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The Sanctuary of Demeter and Kore at the end of the 4th c. BC John Travlos Archaeological Society at Athens © Η εν Αθήναις Αρχαιολογική Εταιρεία -
Eleusis until 526 AD John Travlos Archaeological Society at Athens © Η εν Αθήναις Αρχαιολογική Εταιρεία -
Eleusis 200 AD John Travlos Archaeological Society at Athens © Η εν Αθήναις Αρχαιολογική Εταιρεία -
The Telesterion (plan and view) John Travlos Archaeological Society at Athens © Η εν Αθήναις Αρχαιολογική Εταιρεία -
Peisistratus' Telesterion, meridian angle John Travlos Archaeological Society at Athens © Η εν Αθήναις Αρχαιολογική Εταιρεία -
Sanctuary of Eleusis (NE corner, drawing) John Travlos Archaeological Society at Athens © Η εν Αθήναις Αρχαιολογική Εταιρεία -
The Great Sacred Temple in Eleusis, Greece Hallwylska museet © Bergensten, Jenny, Hallwylska museet/SHM (PDM) -
Temple of the Mysteries, Eleusis, Greece T.H. McAllister Brooklyn Museum © Brooklyn Museum -
Initiation scene in the Eleusinian mysteries The New York Public Library © The New York Public Library -
The so-called Underworld vase The Underworld Painter Badisches Landesmuseum, Karlsruhe © Badisches Landesmuseum -
Plan of Eleusis Leo Wehrli ETH-Bibliothek Zürich, Bildarchiv © ETH-Bibliothek Zürich, Bildarchiv -
Relief no. ELEU.71 Konstantinos Kourouniotis Archaeological Society at Athens © Η εν Αθήναις Αρχαιολογική Εταιρεία -
Seats in hall of mysteries, once occupied by the wise and great (S.S.W.). Eleusis. Boston Public Library © Boston Public Library -
Telesterion: Perspective drawing Catholic University of Leuven © KU Leuven -
Sanctuary of Telesterion: Plan Catholic University of Leuven © KU Leuven -
Sanctuary of Telesterion: Architectural Drawing Catholic University of Leuven © KU Leuven -
Sanctuary Telesterion: Reconstruction drawing of interior and atmosphere Catholic University of Leuven © KU Leuven -
Amphora depicting Triptolemus in chariot between Persephone and Demeter © Rhode Island School of Design © Rhode Island School of Design -
Views of the Telesterion from the south Ferdinand Noack Universität Heidelberg © Universitätsbibliothek Heidelberg / Public Domain -
The seating areas of the Telesterion and staircase Ferdinand Noack Universität Heidelberg © Universitätsbibliothek Heidelberg / Public Domain -
The columns of the Telesterion Ferdinand Noack Universität Heidelberg © Universitätsbibliothek Heidelberg / Public Domain -
Views of the Telesterion Ferdinand Noack Universität Heidelberg © Universitätsbibliothek Heidelberg / Public Domain -
The evolution of the Telesterion Ferdinand Noack Universität Heidelberg © Universitätsbibliothek Heidelberg / Public Domain -
Plan of the sanctuary of Eleusis I Ferdinand Noack Universität Heidelberg © Universitätsbibliothek Heidelberg / Public Domain -
Roof tiles of the Telesterion of Peisistratus and marble ram's head Ferdinand Noack Universität Heidelberg © Universitätsbibliothek Heidelberg / Public Domain -
The sanctuary of Demeter. In the background the Telesterion, in the foreground remains of older buildings. Carl Siele, Gerasimos Skiadaresis Archaeological Society at Athens © Η εν Αθήναις Αρχαιολογική Εταιρεία -
The sanctuary of Demeter. The Telesterion. View from the west. Carl Siele, Gerasimos Skiadaresis Archaeological Society at Athens © Η εν Αθήναις Αρχαιολογική Εταιρεία -
Drawing of part of the order at a larger scale and shaft of the columns of the temple of Demeter at Eleusis with measurements Nicholas Revett The British Museum © The Trustees of the British Museum -
Initiation of Heracles and the Dioscuri into the lesser mysteries at Agrae (or Eleusis) The Pourtalès Painter The British Museum © The Trustees of the British Museum -
Study of architectural moulding from the temple of Ceres at Eleusis Simone Pomardi The British Museum © The Trustees of the British Museum -
Ceres Cornelis Cort The British Museum © The Trustees of the British Museum -
Eleusis. The Telesterion. Frédéric Boissonnas The J. Paul Getty Museum © The J. Paul Getty Museum, Villa Collection, Malibu, California -
Porcelain figure of Ceres with a child and a sheaf of corn representing Summer J. J. Kaendler Victoria and Albert Museum © Victoria and Albert Museum, London -
The Triumph of Ceres Susanne Court Victoria and Albert Museum © Victoria and Albert Museum, London -
Ceres Michel II Corneille Musée du Louvre © RMN
The Telesterion, the temple dedicated to Demeter, stood as the cornerstone of the Eleusinian sanctuary, marking the culmination of the Sacred Way and serving as the epicentre for the Eleusinian Mysteries. This temple witnessed numerous architectural transformations across centuries, evolving to accommodate the increasing influx of mystai.
