Temple of Demeter and Church of St. Blaise

The Temple of Demeter is located on a small earthen terrace on the slopes of Rupe Atenea and was dedicated to Demeter, the goddess of the harvest and mother of Persephone (Kore), to whom the inhabitants of Akràgas were deeply devoted. In fact, the wells of the two altars and the cistern adjacent to the temple were found filled with ex-voto offerings, which are now preserved in the Archaeological Museum. What remained of this temple was incorporated into the sober Church of San Biagio, built during the Norman period, approximately 1600 years later. Behind the church’s apse, the foundations of the Greek temple are still visible, only

partially occupied by the medieval building.

Unlike all the other temples in Agrigento, which are oriented eastward, towards the sunrise, the Temple of Demeter is oriented towards the setting of the full moon closest to the winter solstice. This discovery was made by researchers Giulio Magli from the Polytechnic University of Milan, Robert Hannah from the University of Waikato, New Zealand, and Andrea Orlando from the Astrophysical Observatory of Catania, in collaboration with the Valley of the Temples Park Authority.

The unique alignment revealed by this multidisciplinary study, published on the Cornell University website, could be linked to the ancient rituals that celebrated the reunion of Demeter with her daughter Persephone, who was abducted by Hades, the god of the netherworld, and taken to the Underworld to become his wife.

It is likely that these rituals included a nocturnal procession that began at the sanctuary fountain below the temple and then ascended to the temple itself, where participants would witness the setting of the full moon during the ceremony. In fact, on a nearly overhanging ledge below the temple lies the Rock Sanctuary of Demeter, possibly the oldest monument in Akragas, which may even predate its foundation. It is a structure connected to two caves, possibly a public fountain (nymphaeum) equipped with a system of basins for ritual purposes, dating from the 5^th and 3^rd centuries BC.

Currently, restoration work is underway at the sanctuary, and access to the Temple of Demeter depends on the presence of staff from the Archaeological Park.