The mystery of the temple of Diana in the fortress of Cefalù

The temple of Diana is a megalithic structure dating back to the ninth century BC that is located on a cliff north of the town of Cefalù. Probably destined to the cult of pagan divinity. In the antiquity it has been built in several phases with blocks of rock squared.

The oldest part of the temple is the cistern, hence it is thought that it is a building for a pagan worship of the water. It is closed on the top with limestone slabs. Around there is the temple: according to archaeological studies, the construction of the structure up to the height of the lintel would date back to the fifth century BC, to be finished in the final part in the second century BC.

From the material used in the building you can see this, in fact the lower part has large stone slabs, while the upper part sees larger and squared stones. The location of the temple is somewhat ambiguous, as it is far from the city and difficult to reach.

Even the title to Diana would derive from a simple tradition handed down over the centuries, there is no certainty that there was worship for the deity. Scholars argue that it is mainly a fortress-sanctuary, where in addition to practicing the worship of water, as the cistern gives the proof, also served as a sighting for its position in elevation on the sea.

The religious function is however testified by the two churches inside and above the temple, dating back to the Byzantine domination. The Temple of Diana is the only non-classical monument to which the architect Jean-Pierre Houël, during his trip to Sicily, dedicated an illustrated panel which is now in the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg.