Sacred Lake

Delos


According to the legend, it was here that Leto gave birth to Apollo and Artemis, making it one of the most sacred sites of the ancient world. This didn't prevent the authorities draining the lake in 1925 to prevent malarial mosquito-breeding. It's now a quiet park-like spot, with benches scattered in the shade of low trees.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Delos attractions

1. Wall of Triarius

0.03 MILES

The remains of fortifications built by the Roman governor in 69 BC to protect the town.

2. Terrace of the Lions

0.05 MILES

The most-photographed part of the Delos site is this terrace facing the Sacred Lake, lined with stone lions (these are replicas, the originals are in the…

4. Lake Palaestra

0.06 MILES

Wrestlers and, possibly, boxers would once have trained here.

5. Dodekatheon

0.09 MILES

Dating from the 3rd century BC, this small temple was dedicated to the 12 principal gods of the Greek pantheon. Statuary from the temple is housed in the…

6. House of Comedians

0.1 MILES

The re-erected Doric columns here once formed a colonnade around the atrium of a large villa, which takes its name from a painted frieze featuring actors…

7. Stoivadeion

0.11 MILES

This temple of Dionysus has some well-preserved reliefs, along with a giant sheared-off phallus on top of a plinth.

8. Archaeological Museum

0.13 MILES

A vast haul of artefacts has been protected from the elements and displayed in this must-see museum, including the originals of many of the frescoes,…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "greece/cyclades/delos/attractions/sacred-lake/a/poi-sig/1445123/359446",
      "destination": "Delos",
      "continent": "Europe",
      "country": "Greece",
      "region": "Delos",
      "position": "superzone"
    }