The "dark times
It is to the Minoan civilization of Crete that we owe the first palace-cities, complex structures comprising places of life, worship and power organized around a central courtyard and spread over several levels, all these elements being connected by astonishing labyrinthine corridors. The remains of the Palace of Knossos in Crete bear witness to this masterful art of Bronze Age architecture. A thousand years later the Mycenaean citadel-palaces followed. Erected in height, they are surrounded by fortifications in a device called "cyclopean" because of the monumentality of the stone blocks that compose them. Inside, the palaces are organized around a vast central foyer surrounded by four columns supporting the roof, preceded by a vestibule and a portico. The Mycenaeans are also famous for their princely tholos, these circular tombs, preceded by a long corridor, built in corbels and surmounted by enormous blocks of stone. The most beautiful vestiges of this Mycenaean civilization are to be seen in Mycenae and Tirynthe.The rise of ancient Greek architecture
In the Archaic period, the temple dominates the city. Initially essentially made of raw brick and wood, the latter, from then on rectangular and peripteral (surrounded by a peristyle with a row of columns), was more and more often erected in stone. Some temples, like the temple of Apollo in Thermos or that ofHera
in Olympia, already present the distribution of the spaces which will be taken again in the following centuries: pronaos (entry or vestibule) - naos (sanctuary containing the statue of the divinity, often with 3 naves) - opisthodome (symmetrical posterior porch). It is at this time that the Greek orders develop. The Doric order is illustrated by its simplicity. Massive and squat, the columns play a supporting role, have no base and their capitals are empty of any decoration. It is mostly found in the temples of central Greece and the Peloponnese. The Ionic order, on the other hand, is characterized by its elegance and lightness. The columns are more graceful, now resting on a base and their capitals are adorned with two volutes. One finds it especially in the Aegean islands and in Asia Minor. The archaic period is also reflected by great engineering works, especially in terms of water supply (tunnel-aqueduct of Samos) and support of the terraces.The classical period represents the golden age of Greek architecture, characterized by a quest for rationality and harmony. Great importance is given to the search for ideal proportions and the architects, to underline the majesty of the buildings, do not hesitate to carry out some optical corrections in the form of curvature and inflection of the lines, in order to avoid the impressions of subsidence or of too great verticality. The palaces are now of marble, like the Hephaestheion and the Parthenon
. This skilful play of robustness and lightness is underlined by a refined decoration mixing the Doric (outside) and Ionic (outside) orders and by adding a third order, the Corinthian order, with its acanthus leaves and its crenellated columns, as in the temple of Athena Alea in Tegea. The treasuries, small votive buildings receiving the offerings, allow the architects to give free rein to their imagination, in particular through a decoration all in mouldings and carved friezes. The Hellenistic period is that of monumentality and splendor. Henceforth, the temples - whose porticoes lengthened, doubled their span and gained a floor - were no longer the only flagship buildings of the city. Theaters, council rooms and gymnasiums multiplied. Thermal baths even made their appearance. This period is also marked by a rise of individualism. From now on, the rich and powerful decorated their villas with luxury to show their success. These houses are organized around a central court surrounded by a peristyle. The mosaic decorations are of great refinement. This splendour and this Hellenic richness are particularly shown in Macedonia where the sovereigns are made erect imposing palates in height, like in Vergina and Pella. The military architecture is not in remainder: fortresses and ramparts impress as well by their robustness as by the elegance of their apparatus with bossing and contribute, according to Aristotle, as much to the protection as to the embellishment of the cities, like in Messene or Rhamnonte. At the same time, a reasoned urbanism develops which will preside over the construction of new cities, such as Olynthe or Piraeus. The town planner Hippodamos of Milet conceives a master plan in the form of a geometrical plan by which the city is squared by rectilinear streets which intersect at right angles, forming blocks of the same size comprising 8 houses. The town planner also separates the zones and functions of the city (commercial zone, military zone, religious and public zone, residential zone) to facilitate the reading.Byzantine Greece
From the 4th to the 15th century, Greece was part of the Byzantine Empire. This period, which was often described as medieval obscurantism in contrast to the enlightened grandeur of antiquity, nevertheless gave Greece superb evidence of an astonishing syncretism in which architecture was the link between pagan cults and Christian traditions. Now an official religion, Christianity needed new buildings to mark its power. The temples were too small and larger buildings were needed to accommodate the faithful. The Christians therefore developed new architectural solutions on the existing Greco-Roman structures. The baths served as models for the baptisteries, the mausoleums of the emperors inspired the sanctuaries, while columns and capitals supported the vaults. As for the basilicas - which until then had served as covered markets, public squares and courts of justice - they became churches. They had to allow the assembly to turn towards the altar... and thus was born the longitudinal plan or basilical plan with its central room surrounded by colonnades. Then Greece will gradually adopt a plan centered in Greek cross. At the crossing of the transept, the dome (always decorated with Christ Pantocrator, the almighty) rests on a drum pierced with windows which itself rests on 4 barrel vaults drawing the equal arms of this Greek cross. Byzantine architecture is also characterized by the use of brick, easy to use and allowing greater flexibility and the use of curves and vaults and by a game of alternating in the facade between the dark colors of the brick and the light colors of the stone, creating bands or geometric patterns, a technique inherited from the Romans. The decoration is extremely refined, as evidenced by the sumptuous decorations of mosaics and colorful frescoes. In Thessaloniki
