The Odeon of Herodes Atticus, also known as the Herodion, stands on the southwest slope of the Acropolis in Athens. The orator Herodes Atticus gave it to his home city in AD 161 in memory of his wife Regilla. The Roman theatre had a three-storey stage front and a roof of cedar wood, which was destroyed when the Heruli sacked the city in 267 and never rebuilt. Its semicircular marble tiers hold around 5,000 spectators; the seating and orchestra were restored with Pentelic marble in the 1950s. Since then the Odeon has been the main venue of the Athens Epidaurus Festival, and the Greek National Opera performs here in summer. Maria Callas, Frank Sinatra and Luciano Pavarotti have appeared here, and Vangelis' Mythodea premiered here in 1993. After the 2026 festival the theatre is to close for at least three years of restoration.
At a glance
- Type
- Open-air stage
- Location
- Athens, Greece
- Address
- Dionysiou Areopagitou, Akropolis, 105 55 Athen
More venues in Athens
- Stavros Niarchos Hall · Opera house, Athens