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Choragic Monument of Lysicrates

 

 
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Choragic Monument of Lysicrates
 
 
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The Choragic Monument of Lysicrates near the Acropolis
Acropolis

Acropolis literally means city on the edge . For purposes of defense, early settlers naturally chose elevated ground, frequently a hill with precipitous sides....
 of Athens
Athens

Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
 was erected by the choregos
Choregos (ancient Greece)

In the theatre of ancient Greece, chor?gos was an honorary title for a wealthy Classical Athens citizen who assumed the public duty of financing and paying the expenses of the preparation of the Greek chorus and other aspects of dramatic production that were not covered by the Polis....
 Lysicrates, a patron of many theatrical performances in the Theater of Dionysus, to commemorate the award of first prize in 335 BC or 334 BC, to one of the performances he had sponsored. The choregos was the sponsor who paid for and supervised the training of the dramatic dance-chorus
Greek chorus

The Greek chorus is a group of twelve or fifteen minor actors in tragedy and twenty-four in Ancient Greek comedy plays of classical Athens....
.

circular structure, raised on a high squared podium, is one of the first Greek monuments built according to the Corinthian order
Corinthian order

The Corinthian order is one of the Classical orders of Greece and Rome architecture, characterized by a slender Fluting column and an ornate capital decorated with acanthus leaves and scrolls....
.






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The Choragic Monument of Lysicrates near the Acropolis
Acropolis

Acropolis literally means city on the edge . For purposes of defense, early settlers naturally chose elevated ground, frequently a hill with precipitous sides....
 of Athens
Athens

Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
 was erected by the choregos
Choregos (ancient Greece)

In the theatre of ancient Greece, chor?gos was an honorary title for a wealthy Classical Athens citizen who assumed the public duty of financing and paying the expenses of the preparation of the Greek chorus and other aspects of dramatic production that were not covered by the Polis....
 Lysicrates, a patron of many theatrical performances in the Theater of Dionysus, to commemorate the award of first prize in 335 BC or 334 BC, to one of the performances he had sponsored. The choregos was the sponsor who paid for and supervised the training of the dramatic dance-chorus
Greek chorus

The Greek chorus is a group of twelve or fifteen minor actors in tragedy and twenty-four in Ancient Greek comedy plays of classical Athens....
.

History

The circular structure, raised on a high squared podium, is one of the first Greek monuments built according to the Corinthian order
Corinthian order

The Corinthian order is one of the Classical orders of Greece and Rome architecture, characterized by a slender Fluting column and an ornate capital decorated with acanthus leaves and scrolls....
. Its frieze sculptures depict episodes from the myth
Mythology

The word mythology refers to a body of folklore/myths/legends that a particular culture believes to be true and that often use the supernatural to interpret natural events and to explain the nature of the universe and humanity....
 of Dionysus
Dionysus

In classical mythology, Dionysus or Dionysos , is the God of wine, the inspirer of ritual madness and ecstasy, and a major figure of Greek mythology, and one of the twelve Olympians, among whom Greek mythology treated Dionysus as a late arrival....
, the god whose rites developed into Greek theatre. It originally served as support for the bronze tripod that was given as prize. it stands now in its little garden on the Tripodon Street ("Street of the Tripods"), which follows the line of the ancient street of the name, which led to the Theater of Dionysus and was once lined with choragic monuments, of which the foundations were discovered in excavations during the 1980s.

In 1658, a French
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
 Capuchin monastery
Order of Friars Minor Capuchin

File:Rapperswil - Kapuzinerkloster.jpgThe Order of Friars Minor Capuchin is an order of friars in the Catholic Church, among the chief offshoots of the Franciscans....
 was founded by the site; the monastery
Monastery

Monastery , a term derived from the Greek language word ???ast?????, neut. of ???ast????? - monasterios denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of Monk, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in Cenobium or alone ....
 succeeded in purchasing the monument
Monument

A monument is a type of structure either explicitly created to commemorate a person or important event or which has become important to a social group as a part of their remembrance of past events....
 (then being called the "Lantern of Diogenes
Diogenes of Sinope

Diogenes "the Cynic", Ancient Greece philosopher, was born in Sinope about 412 BC , and died in 323 BC, at Corinth. Details of his life come in the form of anecdotes , especially from Diogenes La?rtius, in his book Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers....
") from the Ottoman
Ottoman Turks

The Ottoman Turks were the subdivision of the Ottoman Muslim Millet that dominated the ruling class of the Ottoman Empire. Reliable information about the early history of the Ottomans is scarce....
 resident (1669). The monument became famous in France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
 and England
England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
 through engravings of it, and "improved" versions became eye-catching features in several English landscape garden
Landscape garden

The term landscape garden is often used to describe the English garden design style characteristic of the eighteenth century, particularly with the work of Capability Brown....
s. Lord Byron stayed at the monastery during his second visit to Greece
Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east....
. In 1818, friar Francis planted in its gardens the first tomato
Tomato

The Tomato is an herbaceous, usually sprawling plant in the Solanaceae or nightshade family, as are its close cousins Nicotiana, potatoes, aubergine , chilli peppers, and the poisonous Atropa belladonna....
 plant
Plant

Plants are Life organisms belonging to the Kingdom Plantae. They include familiar organisms such as trees, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae....
s in Greece. In 1829, the monk
Monk

A Monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, the unconditioning of mind and body in favor of the realization of one's true nature, and does so living either alone or with any number of like-minded people, whilst always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose....
s offered the structure to an Englishman on tour, but it proved to be too cumbersome to disassemble and ship. Lord Elgin negotiated unsuccessfully for the monument, by then an icon in the Greek Revival.

The monastery was demolished during the Greek war of Independence
Ottoman Greece

Most of Greece was part of the Ottoman Empire from the 14th century until its declaration of independence in 1821, a historical period also known as Tourkokratia ....
, 1821. French archaeologists cleared the rubble from the half-buried monument and searched the area for missing architectural parts. In 1876–1887, the architects François Boulanger and E. Loviot supervised a restoration under the auspices of the French
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
 Government.

Other versions

Famous British versions of the Choragic Monument are to be found in the gardens at Shugborough, Staffordshire and Alton Towers
Alton Towers

Alton Towers is a theme park and resort located in the grounds of a former stately home in Staffordshire, England. It attracted 3.1 million visitors in 2008, making it the second most visited theme park in the UK after Pleasure Beach Blackpool....
; and on the tower of St Giles Church in Elgin, among many others.

In the US, the Choragic Monument was adapted for Civil War memorials in Connecticut, and capped many Beaux-Arts towers
Beaux-Arts architecture

Beaux-Arts architecture denotes the academic Neoclassical architecture architectural style that was taught at the ?cole des Beaux-Arts in Paris....
. It was also copied as a cupola atop the Tennessee State Capitol
Tennessee State Capitol

The Tennessee State Capitol, located in Nashville, Tennessee, is the home of the Tennessee General Assembly, and the location of the governor's office....
 building. The design of the Portland Breakwater Light
Portland Breakwater Light

The Portland Breakwater Light is a small lighthouse in South Portland, Maine, Maine. The lighthouse's Flashing Light red beacon helped guide ships from Casco Bay through the entrance to Portland Harbor....
 in Maine was inspired by the monument.

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