The temple dedicated to the hero Cyamites once stood where the modern bridge now crosses the Cephissus riverbed. In this area, beans and various garden crops grew, taking the place of the olive groves. Going towards Eleusis, Pausanias observed this modest temple and speculated about Cyamites’ connection to beans – whether he was the first to cultivate them or if his name was given to a local hero because beans could not be associated with Demeter. The specific reason behind Demeter’s distaste for beans was a closely guarded secret, revealed only to the initiates of the Eleusinian Mysteries. Groups like the Orphics, Pythagoreans, and Eleusinian mystai did not eat beans, adhering to religious purity practices.
Conversely, broad beans were integral to Athenian democracy’s administrative processes, particularly in magistrate selection. The building of 16th-century Agios Georgios church at the junction of Iera Odos and Proussis Street incorporates stones from ancient structures, possibly from Cyamites’ temple. Despite subsequent renovations masking these ancient elements, French author André Beaunier’s 1911 observations highlight the abundance of gravestones and statues near the church. He also remarked on the presence of stones from ancient monuments on the walls of the church.
