Parthenon, Greece

The Parthenon (/ˈpɑːrθəˌnɒnˌ -nən/;Ancient Greek: Παρθενών; Modern Greek: Παρθενώνας, Parthenónas) is a former temple, on the Athenian Acropolis, Greece, dedicated to thegoddess Athena, whom the people ofAthens considered their patron. Construction began in 447 BC when the Athenian Empire was at the peak of its power. It was completed in 438 BC although decoration of the building continued until 432 BC. It is the most important surviving building of Classical Greece, generally considered the zenith of the Doric order. Its decorative sculptures are considered some of the high points of Greek art. The Parthenon is regarded as an enduring symbol ofAncient Greece, Athenian democracyand western civilization, and one of the world's greatest cultural monuments. 

The Parthenon itself replaced an older temple of Athena, which historians call the Pre-Parthenon or Older Parthenon, that was destroyed in the Persian invasion of 480 BC. The temple is archaeoastronomically aligned to the Hyades. While a sacred building dedicated to the city's patron goddess, the Parthenon was actually used primarily as a treasury. For a time, it served as the treasury of the Delian League, which later became theAthenian Empire. In the final decade of the sixth century AD, the Parthenon was converted into a Christian church dedicated to the Virgin Mary. After the Ottoman conquest, it was turned into a mosque in the early 1460s. 

  

Picture Source: Collected from Internet