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52-456: The church is built on top of the ruins of an ancient temple dedicated to the goddess Eileithyia . Various dates for its construction have been proposed in the past, from the 9th century under Empress Irene of Athens to the 13th century. Until recently, the common view among scholars, especially in Greece, ascribed it to the tenure of Michael Choniates as Metropolitan of Athens , at the turn of

104-469: A devastating fire ruined the finest olive crops in the northern part of the prefecture, and affected the area of Sellasia along with Oinountas and its surrounding areas. Firefighters, helicopters and planes battled for days to put out the horrific fire. In early 2006, flooding ruined olive and citrus crops as well as properties and villages along the Eurotas river. In the summer 2006, a fire devastated

156-685: A goddess, because of an oracle from Delphoi." Lucian, in On the Syrian Goddess said that there was a statue of Eilithyia in the temple of Hierapolis Bambyce , at Manbij , in Syria Laconia Laconia or Lakonia ( Greek : Λακωνία , Lakonía , [lakoˈni.a] ) is a historical and administrative region of Greece located on the southeastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. Its administrative capital

208-455: A non- Indo-European etymology, and Nilsson believed that the name is Pre-Greek . 19th-century scholars suggested that the name is Greek, derived from the verb eleutho ( ἐλεύθω ) , "to bring", the goddess thus meaning The Bringer . Walter Burkert believed that Eileithyia is the Greek goddess of birth and that her name is pure Greek. However, the relation with the Greek prefix ἐλεύθ

260-488: A part of the Mani Peninsula, ruining forests, crops, and numerous villages. The regional unit, Laconia, is subdivided into five municipalities. These are (number as in the map in the infobox): As a part of the 2011 Kallikratis government reform, regional unit Laconia was created out of the former prefecture Laconia ( Greek : Νομός Λακωνίας ). The prefecture had the same territory as the present regional unit. At

312-550: A preexisting Minoan goddess, as well as an earlier Neolithic concept. Eileithyia's guidance in childbirth may give influence of the first midwife. To Homer , she is "the goddess of childbirth". The Iliad pictures Eileithyia alone, or sometimes multiplied, as the Eileithyiai : And even as when the sharp dart striketh a woman in travail, [270] the piercing dart that the Eilithyiae, the goddesses of childbirth, send—even

364-400: A sanctuary dedicated to Eileithyia at Eretria . The sanctuary had been placed in the northwestern section of a gymnasium . Pausanias noted that "The Messenians have a temple erected to Eileithyia [at Messene, Messenia] with a stone statue." On the Greek mainland, at Olympia , an archaic shrine with an inner cella sacred to the serpent-savior of the city ( Sosipolis ) and to Eileithyia

416-434: A typical Byzantine layout, being cross-in-square, with a three-aisled nave with the central aisle higher than the flanking ones. The octagonal dome was originally supported by four columns, but these were replaced in the 19th century by piers. It is a small structure, just 7.6 metres (25 ft) long and 12.2 metres (40 ft) wide. The walls are built exclusively of reused marble spolia , comprising undecorated masonry up to

468-710: Is Lucina ("of the light"). Pausanias noted: [Near the Prytaneion or Town Hall of Athens] is a temple of Eileithyia, who they say came from the Hyperboreans to Delos and helped Leto in her labour; and from Delos the name spread to other peoples. The Delians sacrifice to Eileithyia and sing a hymn of Olen. But the Kretans suppose that Eileithyia was born at Amnisos in the Knossian territory [in Krete], and that Hera

520-594: Is Sparta . The word laconic —to speak in a blunt, concise way—is derived from the name of this region, a reference to the ancient Spartans who were renowned for their verbal austerity and blunt, often pithy remarks. Laconia is bordered by Messenia to the west and Arcadia to the north and is surrounded by the Myrtoan Sea to the east and by the Laconian Gulf and the Mediterranean Sea to

572-528: Is stated that her temple is given an amphora of honey. In the cave of Amnisos (Crete) the god Enesidaon (the "earth shaker", who is the chthonic Poseidon ) is related to the cult of Eileithyia. She was related with the annual birth of the divine child. The goddess of nature and her companion survived in the Eleusinian cult , where the following words were uttered: "Mighty Potnia bore a strong son." In classical times, there were shrines to Eileithyia in

