Phigalia

Ancient city in Arcadia, southern Greece, with temples of Artemis and Dionysus. About 8 km/5 mi from Phigalia, on Mount Cotylium, is Bassae, where there is a well-preserved temple of Apollo, built in the 5th century BC to commemorate deliverance from a plague.

The temple at Bassae was designed by Ictinus, chief architect of the Parthenon in Athens. The complete interior frieze, showing the combat between the Lapiths and the centaurs, is now in the British Museum, London.

Phigalia was also the home of two cults, probably of pre-Hellenic orgin: that of Euronyme, a fish-tailed goddess, and that of Black Demeter, whose image had a horse's head.