Tracing its origins, the earliest structure on this site dates back to the Mycenaean era, featuring a rectangular building with a peribolos. According to lore, Demeter herself chose this location, commanding the rulers and residents of Eleusis to build her a temple at the base of the citadel hill, over the Kallichoron well. The following generations faithfully adhered to this divine edict, erecting successive phases of the temple at this consecrated site.
During the Geometric period in the eighth century BCE, Greek cities began the tradition of giving the aparche (first fruits) to this temple, a custom instituted to avert another catastrophic famine. From this era, only a fragment of a curved wall, possibly part of an altar or temple with an apse, remains, discovered beneath the Telesterion’s floor. The sixth century BCE saw the construction of a rectangular nave featuring polygonal masonry, a project associated with the renowned Athenian lawgiver Solon (circa 639-559 BCE).
By the latter half of the sixth century, as the sanctuary’s renown grew, the Athenians embarked on building a new Telesterion. Κnown as the Telesterion of Peisistratos, it had a square layout with twenty columns supporting its roof, three entrances on the eastern side, and a Doric propylon with ten columns. It was constructed from poros stone, apart from its upper parts that were marble, meticulously decorated to showcase Athens’ glory and its stewardship over the sanctuary.
The Persian invasion and subsequent occupation of Athens brought devastation to the Telesterion of Peisistratos. Mardonius’s forces, between the summer of 480 and spring of 479 BCE, partly demolished its fortifications and set the temple ablaze. Demeter’s sacred objects were likely evacuated to safer locations such as Salamis, Troezen or Aegina, mirroring the precautions taken for the Acropolis of Athens.
Following the Persian defeat at Plataea, the Eleusinians returned to find their sanctuary in ruins. Salvageable materials were gathered for future constructions. A key priority was securing a safe haven for the sacred objects, with the Anaktoron serving as a temporary solution. Kimon, Miltiades’ son, initiated the construction of a new Telesterion, but his plans were largely unrealized, leaving only a few remnants.
The Telesterion, as it stands today, primarily showcases architectural elements from the classical period. It is a large, columned hall, square in shape, featuring two entrances on each side, except the west which is adjoined to the hill. Within, eight rows of seating were arrayed along all four walls. These seats, where feasible, were carved directly into the rock and remain preserved to this day, while others, constructed from poros stone, have since been lost.
Central to its design was the support structure of 42 columns, organised in six rows of seven. A second, smaller set of columns was placed atop the first to bolster the roof. A key architectural feature was the opaion, an elevated skylight situated in the centre of the roof, providing both light and ventilation. At the heart of the Telesterion was the Anaktoron, a rectangular chamber positioned roughly in the centre of the hall. This chamber housed the sacred objects of the Eleusinian cult, revealed by the hierophant only to the mystai. In the northeast corner of the Anaktoron there was the high priest of Demeter’s throne.
The architectural authorship of the classical Telesterion is a matter of debate. Plutarch credits Coroebus with its design and the construction of the lower row of columns, and Metagenes with the subsequent addition of the upper row after Coroebus’s death, while Xenokles of Cholargos is said to have installed the opaion and to have finished the building. The Roman historians Strabo and Vitruvius ascribe the design to Iktinos, who initially planned for twenty columns, but couldn’t realise this vision due to technical limitations, leading Coroebus to take over and significantly increase the column count.
In the fourth century, after the Peloponnesian War, the Athenians envisaged an expansion of the Telesterion. This plan was partially executed with the construction of robust foundation walls extending from the temple’s eastern corners, but was then abandoned. Instead, their efforts culminated in the erection of a grandiose stoa on the eastern side, a creation of the Eleusinian architect Philon. Made entirely of Pentelic marble, it featured twelve Doric columns along the front and two on the narrow sides.
Until the Costoboci invasion in 170 CE, the Telesterion remained largely unaltered. The attack prompted Emperor Marcus Aurelius to initiate extensive repairs or perhaps a complete renewal of the temple, including a two-metre extension to the west through significant rock excavation. In recognition of his generosity, the priests permitted the emperor to enter the Anaktoron, a centuries-old exclusive privilege of the hierophant.
