DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4264#0025
1 expressed lnhH,
******^s
:bytheG^.:
ingtheh^oftte:
*hgreata^<
^suchavigou,, J
°rses- ***J
Wlth°ut helmet, ^
a™an sitting ,ittv
*e the next two ^
^vhom 1 easiiy knwt(,
^nd of Jupiter arefo,
Jds, where Jupfe ^
itc, was adorned wlit-
Athens; butnowallofS
is also charged wift it
e feet broad, and tkt:
i of the temple itself, ist
th sides, which, without^
relievo as the other, 1
e heathens' worship, I
painterf to do it too:
stantinople. The cells:
2r into the body of Art
lelled pillars of the s»
art of the cellaj towiM
and." The late learnedutW
dence before the Committee i»
« of the Theseus I tare W
v_but I should think**;
him." The Earl of A^
1W the statue -^
,e western pedrment^
in its place, concur-^
Edifiee should have^
tutelary goddess of A^ [(
centuries iiKomplett-fc,
!madeinl674by« i-
:hc advantage of se » f
7 in the National IW j,
ipaniedthemarqms fej;
■c embassador obttj ,^
rgsonthefo'^'fp^.
CALLED THE PARTHENON AND HECATOMPEDON. 25
" of the length. We observed, in place of one of the pillars, a great pile of stone and lime, of most
rude work; which they told us the Kislar-Haga had ordered to be so done, to help to support the
roof; because he could never find a stone big enough to supply the place of the old pillar broken
down, although he had spent two thousand crowns to do ita.—From the Pronaos we entered into
the temple by a long door in the middle of the front. But my companion and I were not so much
surprised with the obscurity of it, as Monsieur Guiliterb; because the observations we had made on
other heathen temples did make it no new thing to us. When the Christians consecrated it to serve
God in, they let in the light at the east end, which is all that it yet hath ; and not only that, but made
a semicircle for the Holy-place, according to their rites; which the Turks have not yet much altered.
This was separated from the rest by jasper pillars, two of which on each side yet remain. Within this
chancel is a canopy sustained by four porphyry pillars, with beautiful white marble chapters of the
Corinthian order: but the holy table under it is removed. Beyond the canopy are two or three degrees
one above another in a semicircle, where the bishop and presbyters used to sit in time of communion,
upon certain solemn days. The bishop sat in a marble chair above the rest; which yet remaineth
above the degrees, against the window. On both sides, and towards the door, is a kind of gallery,
made with two ranks of pillars, twenty-two below, and twenty-three above; the odd pillar is over the
arch of the entrance, which was left for the passage0. They shewed us the place where two orange-
trees of marble had stood, which being taken thence to be carried to Constantinople, the vessel mis-
carried with them. The roof over the altar and choir, added to the temple by the Greeks, hath the
picture of the Holy Virgin on it, of Mosaic work, left yet by the Turks. This temple was covered
outwardly with great planks of stone, of which some are fallen down, and are to be seen in the
Mosque."d
Thus far Sir George Wheler, who has copied this account from Dr. Spon, and added to it some
mistakes of his own, which I have omitted. Dr. Spon tells us the measures were taken in French
a Wilder doubtless here associated together in his mind, the
six columns of the posticum at the western end, and the dimen-
sion of 44 feet the width of the opisthodomus. In describing
the portico of the Erechtheum, he also applies to external co-
lumns a similar expression as to those of the posticum, almost
with certainty here alluded to. He says " Its roof is sustained
by Ionic pillars channelled." The passages from Spon, describing
this part of the structure are as follow:—" Au devant du
temple est un pronaos, ou parvis couvert comme le temple, qui
tient presque le tiers de toute la fabrique."—" Quand nous
fumes entrez dans le pronaos, on nous fit remarquer une grosse
pile de massonnerie, que le Keslar-Aga a fait faire pour soutenir
les soliveaux du couvert. On dit qu'il y a depensS deux mille
piastres, n'ayant jamais pu trouver une poutre traversiere assez
grosse en la place de celle qui manquoit;" It is to be remarked,
that in Spon " une poutre traversiere" ' a cross beam' is the
part deficient corresponding with Wheler's ' old pillar broken
down.' Wheler may have connected with this reported resto-
ration the appearance of the walls partly immuring, the two
southern columns of the posticum, for the staircase to the minaret,
which may have been the " great pile of stone and lime of most rude
work.'' We, however, altogether consider this story of the Kislar-
Agha as a fable, which probably their guide induced them to
adopt, and from the repugnance of the Disdar-Agha at that
time to their revisiting the citadel, they may have been precluded
from the possibility of rectifying the erroneous impression. See
Voyage de Spon, L. V. Wilkins's Atheniensia. CED-]
b Guillet de St. Georges was first historiographer of the
Academy of Painting and Sculpture atParis. His work ' Athenes
Ancienne et Moderne,' from the pretended travels of his brother
La Guillitiere, the first edition of which appeared early in ] 675,
is supposed to have stimulated Wheler to undertake the voyage
into Greece in the same year. His narrative, although accord-
ing to the late Dr. E. D. Clarke, " little known, and rarely
VOL. II.