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624-575: Is the longest river in the prefecture. The Evrotas Valley is predominantly an agricultural region that contains many citrus groves, olive groves, and pasture lands. It is the location of the largest orange production in the Peloponnese and probably in all of Greece. Lakonia , a brand of orange juice, is based in Amykles . The main mountain ranges are the Taygetus 2,407 m (7,897 ft) in

676-466: Is uncertain, because the prefix appears in some pre-Greek toponyms like Ἐλευθέρνα ( Eleutherna ); therefore it is possible that the name is pre-Greek. Her name Ἐλυσία ( Elysia ) in Laconia and Messene probably relates her with the month Eleusinios and Eleusis . Nilsson also believed that the name "Eleusis" is pre-Greek. According to F. Willets, the goddess shows a clear connection to

728-708: The Alepotrypa cave site. Significant archaeological recovery exists at the Vaphio-tomb site in Laconia. Found there is advanced Bronze Age art as well as evidence of cultural associations with the contemporaneous Minoan culture on Crete . At the end of the Mycenean period, the population of Laconia sharply declined. In classical Greece , Laconia was Spartan territory but from the 4th century BC onward Sparta lost control of various ports, towns and areas. From

780-528: The Delians , among other hymns, one to Eileithyia, styles her as ' the clever spinner ', clearly identifying her with the Fates , thus making her older than Cronus ." Being the youngest born to Gaia , Cronus was a Titan of the first generation and he was identified as the father of Zeus. Likewise, the meticulously accurate mythographer Pindar (522–443 BC) also makes no mention of Zeus: Eleithuia, seated beside

832-681: The Geometric period to the Roman period . It has been theorized that the site was used for prayers for both female and male fertility, based on the type of offerings that have been found. There was a sanctuary dedicated to Eileithyia near the Sanctuary of Artemis Orthia , which Pausanias noted: "Not far from Orthia [the temple of Artemis in Sparta, Lakedaimon] is a sanctuary of Eileithyia. They say that they built it, and came to worship Eileithyia as

884-742: The Palaiologoi . The capital of the Despotate, Mystras , was a major site of the Palaiologan Renaissance , the last flowering of Byzantine culture . With the fall of the Despotate to the Ottomans in 1460, Laconia was conquered as well. With the exception of a 30-year interval of Venetian rule, Laconia remained under Ottoman control until the outbreak of the Greek War of Independence of 1821. Following independence, Sparta

936-626: The 13th century. However, the Little Metropolis differs considerably from other Byzantine churches of the same period in Athens, and indeed elsewhere; although it follows the typical cross-in-square style, it is, uniquely, almost entirely built of reused spolia from earlier buildings, ranging from Classical Antiquity to the 12th or even 13th centuries, thus precluding an earlier date of construction. The historian Bente Kiilerich further pointed out that during his visit to Athens in 1436,

988-683: The Cretan cities of Lato and Eleutherna and a sacred cave at Inatos . At a sanctuary in Tsoutsouros Inatos , two small terracotta figures, one breastfeeding and the other pregnant, have been dated to the 7th century. According to the Homeric Hymn III to Delian Apollo, Hera detained Eileithyia, who was coming from the Hyperboreans in the far north, to prevent Leto from going into labor with Artemis and Apollo, since

1040-667: The Turks and its conversion into a mosque. Originally dedicated to the Panagia Gorgoepikoos after a miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary housed there, it acquired the name "Little Metropolis" because it was located within the bounds of the residence of the Metropolitan of Athens . Following the Greek War of Independence , the church was abandoned. From 1841 it housed the public library of Athens until 1863, when it

1092-449: The aid of women in childbirth": When racked with labour pangs, and sore distressed the sex invoke thee, as the soul's sure rest; for thou Eileithyia alone canst give relief to pain, which art attempts to ease, but tries in vain. Artemis Eileithyia, venerable power, who bringest relief in labour's dreadful hour. Eileithyia is commonly in classical Greek art most often depicted assisting childbirth. Vase-painters, when illustrating

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1144-604: The antiquarian Cyriacus of Ancona mentions one of the inscriptions from the spolia of the church as lying in the Ancient Agora of Athens , i.e., far from its present location. This suggests that the church was built after 1436. Kiilerich suggested an early Ottoman-era date for the church, perhaps connected with the takeover of the city's old cathedral—the Theotokos Atheniotissa in the Parthenon —by

