Sanctuary of Asklepios at Epidaurus
Epidauros, situated on the Peloponnesus peninsula, is dedicated to Asclepius. To the ancient Greeks he was the God of Medicine. A son of Apollo, he was given the healing gift after his mother died at his birth.
From the 4th century BC, Epidauros became widely known as a sanctuary to Asclepius. There were temples and hospitals here, and people from as far as Rome to seek help. Treatments included licks from snakes.
Also, every four years the Festival of Asclepieia took place at Epidaurus. Dramas were staged and athletic competitions were held. Today's best preserved building - the theatre - links to this.
Visit December 2001
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The site lies in a darkgreen pineforest, with air as healthy as you normally can only wish. There's a huge parking lot, but at the end of December I was one of only a few guests. I had the amphitheatre, that sits 14.000 people, to myself. It's like a football stadium, without the fences and the advertising. Unbelievably well preserved also.
Besides the theatre you can visit a museum with local findings (mainly statues), and the excavations. Not much is in place of the hospitals, hostels, bathrooms and what more was needed to serve the stream of visitors looking to improve their health.
The location of the site is its major drawingcard. It's like a retreat, like the secluded places where they construct monasteries in Japan or South-Korea.
Reviews
David Conquest (Greece/UK):
Most people rave about the theatre, but the real attraction is the sanctuary. The current curator has a programme of limited restoration - the main target being the Tholos, but the rebuilding of a section of the Propylea and the Abaton are astounding - would that the whole of the magnificent entrance could be restored. Well worth a visit - forget the theatre! |
| Date posted: August 2010 |
Shelley Briggs (USA):
The theatre is justly famous. When I was there, several children were testing the "you can hear a coin drop from the top tier" claim; it really is true! More interesting to me, however, was the sanctuary itself, with its hotel, baths, cafeteria (later transformed into a theater by the Romans; why they needed one when they had the great theatre a few hundred yards away is a mystery to me), tholos, and temples. Extensive reconstruction work was under way during my visit in 2006. Far from being a nuisance, it was fascinating to see the care and diligence with which the Greek people and their benefactors work on the ancient sites. This site was one of the most comprehensively sign-posted and hence easiest to understand (though I suspect you could study it for many years and never get it all) of all the places in Greece we visited. |
| Date posted: August 2006 |
Klaus Freisinger (Austria):
Undeservedly little known to many people, the site of Epidaurus is really one of the nicest and most interesting places to visit in Greece. The amphitheatre boasts great acoustics and is one of the best preserved ancient sites anywhere, and the rest of the archaeological area is very interesting as well, especially when you hear about the history of Epidauros as a kind of ancient spa and medical resort that featured hotels, hospitals, and bathrooms. The museum is pretty small, but has some interesting artifacts. The place is only about two hours from Athens and can easily be combined with trips to places like Corinth and Mykene. |
| Date posted: July 2006 |
Douglas Scully (USA):
Doug (USA)
Epidauros theater is the best preserved and thoroughly of Greek design that I have ever seen, although some of it has been restored. The acoustics are amazing. The only theater that comes close in size is the one in Syracuse, Sicily. |
| Date posted: April 2006 |
Christer Sundberg (Sweden):
 Epidaurus is one of the most renowned of Greece’s ancient sites and regular buses runs between Nafplion and Epidarus making the “sanctuary of Asclepius” easily accessible. The famous theatre, which seats up to 14.000 people, actually a later “add-on”, is still used today for performances of ancient dramas.
My tour to Greece including Athens, Delphi and Peloponnesus, passing through Corinth, Olympia, Mystras, Mycenae came to a worthy end at Epidaurus, a tour through classical history and highly recommendable to anyone who have the time and interest to do it. I promise you it will be rewarding. |
| Date posted: February 2006 |
minas antypas (greece):
I have been to Epidaurus two times. It was fantastic. All the monuments and the environment here were marvelous, especially the huge theatre. But... i think that in the future more greec monuments will be inscribed in the list (knossos, olympos, prespes lakes, nikopolis, philippoi, dodoni, old city of korfou, gorge of samaria and many many many others). World Heritage Comittee put these monuments in the list in 2006. Please!! |
| Date posted: July 2005 |
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