According to ancient myth, the goddess Demeter arrived in Elefsina dressed as an old lady, desperately looking for her daughter Persephone who had been kidnapped by the god of Hades, Pluto. After a while king Keleos took her in, and in return for his hospitality the goddess considered it her duty to stay and raise his son, Demophodas, without telling anyone who she really was. Wanting to make the child immortal she kept rubbing his body with ambrosia and holding him over the fire, but her intentions were unfortunately misunderstood by the king’s wife Metenira, who kicked her out of the palace as soon as she found out. Demeter was so angry with the way she had been treated that she finally disclosed her identity and ordered Keleos to build her a temple, where she could shut herself away from all humanity. She went in retreat, cutting herself off from both mortals and immortals, and caused great famines and droughts until she managed to bring her daughter back from the underworld. Persephone was only granted a six-month stay in the world of the living but Demeter was nevertheless overjoyed, restoring the land to its previous fertility.
     This myth gave birth to the cult of Demeter and the Elefsinian Mysteries. Contrary to others, the cult of Demeter required a careful selection and catechism of the initiates before any of them were accepted. They were all sworn to secrecy, which meant they were forbidden to tell anyone what they saw, heard or experienced. And it seems that all of them, save for a few exceptions, kept the promise. As a result, all we know about one of the most important religious cults in the ancient world is what they themselves allowed us to see, which was not much.
    The Greater Elefsinia was celebrated every September. The festival lasted nine days, the same amount of time the goddess Demeter wandered aimlessly through the countryside before reaching the palace of king Keleos. The first day of the festivities was always kicked off with sacrifices and a pious procession of the cult members, headed by Demeter’s high priestess with the goddess’s sacred symbols in tow. The procession started out from Elefsina and followed the Sacred Way (Iera Odos) all the way to the Elefsinio in the city of Athens, west of the Acropolis. The next few days were reserved for the prorisi, the official announcement of the festival, the catharsis of the faithful in the sea of Phaleron, the sacrificing of pigs and the return of the procession to the city of Elefsina bringing Demeter’s sacred symbols back where they belonged. The phase of the initiation (that took place in the Telesterion) went underway as soon as the procession was over. Anyone who had committed murder, sacrilege or couldn’t speak Greek was excluded from the ceremony. Unfortunately the ritual itself still remains unknown to us. Archaeological researchers assume that the ceremony that followed in the Telesterion was some sort of re-enactment of the abduction of Demeter’s daughter. The initiation was completed with sacrifices and libations before the pilgrims headed back to their hometowns, morally uplifted and having overcome their fear of death.
     The sanctuary of Demeter is now located in Elefsina, below the city citadel, and it is surrounded by strong fortification walls. Visitors can enter the archaeological site from the northern side, same as in the ancient years, after they cross a cobbled courtyard. This used to be the meeting place of the pilgrims, who gathered to watch the procession of the Elefsinian Mysteries. It also marked the beginning of the Sacred Way (Iera Odos) that headed towards the city of Athens.
     As was the custom back then, the courtyard featured a fountain, a hotel, baths and hot springs - in other words all the necessary facilities usually found outside every panhellenic sanctuary that attracted thousands of visitors from all over the country, as well as the greek colonies. This courtyard was decorated during the Roman period with a paved floor that has managed to survive the test of time, as well as two arches directly below the propylon, identical copies of Hadrian’s Arch in the city of Athens. The court also featured a small temple dedicated to Artemis Propylaea and Poseidon Patros, probably built during the reign of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, as well as another structure north of the temple called the Eschara, used for the various sacrifices required before the procession set out. Left of the propylaea, visitors can still make out the Callichoron Well, around which the Elefsinian women performed dances during the ceremony in honour of the goddess. 
     The Greater Propylaea, a near-perfect copy of the central section of the propylaea on the Athenian Acropolis, constituted the main entrance of the shrine. It was a Doric propylon built during the Roman period, featuring an inner colonnade consisting of six Ionian columns. The pediment on the west side - now fully restored - used to bear the bust of the emperor Marcus Aurelius. The proplylaea lead to a secondary part of the sanctuary usually taken up by warehouses (for storing the offerings of the pilgrims) and buildings erected for administrative purposes.