1196-438: The birth of Athena from Zeus' head, may show two assisting Eileithyiai, with their hands raised in the epiphany gesture. The Beauty of Durrës , a large 4th-century B.C.E. mosaic shows the head figure of a woman, probably portrays the goddess Eileithyia. A fragment by Callimachus has Eileithyia assist her full-sister Hebe in her labour, presumably when she gave birth to Alexiares and Anicetus , her sons by Heracles . As

1248-505: The birth of the twins. On Delos, a shrine was dedicated to Eileithyia, and was worshipped in a mid-winter festival the named Eileithyaea . It was said by Callimachus that the hymn sung during festival was the same as that sung by nymphs at Apollo's birth. This cult likely goes back to the Archaic period, and the cult was associated with other local Delian childbirth deities associated with Artemis, Opis and Arge. Archaeologists uncovered

1300-593: The contending forces, changed into a serpent, driving the Arcadians away in flight, before it disappeared into the hill. Eileithyia had a cult south of the Mount Kounados on the Cycladic Island of Paros , where a cave with a natural spring functioned as an informal sanctuary. Numerous artifacts have been found, such as pottery, bronze pieces, and marble plaques, which indicate use of the site from

1352-612: The daughters of Hera that have in their keeping bitter pangs; Hesiod (c. 700 BC) described Eileithyia as a daughter of Hera by Zeus ( Theogony 921) —and the Bibliotheca (Roman-era) and Diodorus Siculus (c. 90–27 BC) (5.72.5) agreed. Also, a poem at the Greek Anthology Book 6, mention Eileithyia as Hera's daughter. But Pausanias , writing in the 2nd century AD, reported another early source (now lost): "The Lycian Olen , an earlier poet, who composed for

1404-528: The deep-thinking Fates , hear me, creator of offspring, child of Hera great in strength. Later, for the Classical Greeks, "She is closely associated with Artemis and Hera ," Burkert asserts, "but develops no character of her own". In the Orphic Hymn to Prothyraeia, virginal Artemis is given an epithet relating to the goddess of childbirth, making the divine huntress also "she who comes to

1456-446: The father was her husband Zeus. Hera was jealous of Zeus's affairs and tended to enact revenge upon the women. The other goddesses present at the birthing on Delos had sent Iris to bring Eileithyia forth. As she stepped upon the island, the birth began. This hymn is contradicted by Hesiod 's Theogony , where Apollo and Artemis are born before Hera's marriage to Zeus, and therefore neither Hera or Eileithyia are mentioned interfering with

1508-526: The goddess in Arcadia, one in the town of Kleitor and the other one in Tegea. In Kleitor, she was worshipped as one of the most important deities, along with Demeter and Asklepios, and her sanctuary the most important one alongside the other two. Offerings were often given to the goddess Eileithyia within the ten days following a child's birth Pausanias describes a sanctuary to her in the city of Argos, and

1560-606: The goddess' double form (Kerenyi 1976 fig. 6), of bringing labor on and of delaying it, and votive offerings to her have been found establishing the continuity of her cult from Neolithic times, with a revival as late as the Roman period. Here she was probably being worshipped before Zeus arrived in the Aegean, but certainly in Minoan–Mycenaean times. The goddess is mentioned as Eleuthia in a Linear B fragment from Knossos, where it

1612-1014: The height of the windows, and featuring a total of ninety sculptures above that; this feature makes the church unique among Byzantine sacred architecture. Unlike common practice in contemporary Byzantine architecture, no bricks have been used, except for the dome. Its interior was originally decorated entirely with frescoes , but only one of these survives today: an image of the Panagia over the entrance apse. 37°58′30.02″N 23°43′48.06″E  /  37.9750056°N 23.7300167°E  / 37.9750056; 23.7300167 [REDACTED] Media related to Panagía Gorgoepíkoös at Wikimedia Commons Eileithyia Eileithyia or Ilithyia ( / ɪ l ɪ ˈ θ aɪ . ə / ; ‹See Tfd› Greek : Εἰλείθυια ; Ἐλεύθυια ( Eleuthyia ) in Crete , also Ἐλευθία ( Eleuthia ) or Ἐλυσία ( Elysia ) in Laconia and Messene , and Ἐλευθώ ( Eleuthō ) in literature)

