telesterion

English

Etymology

Ancient Greek τελεστήριον (telestḗrion, “initiation hall”), from τελείω (teleíō, “to initiate”).

Noun

telesterion

1. A building used to celebrate sacred rites in Ancient Greece.
   • 2005, Robert Parker, Polytheism and Society at Athens, Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 351:

     Central among them is what, to avoid controversy, it is convenient to call the telesterion: a building designed to accommodate the faithful inside, and thus unique among the forms of Greek sacred architecture.

   • 2016, Margaret M. Miles, A Companion to Greek Architecture, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 183:

     With each successive telesterion, the structure grew in size and capacity, an expansion that indicates the growing and continued popularity of the cult […]

See also

• anaktoron

Further reading

• telesterion on Wikipedia.Wikipedia