Temple of Hera, Olympia

For other temples also dedicated to Hera, see Heraion (disambiguation).
Restored ruins of the temple
Olympia site map: #4 Temple of Hera is in dark purple (top center). The long ancient Olympic stadium is at far right.
Olympic flame

The Temple of Hera, or Heraion, is an ancient Archaic Greek temple at Olympia, Greece, that was dedicated to Hera, queen of the Greek gods.[1] It was the oldest temple at Olympia and one of the most venerable in all Greece. It was originally a joint temple of Hera and Zeus, chief of the gods, until a separate temple was built for him.[2] It is at the altar of this temple, which is oriented east-west, that the Olympic flame is lit and carried to all parts of the world.[3] The torch of the Olympic flame is lit in its ruins to this day.[4] The temple was built in approximately 590 BC, but was destroyed by an earthquake in the early 4th century AD.

  1. ^ Darling, Janina K. (2004). Architecture of Greece. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 195–197. ISBN 9780313321528. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
  2. ^ Doniger, Wendy (March 1, 2006). Britannica Encyclopedia of World Religions. Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
  3. ^ "Ancient Olympia". Greeka. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  4. ^ The Olympic Flame and the Torch Relay (PDF), p. 4, retrieved 19 November 2015