Fears for the Safety of Ancient Temple
Campaigners for the protection of the Temple of Apollo, on Naxos island, accused the Municipality of Naxos of allowing the continued dumping of truckloads of construction material in front of the archaeological site, in total disregard to a restraining order by the court.
The highest administrative court of Greece, the Council of State, had earlier suspended all work on the harbor in front of the ancient site (until it reaches a final verdict in the case), in response to an appeal filed by 33 concerned residents of Naxos who had claimed the construction would damage the archaeological site.
However, the Mayor of Naxos, Nikolos Marakis, denied the accusations saying that the court ruling is irrelevant to this theme, as the building materials are used only to construct a ramp and not, as the campaigners had alleged, to extend the harbor.
A massive gate, located on the islet Palatia close to Chora is the only remains of the ancient Temple of Apollo, the work on which was never completed.