There are several ruins of ancient temples and sanctuaries on island of Naxos: a prehistoric sanctuary in the south-west of the island, where interesting incised drawings have been found, the small but beautiful sanctuary near Mélanes and three ancient temples: the temple of Apollon in the Chora, of which only the foundations remain and the monumental temple gate, the temple of Dionysus at Íria near the Chóra, which was buried deep under river sediments until it was excavated, and finally the temple of Demeter at Sangrí, which could be completely reconstructed after collecting components from churches, monasteries and terraced walls in the surrounding area.
The temples of Naxos were of great importance for the archaic temple architecture: It was here that the important Ionian order of the islands was developed, which was later also adopted by Athens and for which the Temple of Demeter at Sangrí with its award-winning museum is of particular interest.
