Parthenon without Scaffolding. Restoration of the Western Facade of Antiquity's Main Temple Completed in Athens
Greek authorities have announced the completion of an important phase in the restoration of the Parthenon. The massive scaffolding, which had obscured its western facade—a landmark known from school textbooks—for nearly twenty years, has finally been removed. For the first time in over two centuries, this part of the temple now appears to visitors in its most complete and integral form.
The western facade of the Parthenon after years of restoration. Photo: Hellenic Ministry of Culture
As stated by Greece's Minister of Culture, Lina Mendoni, the completion of this complex phase has allowed the temple to regain its architectural integrity.
"Today we see the western pediment of the Parthenon as it has not been seen for two centuries. The sight is truly breathtaking. The pediment, which generations of Greeks and visitors from all over the world were accustomed to seeing incomplete, has regained its architectural unity. This is a moment of historical significance for world culture," the Minister noted.
The main task of the restorers at this stage was to restore the geometric and structural integrity of the western pediment. To achieve this, two large orthostats were installed in the empty gaps. In classical architecture, orthostats refer to large vertical stone blocks or slabs.
The western facade of the Parthenon with scaffolding in 2017. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
The first such block was meticulously assembled by specialists from original ancient fragments, filling the voids with new marble. The second orthostat had to be entirely carved by hand from a single piece of stone to precisely match the dimensions of the lost original. The marble for the additions was quarried from the same quarries on Mount Pentelicus, from which the ancient Athenians sourced their material in the 5th century BC.
The completion of work on the western facade is the result of a modern, scientific approach to restoration, which began in 1975 with the establishment of the Committee for the Preservation of the Acropolis Monuments.
During the work, modern engineers categorically refused to use iron. It was precisely the iron clamps and concrete, extensively used during the previous large-scale reconstruction of the Acropolis between 1898 and 1938 under the direction of Nikolaos Balanos, that caused catastrophic damage to the monument. Over time, the iron began to rust and expand, literally tearing the marble apart from within.
Today, all connections are made exclusively with titanium rods, which are corrosion-resistant and have a coefficient of thermal expansion close to that of marble.
The western facade of the Parthenon in 1990. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
The Parthenon suffered greatly in 1687 when gunpowder hidden inside by the Ottomans exploded during the Venetian siege of Athens. Later, in the early 19th century, British ambassador Lord Elgin removed a significant portion of the surviving sculptures from the western facade (disputes over their return between Greece and the British Museum continue to this day). The installation of new orthostats and the strengthening of the supporting walls have partially healed these historical wounds.
Although the western facade has attained its completed appearance, the overall restoration of the Parthenon continues. Now the focus of specialists shifts inside the temple—to the restoration of the cella walls. The cella is the main inner chamber of an ancient temple, where once stood the gigantic statue of the goddess Athena by Phidias.
During the restoration of the Athenian Acropolis, the anastylosis restoration method was invented—where scattered marble blocks and architectural details are returned to their original places, and visual integrity and structural strength are ensured by inserts of new marble. Photo: ysma.gr
It is important to understand that, unlike modern churches or cathedrals, the cella was never a prayer hall for worshippers. In antiquity, it was considered the literal "house of the goddess," accessible only to priests. All mass services, rituals, and sacrifices always took place outside, in front of the temple by the great altar.
The project for the restoration of the cella is estimated to take approximately 15 years. It is planned to return about 360 original marble blocks, currently scattered across the Acropolis site, to their historical positions, adding about 90 new ones. The goal is to restore the northern and southern walls of the chamber to a height of up to 10 meters. Since these works will proceed exclusively internally, they no longer require massive external scaffolding, which will allow visitors to view the famous ancient columns unimpeded.