The Horologion of Andronikos Kyrristos is well-known to the Athenians as Aerides from which this picturesque neighborhood of Plaka close to the Roman Agora took its name. The architect of the monument lived in the 1st century BC. and came from Kyrros of Macedonia (or Macedonian Syria). His name was Andronikos and he was an engineer, astronomer and architect having gained fame for his sundials and astronomical instruments before he was called to Athens to build the Horologion.
It is an octagonal tower made of pentelic marble with a conical tiled roof and two corinthian entrances on the north and west sides. The name Aerides is due to the relief depiction of the eight winds in an equal number of metopes of the building. At the top of the roof was a brass weather vane in the form of Triton, which, moving by the wind, indicated the direction of one of the eight winds. The marble personified winds fly at the top of each side of the building, bearing a special symbol and their name inscribed above them. Around the building there were sundials, while inside there was a hydraulic clock.
This monument is considered as the first meteorological station in the world. It is mentioned in the works of Pausanias, Vitruvius and other later writers and travelers such as the Italian scholar Ciriaco de' Pizzicolli (15th century) and the French traveler Comte de Forbin (19th century). Through the centuries, the Horologion was transformed into a Byzantine church, a baptistery and a Muslim monastery (tekes) for dervishes. Today it is one of the most recognizable monuments of Athens for the locals and the visitors of the city.
In this Thematic Exhibition the visitor can discover the Horologion of Andronikos Kyrristos via photographs, architectural plans, paintings, engravings and postcards.
The exhibition contains items from the following institutions:
