The culture ministry on Friday announced ongoing restoration and maintenance work on the temple of the Pythian Apollo, located on the island of Rhodes’ ancient Acropolis (Monte Smith).

One of the more innovative parts of the projects entails a gradual removal of materials used in restoration efforts from the 1930s (during the Italian occupation) to the early 1960s, and their replacement with scattered but authentic parts of the monument at the same site.

In a statement, Culture Minister Lina Mendoni noted that the “…the Sanctuary of the Pythian Apollo was part of the complex of sacred and public buildings on the acropolis of Rhodes. The original phase of the monument dates back to the end of the 4th or the beginning of the 3rd century BC. The monument was rebuilt twice in antiquity – after the earthquake of 226 BC and after a fire at the end of the 1st century BC. Its current form is due to the restoration carried out by the Italians, under Mario Paolini, in 1937-1938. These interventions revealed, indicatively, the dimensions and, in part, the monumentality of the temple building. The current restoration corrects previous errors, protects the sensitive material of the building, preserves authentic parts of the carved rock, unique in Greece, and improves the visitor’s perception of the monument.”