ANCIENT SITE OF VRAVRONA (BRAURON)
Place of worship to the goddess of nature, hunting and childbirth.
It is one of the main places of worship to Artemis, goddess of nature, hunting and childbirth, which took its present form around the 6th century BC. Protective goddess of the animals, she becomes, on this site also, protective of the family and the children. According to the legend, Iphigenia would have ended her days there as a priestess of the goddess. On arrival, the most imposing monument is the Doric portico, of which some columns are still standing. On your right, the small tufa basin, at the foot of the terrace of the temple, must have supplied the site with water. The portico faced south, that is to say towards the small chapel that you see on your right as you enter, and was framed by two parallel wings whose foundations can still be seen. Behind the portico, you can see the foundations of nine small square rooms, furnished at the time with marble beds and tables. These rooms were used to house the "bears", the little girls dressed in yellow who accompanied the rituals dedicated to the goddess Artemis. Their name "bear" comes from the legend according to which Artemis wanted to punish the Athenians for the murder of a bear by a young boy who defended his sister. You can see, in the rooms, the marks that correspond to the places where the beds were inserted. Turning your back to the portico, you will see, to the left of the small chapel, the foundations of a sanctuary composed of four rooms.