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1664-765: The highest summer average maximum temperatures in Greece. In July 2012 the city registered an average maximum temperature of 38.3 °C (100.9 °F), making it Greece's second highest monthly average maximum temperature to date after the 38.6 °C (101.5 °F) recorded in Stylida in July 2023. The highest temperature ever recorded in Sparta is 45.7 °C (114.3 °F) in August 2021. On average, Sparta records 5 days per year with temperatures of over 40.0 °C (104.0 °F). Evidence of Neolithic settlement in southern Laconia has been found during excavations of

1716-784: The late Middle Ages. Following the Fourth Crusade , Laconia was gradually conquered by the Frankish Principality of Achaea . In the 1260s, the Byzantines recovered Mystras and other fortresses in the region and managed to evict the Franks from Laconia, which became the nucleus of a new Byzantine province. By the mid-14th century, this evolved into the Despotate of the Morea , held by the last Greek ruling dynasty,

1768-459: The latter strong chthonic elements in her cult. Pausanias described a sanctuary to the goddess in the city of Aigion , and the cult associated with it: "At Aigion [in Akhaia] is an ancient sanctuary of Eileithyia, and her image is covered from head to foot with finely-woven drapery; it is of wood except the face, hands and feet, which are made of Pentelic marble. One hand is stretched out straight;

1820-599: The maid to or seated beside the Moirai (Fates) and responsible for the creation of offspring. Her son was Sosipolis , who was worshiped at Elis . The earliest form of the name is the Mycenaean Greek 𐀁𐀩𐀄𐀴𐀊 , e-re-u-ti-ja , written in the Linear B syllabic script. Ilithyia is the latinisation of Εἰλείθυια . The etymology of the name is uncertain, but debated among scholars. R. S. P. Beekes suggests

1872-641: The mid-2nd century BC until 395 AD, Laconia was a part of the Roman Empire . In the medieval period, Laconia formed part of the Byzantine Empire . In the 7th century, Slavic tribes settled in the Peloponnese. Two of them, the Melingoi and the Ezeritai , who settled in parts of Laconia, survived the subsequent Byzantine reconquest and re-Hellenization of the Peloponnese, and are attested until

1924-528: The mountain road you see the Teneatic gate and a sanctuary of Eileithyia." The Cave of Eileithyia near Amnisos , the harbor of Knossos , mentioned in the Odyssey (xix.189) in connection with her cult, was accounted the birthplace of Eileithyia. In the river nearby also named Amnisos, lived nymphs that were sacred to Eileithyia named Amnisades and Amnisabes. The Cretan cave has stalactites suggestive of

1976-456: The mountain via the Mani district to the south. The stalactite cave, Dirou, a major tourist attraction, is located south of Areopolis in the southwest of Laconia. The city of Sparta enjoys a sunny and warm Mediterranean climate ( Köppen : Csa ). January highs are around 14 °C (57 °F) while July and August highs are around 36 °C (97 °F) in the city proper. Sparta records

2028-599: The myth associated with it: "Near the Lords [sanctuary of the Dioskouroi at Argos] is a sanctuary of Eilethyia, dedicated by Helene when, Theseus having gone away with Peirithous to Thesprotia, Aphidna had been captured by the Dioskouroi and Helen was being brought to Lakedaimon. For it is said that she was with child, was delivered in Argos, and founded the sanctuary of Eilethyia, giving the daughter she bore to Klytaimnestra, who

2080-501: The other holds up a torch. One might conjecture that torches are an attribute of Eileithyia because the pangs of women are just like fire. The torches might also be explained by the fact that it is Eileithyia who brings children to the light." Aside from the sanctuary in the city of Aigion, Pausanias also noted that there were temples to the goddess in the towns of Boura and Pellene in Achaea. Pausanias described two sanctuaries to

2132-534: The priestesses." There were ancient icons of Eileithyia at Athens, one said to have been brought from Crete, according to Pausanias , who mentioned shrines to Eileithyia in Tegea and Argos , with an extremely important shrine in Aigion . Eileithyia, along with Artemis and Persephone , is often shown carrying torches to bring children out of darkness and into light: in Roman mythology her counterpart in easing labor