     A bit further down visitors will come upon the Lesser Propylaea that leads to the main part of the sanctuary, marking the beginning of the processional street that ends up in the Telesterion. This small passage was decorated with statues, while the western side was embellished with small temples. The left side used to feature a tiny temple dedicated to Poseidon, where according to an orphic hymn, the gateways to Hades (the Underworld) were located. It is highly likely that this used to be the place where the initiates re-enacted Persephone’s return from Hades.
     Further down still, you can make out traces of a building that has been identified as the temple of Ekati. The small rock that protrudes from the paving was known as the Agelastos Petra, where according to the Homeric Hymn, rested Demeter when she first came to Elefsina. At this point visitors will have an excellent view of the Pisistratios courtyard, dating back to the 6th century B.C. The temple on your right, near the end of the passage, is said to have been dedicated to the wife of Hadrian Savinas. This is where the copies of the Parthenon pediments came from, now exhibited in the National Archaeological Museum.
     The processional road ended up on the north side of the Telesterion - the most important part of the sanctuary - where the re-enactment of the myth and the initiation ceremony used to take place. The Telesterion was rebuilt and extended many a time throughout its long history. It was erected over a Mycenaean palace, formerly used as a place of worship during the Geometric Age. One can also admire the remains of the Solonion (7th century B.C.), the Pisistration (6th century B.C.) and the Kimolio Telesterion (5th century B.C.), all built long before the Periclio Telesterion, which is the only one that managed to survive the test of time. Its square shape is attributed to Iktinos, the same architect who built the Parthenon. Unfortunately his ambitious work was never completed. Korivos later designed the inner colonnade consisting of 42 columns that used to support the ceiling. The project was continued by Metagenis, who added a second line of columns, and was finally completed by Xenoklis, who added the roof and the central skylight. At the end of the 4rth century Filonas added a Doric gallery on the eastern side of the construction, but this early version of the Telesterion was burned down in 170 A.D. during a barbarian raid. Luckily it was soon reconstructed according to the original plan.
    The large square hall boasted with six entrances, two on each of the three sides, and eight tiers of seats along all of the four sides, where the initiates used to sit in order to watch the proceedings. The centre of the hall was occupied by the megaron, the adyton of the Elefsinian cult, where only the hierophantes (the high priest) was allowed to enter in order to perform the mysteric rites. The Telesterion was built over an old Mycenaean palace, even though - architecturally speaking - the place was wholly unsuitable for such a voluminous construction, making it necessary to employ various methods in order to succeed. The persistence of the architects involved makes it even more obvious that this was a sacred place we’re talking about, blessed by primary cults. The Mycenaean remains discovered under the more contemporary foundations proved this assumption to be right.
     On the southern side of the Telesterion visitors can make out the remains of an old Boulefterion (Parliament House), dating back to the 4rth century B.C. Researchers believe it must have been used for the meetings of the sacred senate and the city council. The courtyard behind the back wall dates back to the days of Lycurgous, while next to it you’ll find the northern gate of the sanctuary. Besides the courtyard, you’ll also have the chance to admire the Iera Ikia (Sacred House), a building that went through many different construction phases and dates back to the Geometrical Age. The space west of the Telesterion was taken up by an oblong construction (erected during the Roman period) that lead to a temple known as L 10, dedicated to Faustina, the wife of Antonius Pius, who was worshiped as the new Demeter after she died. This temple can also be accessed by a staircase on the northern side of the Telesterion.
     The decline of the sanctuary of Elefsina is associated with the dominance of Christianity and the legislative decrees of Theodosius I (379 A.D.) banning all ancient cults. The invasion of the Ostrogoths, lead by Alarichos, a few years later (395 A.D.) also played its part in turning the sanctuary into ruins.
     The area around the sanctuary has been continuously excavated and researched by the Greek Archaeological Society from 1882 to this very day.

All texts written by Giorgos Koutsouflakis, Archaeologist