Parthenon
37.971717°N 23.725853°E

The Parthenon – note the work that is being done on the temple.

Doric columns in the Parthenon
37.971272°N 23.726378°E

The Parthenon is a temple dedicated to the Greek virgin goddess Athena. It stands on top of the fortress called the Acropolis.

In 447 B.C., the construction of the Parthenon commenced but was not completed until 438 B.C. at the height of the Greek empire. The Doric order marble temple replaced an earlier temple to Athena in the same location that was destroyed when the Persians invaded Athens in 480 B.C. The Greeks typically used their temples as treasuries.
The Parthenon was eventually converted into a Christian church in the 5th century A.D ironically dedicated to the Virgin Mary. However, once the Ottoman Empire conquered Athens it became a mosque in the 1460s. Unfortunately in 1687 during a war between Venice and the Ottomans, the Parthenon was converted into an ammunition dump by the Turks. Stray Venetian cannon fodder ignited the dump and subsequent explosions severely damaged the structure. In 1832 when Greece gained control of Athens, all the Ottoman structures on the Acropolis were destroyed. There has been a sustained effort by the Greeks, particularly since 1975, to restore the Parthenon to its former glory.

Parthenon

The Parthenon (Greek: Παρθενών) is a temple on the Athenian Acropolis, Greece, dedicated to the maiden goddess Athena, whom the people of Athens considered their patron. Its construction began in 447 BC when the Athenian Empire was at the height of its power. It was completed in 438 BC, although decoration of the Parthenon continued until 432 BC. It is the most important surviving building of Classical Greece, generally considered the culmination of the development of the Doric order. Its decorative sculptures are considered some of the high points of Greek art. The Parthenon is regarded as an enduring symbol of Ancient Greece and of ancient democracy

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthenon
• Hillman 1000 Wonders