The Choragic Monument to Lysicrates, Athens

The graceful circular structure of the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates is one of the earliest examples of the Corinthian order in ancient Greece. Erected in 334 B.C. by the choragos Lysicrates, the Choragic Monument, near the Acropolis in Athens, commemorates the victory of the chorus leader in the highly competitative choral dances of that year. Highly popularised in England by the architect James Stuart's publication, The Antiquities of Athens, 1762, the Choragic Monument proved a popular ornament of the English landscape park, and its ornament served to decorate the English neo-classical interior. Copies of the Choragic Monument can be found at Tatton Park, Cheshire; Shugborough Hall, Staffordshire; and Alton Towers, Staffordshire. A Choragic Monument also adorns St. Pancras Church, London, as part of the steeple construction.