About 2km west of Ancient Kourion’s main entrance, and prominently signposted off the highway, is the Sanctuary of Apollon Ylatis, which is part of the larger site of Ancient Kourion.
Apollon Ylatis’ main sanctuary has been partly restored; the beautiful, imposing columns mark the extent of the restoration. Also discernible are the priests’ quarters, a palaestra (sports arena) and baths for the athletes, and a rather depleted stadium 500m to the east, which once seated up to 6000 spectators.
The precinct was established in the 8th century BC in honour of Apollo, who was considered god of the woods (ylatis means ‘of the woods’ in Greek). The once woody site now has far less vegetation but retains a good scattering of remains that give a reasonable idea of the layout of the original sanctuary. The remnants that you see are Roman structures that were levelled by a large earthquake in AD 365.
