built by Scopas after a fire in 394 BCE. Notable figures sought asylum there, including Chryseis, Leotychides, and Pausanias.
The temple's interior featured a stunning Doric structure with Corinthian and Ionic columns. Its centerpiece was an ivory statue of Athena by Endoeus, later taken to Rome by Augustus.
Exterior decorations depicted myths like the Calydonian Boar Hunt and Telephos fighting Achilles, linking Tegea's local heroes to broader Greek mythology. Inside, the temple housed statues of Asclepius and Hygieia by Skopas, alongside representations of local figures and deities like Rhea and the Muses.
The temple hosted two festivals, Aleaia and Halotia, and was served by a young priest until puberty, according to Pausanias.
References:Visby Cathedral (also known as St. Mary’s Church) is the only survived medieval church in Visby. It was originally built for German merchants and inaugurated in 1225. Around the year 1350 the church was enlarged and converted into a basilica. The two-storey magazine was also added then above the nave as a warehouse for merchants.
Following the Reformation, the church was transformed into a parish church for the town of Visby. All other churches were abandoned. Shortly after the Reformation, in 1572, Gotland was made into its own Diocese, and the church designated its cathedral.
There is not much left of the original interior. The font is made of local red marble in the 13th century. The pulpit was made in Lübeck in 1684. There are 400 graves under the church floor.