Grand opening of the restored palace of Philip II of Macedon

The impressively restored Aegi Palace of Philip II of Macedon was opened on Friday after a restoration that took sixteen years.

Built during the reign of Philip II (359-336 BC), the Aigi Palace is not only the largest, but also, along with the Parthenon, the most significant building of classical Greece.

The palace covers an area of ​​15,000 square meters and is called the “Parthenon of Macedonia” – the largest building in classical Greece. The restoration project lasted more than 16 years and involved 70-160 people working on the site at different times.

The restoration was extended to the surrounding complex (15,000 sq. m) and the area beyond (almost 25,000 sq. m). Thousands of portable finds and architectural elements made of stone (tens of thousands) have been excavated and recorded throughout the site, as well as restoration of a section of the museum’s atrium roof.

Egi Palace

The palace of Philip II (382-336 BC), father of Alexander the Great, is the centerpiece of the Macedonian king’s grand building program in his capital, Aigi. The building, simple in design but highly functional, is characterized by luxury of materials, ingenuity in construction and elegance.

Among its features are a monumental entrance (propylon) reminiscent of a sanctuary, an impressive two-story stoa on the façade that overlooked the city and could be used by the public, a large colonnade (peristyle) that was used for symposiums, a tholos dedicated to Hercules, a library/ archive and others. The palace building housed all the functions necessary for the exercise of state power.

The palace is surrounded by 16 Doric columns on each side, known as the grand peristyle of Aga, and forms a square, a unique structure. Its specific area is 4,000 square meters, and it could accommodate at least 8,000 people.

Restoration

Construction began in the middle of the 4th century BC. e. and was completed by 336 BC. BC, when Philip II was killed at the entrance to a nearby theater. During the great peristyle, his son Alexander III was proclaimed king of the Macedonians, beginning a trajectory that would change the world.

The palace was destroyed in the middle of the 2nd century BC. e. after the collapse of the Roman kingdom in 148 BC. e. Over the centuries, its building materials were looted until it was rediscovered by excavations that began in 1865 and continued periodically into the 1950s.

Reconstruction was started by the Ephorate of Antiquities of Imathia in 2007 and continued until 2023. It was financed by several European Union programs with a total cost of 20.3 million euros. Work included maintenance, structural support, restoration and reconstruction of the monument.

The restored palace can be visited tomorrow, Saturday, January 6, 2024, media reports.

Prime Minister at the opening ceremony

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis attended the opening of the palace and noted that “Philip’s palace in Agi confirms the eternal Greek identity of Macedonia.” He said it was “an international monument.”

A tour of the restored palace of Philip II of Macedon in Agi was led by Dr. Angeliki Kottaridi, the scientific and administrative leader of the project at all its stages. Culture Minister Lina Mendoni was unable to attend the event because she fell ill with the coronavirus.

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