The final notes of music have faded beneath the Acropolis. On October 16, the Odeon of Herodes Atticus – Athens’ most iconic open-air theater – hosted its last performance before closing its doors for a major, multi-year restoration. For the first time in 70 years, the marble amphitheater that has defined the city’s summer cultural life will fall silent, as teams of conservators and engineers begin an ambitious program of structural maintenance and preservation.

In an interview with Skai radio in May, ahead of this year’s Athens Epidaurus Festival, Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni confirmed that the restoration would last “at least three years,” with the reopening date depending on the results of ongoing studies. The project aims to secure the long-term preservation of the monument, ensuring its place in Greece’s living cultural heritage. Specialists will focus on stabilizing the structure, repairing weathered marble, and introducing new conservation measures to prevent further decay.

For decades, the “Herodeion” – as Athenians affectionately call it – has been the beating heart of the Athens Epidaurus Festival, Greece’s premier celebration of music, theater, and dance. From May to October, the marble seats of the Roman-era theater have welcomed thousands of spectators to performances under the stars.

“When people think of Athens’ cultural life, they think of the festival – and of the Odeon of Herodes Atticus,” said Katerina Evangelatos, the festival’s artistic director, in a recent interview with the Associated Press. “It has become a synonym of the festival itself.”

The closure will require the relocation of key festival events for the next few years – a logistical and emotional challenge for organizers, artists, and audiences alike.

Preserving a monument worn by time

The decision to close the site follows years of careful observation that revealed deep structural fatigue. Archaeologist Eleni Kountouri, who is overseeing the restoration works, reports multiple forms of deterioration to the monument: biological growth in cracks where water collects, the spread of plant roots through the joints, and fractures caused by temperature fluctuations. Some repairs dating back to the 1950s have also begun to fail.

The new conservation plan aims to stabilize the ancient stonework, improve drainage, and strengthen the substructure, using modern methods that respect the authenticity of the original materials. The marble seating, stage area, and retaining walls will all undergo detailed assessment and repair.

Built in 161 AD by the wealthy Roman senator Herodes Atticus in memory of his recently deceased wife, Aspasia Annia Regilla, the Odeon originally featured a three-story stage façade and a wooden roof, crafted from imported cedar from Lebanon. It could seat around 5,000 spectators until it was destroyed by the invading Germanic tribe of the Heruli in 267 AD.

The structure lay in ruins until its reconstruction in the 1950s, when its orchestra and audience tiers were rebuilt with Pentelic marble – the same luminous stone as the Parthenon. Since then, it has hosted a glittering array of performers, from Maria Callas, Frank Sinatra, and Luciano Pavarotti to Elton John, Sting, and Coldplay. Greek greats such as Mikis Theodorakis, Manos Hatzidakis, Marinella, and Lavrentis Machairitsas of P.L.J. Band and Termites fame have all left their mark on its stage.

A temporary silence

As black plastic covers now shield the marble seats and equipment from the elements, Athenians are left with a rare stillness at the foot of the Acropolis. The pause may be long, but it is not an ending.

When the curtain finally rises again, the Odeon of Herodes Atticus will stand renewed – a monument that continues to bridge ancient grandeur and the living pulse of modern Greek culture.