Temple of Juno

At a glance. Feel the mystery of ancient rituals at this fascinating monument in the Valley of the Temples . Did you know its dedication to Hera Lacinia stems from a historic misinterpretation? Find it on the map and read the story below!

Good to know. At the easternmost edge of the Valley of the Temples, perched upon a magnificent rocky promontory, stand the columns of the so-called Temple of Juno (Hera), wife of Zeus, queen of the gods, and patroness of marriage and childbirth. The temple was built in the mid-5th century BC, when Akragas was at the height of its glory. Its entrance, like that of all classical temples, faces east, allowing the rising sun to illuminate the statue of the deity housed within the inner cella.

Opposite the temple, in an elevated position, lie the remains of the ancient altar once used for sacrificial offerings for to win the favor of the deity. Its attribution to Juno “Lacinia” stems from a misinterpretation of a passage by the Roman writer Pliny the Elder, which actually refers to the Temple of Juno on the Lacinian promontory in Crotone. Had it indeed been dedicated to Juno, Lucina (rather than Lacinia) would have been the far more fitting epithet, as she protected mothers bringing children into the world. Juno also guarded marital unions; it is easy to picture the solemn wedding ceremonies held at the altar near her temple.

Following the purifying sacrifices, the priest would join the right hands of the bride and groom, solemnizing their union. As part of the ritual, the groom tied a belt around the bride’s waist, which would later be untied before the temple once she became pregnant (perhaps, the Italian word for pregnant, “incinta” – derived from the prefix “in-” meaning “un-“- may well be a linguistic legacy of this ancient custom: literally “un-girdled”).

Whichever deity was truly worshipped in this sacred space, its breathtaking beauty was immortalized in the 19th century through the drawings of Grand Tour travelers and on the canvases of the German artist Caspar David Friedrich.