Athena Makistou Temple in Skillountia

The Temple of Athena Makistos, at an altitude of 354 meters, borders the village of Skillountia – ex Massi, a village located east of Krestena and today belongs to the municipality of Andritsena – Krestena. The Temple is built on the top of a low table-shaped hill called Kastro, which is not the tallest in the area, but is visible to Krestena. According to historical references, in 1879 Kastorhis and Kavvadias excavated the eastern and western sides of the temple that were saved at a certain height. Until the early 20th century the temple never ceased to be used as a quarry for the houses and especially the church of the village of Mazi. In 1959, Stavropoulos tried to determine the dimensions of the Temple and found several members while in 1960 Yalouris, the Ephorate of Antiquities of Olympia, during the excavations that took place revealed the narrow sides, the pronaos and the altar. Also in 1978-81 the rest of the Temple and the surrounding area were revealed by Triantis.
The Temple of Athena, as mentioned, is a typical Doric kiosk, double-faced, with 6×13 columns. Its dimensions are in the crest 15,79×34,55m and on the pole 14,18×32,94m. The opisthorod has a greater depth than the pronaos. There was a double, perhaps two-tone colonnade in the cella, which was restored as Doric. According to Nakasis, this is the oldest known temple stand in Greece with a single wheelbase on all sides. The temple was placed on the basis of some characteristic details in the first half of the 5th century. At the same time, other temples date: the temple of Zeus in Babes of Makris, the temple of Artemis Limnadeas in Komothorra, and the temple of Athena in Prasidaki. With the Athena temple, there are many similarities, so as to be characterised by Nachasi as “twin” temples. Similarities are also exist with the temple of Zeus in Olympia, while the relatively nearby Temple of Athena in Alifeira is believed to be a possible model for the Massius temple