KANDIANIKA
Messenia, Greece.
About 80
stadia from ancient Koroni (at Petalidi, cf. p. 463)
was located (
Paus. 4.34.7) the ancient Sanctuary of
Apollo Kory(n)thos, where two cult statues of the god
were displayed. During the excavations of Versakis,
which were held N of the Kandianika village, a part of
this sanctuary was discovered. The cult of Apollo started
during the early archaic period and continued until the
end of the Roman era. Four temples were built, of which
the 3d (
γ) peripteral with 6 x 12 columns dating back to
the archaic period was erected on the spot of the 1st (
δ).
The 4th (
α), built close to the 2d (
β), during the Hellenistic period, survived through the Roman period. There
was a guesthouse and, at least during the Roman period,
a triclinium. On the site of the 3d temple was built an
Early Christian basilica and later the St. Andreas
Church.
Among the bronze finds of the sanctuary should be
mentioned archaic and Classical idols (one depicting a
hoplite), and especially swords and spear-butts with engraved dedications to Athena and Apollo (Apollo may
originally have been worshiped as a warlike god, though
later he was greatly honored as healer of diseases).
BIBLIOGRAPHY
F. Versakis,
Τὸ ἱερον τοῦ Κορύνθου Ἀπόλλωνος,
Deltion 2 (1916)
PI; M. N. Valmin,
Bull. de
la Soc. des lettres de Lund (1928-29) 146ff; id.,
Etudes
topographiques sur la Messénie ancienne (1930) 172ff;
M.L.H. Jeffery,
The Local Scripts of Archaic Greece
(1961) 203ff
I.
G. S. KORRÉS
