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:The Church of St Donatus name refers to Donatus of Zadar, who began construction on this church in the 9th century and ended it on the northeastern part of the Roman forum. It is the largest Pre-Romanesque building in Croatia.
The beginning of the building of the church was placed to the second half of the 8th century, and it is supposed to have been completed in the 9th century. The Zadar bishop and diplomat Donat (8th and 9th centuries) is credited with the building of the church. He led the representations of the Dalmatian cities to Constantinople and Charles the Great, which is why this church bears slight resemblance to Charlemagne's court chapels, especially the one in Aachen, and also to the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna. It belongs to the Pre-Romanesque architectural period.
The circular church, formerly domed, is 27 m high and is characterised by simplicity and technical primitivism.