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2184-508: The primary goddess of childbirth along with Artemis , Eileithyia had numerous shrines in many locations in Greece dating from Neolithic to Roman times, indicating that she was extremely important to pregnant women and their families. People would pray for and leave offerings for aid in fertility, safe childbirth, or give appreciation for a successful birth. Archaeological evidence of terracotta votive figurines depict children found at shrines, and holy sites dedicated to Eileithyia suggest that she

2236-576: The south. It encompasses Cape Malea and Cape Tainaron and a large part of the Mani Peninsula . The Mani Peninsula is in the west region of Laconia. The islands of Kythira and Antikythera lie to the south, but they administratively belong to the Attica regional unit of islands . The island, Elafonisos , situated between the Laconian mainland and Kythira, is part of Laconia. The Evrotas

2288-647: The west and the Parnon 1,961 m (6,434 ft) in the northeast. Taygetus, known as Pentadaktylos ( five-fingers ) throughout the Middle Ages, is west of Sparta and the Evrotas Valley . It is the highest mountain in Laconia and the Peloponnese and is mostly covered with pine trees. Two roads join the Messenia and Laconia prefectures: one is a tortuous mountain pass through Taygetus and the other bypasses

2340-504: Was a kourotrophic divinity, whom parents would have prayed to for protection and care of their children. Midwives had an essential role in ancient Greek society, with women of all classes participating in the profession - many being slaves with only empirical training or some theoretical training in obstetrics and gynecology. More highly educated midwives, typically from higher classes, were referred to as iatrenes or doctors of women's diseases and would be respected as physicians. She

2392-573: Was already wedded to Agamemnon." Pausanias noted a shrine to her in Mycenae, and an important shrine in Mases in Argolis: "[At Mases, Argos] there is a sanctuary of Eileithyia within the wall. Every day, both with sacrifices and with incense, they magnificently propitiate the goddess, and, moreover, there is a vast number of votive gifts offered to Eileithyia. But the image no one may see, except, perhaps,

2444-419: Was her mother. Only among the Athenians are the wooden figures of Eileithyia draped to the feet. The women told me that two are Kretan, being offerings of Phaidra [daughter of the mythical King Minos of Krete], and that the third, which is the oldest, Erysikhthon [an early king of Athens] brought from Delos. Pausanias noted a sanctuary in Corinth: "When you have turned from the Akrokorinthos [at Korinthos] into

2496-404: Was invoked by women in labour, to ease the pain of labour, and to further the birth. Callimachus recorded the hymn: Even so again, Eileithyia, come thou when Kykainis calls, to bless her pains with easy birth; so may thy fragrant shrine have, as now this offering for a girl, some other offering hereafter for a boy. She was strongly connected with the goddesses Artemis and Hekate , sharing with

2548-456: Was re-dedicated as a church, first to Christ the Saviour , and then to Saint Eleutherios . In 1856, the church underwent restoration to its original state, in which its more recent additions, such as its bell-tower, were removed. On 16 January 2023, the Little Metropolis was used as the location of the lying-in-state of Constantine II of Greece , the last King of the Hellenes , whom a "crowd of thousands" prostrated and mourned. The church has

2600-406: Was seen by the traveler Pausanias in the 2nd century AD ( Description of Greece vi.20.1–3); in it, a virgin-priestess cared for a serpent that was fed on honeyed barley-cakes and water—an offering suited to Demeter. The shrine memorialized the appearance of a crone with a babe in arms, at a crucial moment when Elians were threatened by forces from Arcadia . The child, placed on the ground between

2652-404: Was selected as the capital of the modern prefecture, and its economy and agriculture expanded. With the incorporation of the British-ruled Ionian Islands into Greece in 1864, Elafonissos became part of the prefecture. After World War II and the Greek Civil War , its population began to somewhat decline, as people moved from the villages toward the larger cities of Greece and abroad. In 1992,

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2704-431: Was the Greek goddess of childbirth and midwifery , and the daughter of Zeus and Hera . In the cave of Amnisos ( Crete ) she was related with the annual birth of the divine child, and her cult is connected with Enesidaon (the earth shaker), who was the chthonic aspect of the god Poseidon . It is possible that her cult is related with the cult of Eleusis . In his Seventh Nemean Ode , Pindar refers to her as

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