The new lighting of the Temple of Poseidon at Sounion will be unveiled on Monday during a ceremony that will be livestreamed around the world. Source: Fotis Petrakogiannis CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The inauguration ceremony of the new lighting of the emblematic temple of Poseidon at Sounion, Attica including a concert by acclaimed Greek composer Stavros Xarchakos, will be livestreamed on Monday evening on linear TV and online with international access.
The new lighting project is sponsored by Metlen Energy & Metal and signed by the Greek internationally renowned, EMMY award-winning lighting designer Eleftheria Deko, who also designed the new lighting of the Acropolis in 2020.
This will replace the present lighting, which was installed ahead of the Athens Olympics in 2004, when the temple was lit for the first time, and has since been worn out.
“The new lighting of the Sounio temple highlights in a unique way the archaeological and architectural importance of the monument, giving it new dimensions,” the Greek Ministry of Culture and Sports says in an announcement.
Lighting fixtures invisible to daytime visitors of the Temple
One of the most popular archaeological sites in the Athens metropolitan area, the Temple of Poseidon has stood on a hill overlooking the Aegean Sea since the Golden Age of Athens in the mid-5th century BCE.
It was built on the ruins of a temple dating from the Archaic period, which is believed to have been destroyed by Xerxes’ army during the Persian Wars.
Special care was taken to ensure that the visual experience of visitors to the archaeological site during the day will not be disturbed by the lighting installation.
Aerial view of the Temple of Poseidon at Sounion. Credit: Courtesy of ERT
“All the elements of the installation and the lighting fixtures were placed in such a way that they do not obstruct the navigation and do not cause visual disturbance to the visitors,” the Ministry notes.
“The positions of the lighting fixtures, as well as the routes of the wiring and electrical installations, were carefully planned and placed in appropriate places to ensure the smooth operation of the space.”
A journey to the light
The new lighting of the Temple of Poseidon at Sounion will be unveiled during a spectacular inauguration ceremony, in the attendance of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Culture Minister Lina Mendoni and VIP guests from Greee and abroad.
The ceremony, titled ” A journey to the light,” will be livestreamed at 7.30 pm local time on Greek public broadcaster ERT’s channels, ERT2 for Greece and ERT World for the diaspora, as well as online on YouTube from Metlen Energy & Metal’s channel.
The event will constitute “a unique combination of ancient heritage and modern Art,” according to ERT.
Museums, universities, and other cultural institutions around the world will also broadcast the lighting ceremony of the world-famous ancient Greek temple.
The “Journey to the light” ceremony will close with a concert by the distinguished Greek composer Stavros Xarhakos, who will present a melodical composition that pays tribute to the cultural heritage of Greece and direct acclaimed Greek performers, a large choir and an orchestra.
ERT’s Contemporary Music Orchestra will also perform at the concert.