noticed by any subsequent author, contains the most racy de-
scription of the city and of its inhabitants, of its antiquities and
statistics, which had appeared before the time of its publi-
cation." This production, in whatever way appreciated by that
variously-gifted traveller, or however congenial with the enthu-
siastic character of his mind, can only on due consideration be
regarded but as a well-constructed romance, put forward under
the name of a supposed traveller, and combining with consi-
derable research and ingenuity, and some power of invention,
information derived from ancient authorities, with some real intel-
ligence, probably received from the missionaries then recently
established in Greece. From the remarks of Spon, resulted
a slight but acrimonious literary controversy. In Spon's reply
he disputes the existence of the pretended La Guillitiere, brings
forward the real sources of the information of Guillet, and exposes
the grossness of his mistakes, and the extent of his exaggerations.
Sec Diet. Hist. Clarke's Travels, Part II. Sec. II. Chap. IV.
Leake's Topography of Athens, Introd. p.101. Biog. Univ. [Jed.]
0 From this description of Wheler, it is clear that the interior
of this temple had undergone very considerable alterations in
adapting it to the worship of the early Christian Greeks, and it
is certain that a double range of columns was in his time within
the building; but the number of them, and the odd pillar men-
tioned as over the arch of the entrance, are circumstances which
raise considerable doubts as to the existence in his time of any
part of the original internal peristyle, and Fauvel, the French
consul, artist, and antiquary, who had for many years watched
the ruins of the Acropolis, was of opinion that all that lately
remained of the interior columns, was of the lower Greek empire:
but a fragment of a Corinthian capital recently found among the
ruins, and which has been alluded to in the description of the
Temple of Bassae, would induce us to question the entire correct-
ness of that judgment. L~ED-D
d Wheler's Journey into Greece, from p. 360. to p. 364.
******^s
:bytheG^.:
ingtheh^oftte:
*hgreata^<
^suchavigou,, J
°rses- ***J
Wlth°ut helmet, ^
a™an sitting ,ittv
*e the next two ^
^vhom 1 easiiy knwt(,
^nd of Jupiter arefo,
Jds, where Jupfe ^
itc, was adorned wlit-
Athens; butnowallofS
is also charged wift it
e feet broad, and tkt:
i of the temple itself, ist
th sides, which, without^
relievo as the other, 1
e heathens' worship, I
painterf to do it too:
stantinople. The cells:
2r into the body of Art
lelled pillars of the s»
art of the cellaj towiM
and." The late learnedutW
dence before the Committee i»
« of the Theseus I tare W
v_but I should think**;
him." The Earl of A^
1W the statue -^
,e western pedrment^
in its place, concur-^
Edifiee should have^
tutelary goddess of A^ [(
centuries iiKomplett-fc,
!madeinl674by« i-
:hc advantage of se » f
7 in the National IW j,
ipaniedthemarqms fej;
■c embassador obttj ,^
rgsonthefo'^'fp^.
CALLED THE PARTHENON AND HECATOMPEDON. 25
" of the length. We observed, in place of one of the pillars, a great pile of stone and lime, of most
rude work; which they told us the Kislar-Haga had ordered to be so done, to help to support the
roof; because he could never find a stone big enough to supply the place of the old pillar broken
down, although he had spent two thousand crowns to do ita.—From the Pronaos we entered into
the temple by a long door in the middle of the front. But my companion and I were not so much
surprised with the obscurity of it, as Monsieur Guiliterb; because the observations we had made on
other heathen temples did make it no new thing to us. When the Christians consecrated it to serve
God in, they let in the light at the east end, which is all that it yet hath ; and not only that, but made
a semicircle for the Holy-place, according to their rites; which the Turks have not yet much altered.
