Eleusina

At the center of Eleysina, on the northern corner of Heroes -“Iroon” square, there is a small post – byzantine church devoted to saint Zaharias.

Following the Sacred Way from Athens to Eleusina, there is a point, about one kilometer east of the entrance to the sanctuary of Demeter, which met the riverbed of the Eleusinian Kifissos or Sarantapotamos as it is called nowadays.

Unbelievable as it might be, the Eleusinians was not only connected with the cult of Demeter.

"Three times blessed are those who having seen these rites go to Hades. For these are the only ones able to live there. The others have all bad things." wrote Sophocles one of classical Athens’ three great tragic playwrights, referring to the pilgrims of Eleusinian Mysteries.

On the east side of the Sanctuary, near the Sacred House and Mithraio, the foundations of a rectangular building that has been identified as the Agora or the Gymnasium, are still visible. Its construction, with a court rounded with colonnades and a propylon – gate, led its dating directly to the Roman Era.

Almost touching the polygon enclosure of the Sacred house some late remains from a “Mithraion” has survived.

In the Roman Era around 4th c. A.C. the opening of the south gate of the “Lycurgan enclosure wall” was reduce in width and a kind of passage was built in the interior part.

Following the Processional Way, after the Plutonion, visitors can see a scaled exedra curved directly to the rocky hill. The whole structure has been dated at 4th c. B.C. due to the accuracy of the construction.

Walking through the Processional way, we can see a small church built on the rocky hill of the sacred cave of the Ploutonion. The locals called it “Panagitsa” and is devoted to the Virgin Mary.

On the northeast corner of the Greater Propylaia or on the south of the Roman Court, the Kallichoron well consists one of the most holy structures of the whole shrine. According to the Homeric myth, here rested Demeter, when she first came to Eleusina searching for her daughter, Persephone.

Passing through the entrance of the archaeological site and crossing the last part of the Sacred Way, we find ourselves in a large court that lies in front of the outer northern entrance to the Sanctuary of Demeter.

The ancient road connecting Athens with Eleusina was named Hiera Odos – Sacred way, because the sacred procession of the Eleusinian Mysteries which followed its nineteen kilometers route. It was the one and only road which besides Eleusina and the whole Thriasian plain connected Attica with Peloponnesus. Alongside Hiera Odos, there was a multitude of Sanctuaries, various monuments and graves from which very few have survived until today.