, the church Agia Sofia is a beautiful example of this Byzantine splendor, as well as the churches of Mistra, some of which mix in a surprising way a basilical plan on the ground and a floor with Greek cross plan. One also sees the development of powerful monasteries protected by steep reliefs, like Meteora, overhanging the surroundings from the top of their rocky peak. The Byzantines were also masters of military architecture, as evidenced by the remains of the ramparts of Thessaloniki, which was for a long time the second city of the empire. In the Peloponnese, ancient Morea, you can also admire amazing Frankish fortresses, notably those of Chlemoutsi and Mystra. This is not surprising since in 1204, Geoffrey of Villehardouin, then on his way to the crusades, decided to settle there because Constantinople had already fallen to the crusaders. After bitter struggles against the Byzantines, the Franks imposed their feudal system and built powerful castles organized around large courtyards lined with high rooms. Fortresses which will return thereafter under the Byzantine banner while preserving their "Frankish" character. Another astonishing syncretism.Ottoman and Venetian influences
From the 16th to the 19th century, Greece was integrated into the powerful Ottoman Empire. Many Byzantine churches were transformed into mosques, thus adapting Christian sanctuaries to the rites of Islam. For the mosques built from scratch, the Ottomans favored modest proportions, the mosques being often limited to a prayer room. Hammams, bazaars and caravanserais dotted the territory. In Athens, we can still see the remains of the Fethiye mosque and Turkish baths. In Trikala
, the mosque with the minaret now truncated is the work of the great Ottoman architect Sinan. The city has also preserved beautiful examples of Ottoman houses with wooden corbels, as well as Varousi, Thessaloniki and Didymotic. Finally, in Kevala, you can admire a superb restored complex including mosque, medersa, minarets and hammam, overhung by 18 domes.The insatiable Republic of Venice, a maritime and commercial power reigning over the Mediterranean, dominated the Peloponnese from 1684 to 1715, leaving its mark symbolized by the legendary lions of Saint Mark. These stone felines still watch over the fortress of Nafplio and the citadels of Methoni and Corinth
, ancient trading posts, whose successive enclosures and imposing gates can still be seen. If the oldest examples date back to the Byzantine period, it is especially in the eighteenth century that a very particular type of housing develops in the region of the Mani, whose society is entirely organized in clans that fight a war without mercy. This explains the tower-houses and war towers that dot the landscape, an amazing local military architecture that you can discover in the villages of Kita and Vathia for example.Neoclassical and modernism
1821, Greece is freed from the Ottoman yoke and celebrates its independence. The young nation seeks to give back to its cities their authentic Greek character. It is then decided to make a clean sweep of the Ottoman past. King Otto I, former prince of Bavaria, brought in many foreign architects who imported the neoclassical style. This style, which uses all the codes of ancient architecture (columns, pilasters, pediments, monumentality...), allows the Greeks to close the Ottoman parenthesis by renewing with their most glorious past. It is particularly visible in Athens, which became capital in 1834. New districts and new arteries appeared, while superb official buildings were built under the impulse of the Danish architect Theophil Hansen, to whom we owe the Academy (whose Ionic columns are inspired by the Erechtheion), the National Library in marble (inspired by the Doric style of the temple of Hephaestus), or even the University. The neoclassical style was very popular throughout the country until the 1920s, including in private homes which were covered with columns, caryatids and other antique ornaments.
In 1933, off the coast of Athens, the now famous Charter of Athens was signed on the occasion of the4th congress of the CIAM (International Congress of Modern Architecture). A manifesto of the modernist movement and the theory of a functionalist urban planner, this charter takes up all the points made by Le Corbusier, then a key figure in the CIAM. Many buildings, in Athens in particular, bear the mark of this modernism: use of reinforced concrete, absence of ornamentation... A major program had even been initiated by the Ministry of Education to popularize modernism and to counter the strong criticism of which it was the object because of its austere aspect. This program included the construction of numerous schools. In the 1950s, under the constant demographic pressure, the urbanization of the cities, especially Athens, is done in a somewhat anarchic way, the constructions carried out in haste côtoient of immense bars of buildings without soul. Then the 1960s saw the emergence of a number of international style buildings, derived from the functionalist and modernist style initiated by Le Corbusier. Glass curtain walls appeared on the country's first skyscrapers, while buildings with sober, geometric lines mixing concrete, glass and steel emerged. Among the most emblematic buildings of the period are the U.S. Embassy in Athens by Walter Gropius, the Hellenikon East Terminal of the Athens Airport by Eero Saarinen and the Athens Hilton Hotel.Contemporary architecture
Galvanised by the organisation of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, the country has redesigned its capital to make it more pleasant for visitors. Its centre has undergone extensive rehabilitation with a pedestrian walkway linking all the archaeological sites, an extension of the metro network and the construction of a new airport. On this occasion, the architect Santiago Calatrava gave the city its Olympic complex, recognizable by its ultra-modern roof of laminated glass (which can reflect UV rays) and steel suspended by cables from a large arch. In 2009, Bernard Tschumi, in collaboration with Michel Fotiadis, signed the Acropolis Museum. Based on the model of the Parthenon, from which it takes the same number of columns, the museum, made of glass, steel and grey cement, is organized around a cella and has a glass floor revealing the underground archaeological excavations. Although the museum has attracted a lot of criticism, we can nevertheless underline the link it creates with history. In 2016, Renzo Piano will build the Cultural Centre of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation. Built on an artificial hill, it offers a superb view of the sea. With its roof covered with photovoltaic panels and the importance given to light and natural ventilation, the centre is sustainable. Stimulated by the crisis that has led to more creativity, Greek architects today are multiplying projects that are sober yet perfectly integrated into the environment, thus placing themselves in the straight line of the famous architect Nicos Valsamakis, renowned for his discreet and elegant minimalism. Finally, many are those who are launching consultation projects with the inhabitants in order to imagine the city of tomorrow, greener and more humane.