This was separated from the rest by jasper pillars, two of which on each side yet remain. Within this
chancel is a canopy sustained by four porphyry pillars, with beautiful white marble chapters of the
Corinthian order: but the holy table under it is removed. Beyond the canopy are two or three degrees
one above another in a semicircle, where the bishop and presbyters used to sit in time of communion,
upon certain solemn days. The bishop sat in a marble chair above the rest; which yet remaineth
above the degrees, against the window. On both sides, and towards the door, is a kind of gallery,
made with two ranks of pillars, twenty-two below, and twenty-three above; the odd pillar is over the
arch of the entrance, which was left for the passage0. They shewed us the place where two orange-
trees of marble had stood, which being taken thence to be carried to Constantinople, the vessel mis-
carried with them. The roof over the altar and choir, added to the temple by the Greeks, hath the
picture of the Holy Virgin on it, of Mosaic work, left yet by the Turks. This temple was covered
outwardly with great planks of stone, of which some are fallen down, and are to be seen in the
Mosque."d
Thus far Sir George Wheler, who has copied this account from Dr. Spon, and added to it some
mistakes of his own, which I have omitted. Dr. Spon tells us the measures were taken in French
a Wilder doubtless here associated together in his mind, the
six columns of the posticum at the western end, and the dimen-
sion of 44 feet the width of the opisthodomus. In describing
the portico of the Erechtheum, he also applies to external co-
lumns a similar expression as to those of the posticum, almost
with certainty here alluded to. He says " Its roof is sustained
by Ionic pillars channelled." The passages from Spon, describing
this part of the structure are as follow:—" Au devant du
temple est un pronaos, ou parvis couvert comme le temple, qui
tient presque le tiers de toute la fabrique."—" Quand nous
fumes entrez dans le pronaos, on nous fit remarquer une grosse
pile de massonnerie, que le Keslar-Aga a fait faire pour soutenir
les soliveaux du couvert. On dit qu'il y a depensS deux mille
piastres, n'ayant jamais pu trouver une poutre traversiere assez
grosse en la place de celle qui manquoit;" It is to be remarked,
that in Spon " une poutre traversiere" ' a cross beam' is the
part deficient corresponding with Wheler's ' old pillar broken
down.' Wheler may have connected with this reported resto-
ration the appearance of the walls partly immuring, the two
southern columns of the posticum, for the staircase to the minaret,
which may have been the " great pile of stone and lime of most rude
work.'' We, however, altogether consider this story of the Kislar-
Agha as a fable, which probably their guide induced them to
adopt, and from the repugnance of the Disdar-Agha at that
time to their revisiting the citadel, they may have been precluded
from the possibility of rectifying the erroneous impression. See
Voyage de Spon, L. V. Wilkins's Atheniensia. CED-]
b Guillet de St. Georges was first historiographer of the
Academy of Painting and Sculpture atParis. His work ' Athenes
Ancienne et Moderne,' from the pretended travels of his brother
La Guillitiere, the first edition of which appeared early in ] 675,
is supposed to have stimulated Wheler to undertake the voyage
into Greece in the same year. His narrative, although accord-
ing to the late Dr. E. D. Clarke, " little known, and rarely
VOL. II.
noticed by any subsequent author, contains the most racy de-
scription of the city and of its inhabitants, of its antiquities and
statistics, which had appeared before the time of its publi-
cation." This production, in whatever way appreciated by that
variously-gifted traveller, or however congenial with the enthu-
siastic character of his mind, can only on due consideration be
regarded but as a well-constructed romance, put forward under
the name of a supposed traveller, and combining with consi-
derable research and ingenuity, and some power of invention,
information derived from ancient authorities, with some real intel-
ligence, probably received from the missionaries then recently
established in Greece. From the remarks of Spon, resulted
a slight but acrimonious literary controversy. In Spon's reply
he disputes the existence of the pretended La Guillitiere, brings
forward the real sources of the information of Guillet, and exposes
the grossness of his mistakes, and the extent of his exaggerations.
Sec Diet. Hist. Clarke's Travels, Part II. Sec. II. Chap. IV.
Leake's Topography of Athens, Introd. p.101. Biog. Univ. [Jed.]
0 From this description of Wheler, it is clear that the interior
of this temple had undergone very considerable alterations in
adapting it to the worship of the early Christian Greeks, and it
is certain that a double range of columns was in his time within
the building; but the number of them, and the odd pillar men-
tioned as over the arch of the entrance, are circumstances which
raise considerable doubts as to the existence in his time of any
part of the original internal peristyle, and Fauvel, the French
consul, artist, and antiquary, who had for many years watched
the ruins of the Acropolis, was of opinion that all that lately
remained of the interior columns, was of the lower Greek empire:
but a fragment of a Corinthian capital recently found among the
ruins, and which has been alluded to in the description of the
Temple of Bassae, would induce us to question the entire correct-
ness of that judgment. L~ED-D
d Wheler's Journey into Greece, from p. 360. to p. 364.