ABSTRACT
In December 1921, Angelos Sikelianos wrote to Nikos Kazantzakis with regard to a 'secular monastery' he planned to organize. This was one of his earliest references to the 'Delphic Centre'. The first Delphic Festival was ultimately held on 9 and 10 May 1927. The whole programme of the Delphic Festival attempted to convey the spirit and aesthetics of antiquity to a modern audience. In this first Delphic Festival, Angelos Sikelianos and Eva Palmer were the main organizers but many others also contributed to the unquestionably difficult organization. In the second Delphic Festival, in 1930, Georgios Kontoleon would again participate, this time undertaking the set design for the performances Suppliants and Prometheus Bound. This was an abstract structure that served both performances: a symmetrical composition with two stairways leading to an elevated level. The perimeter buildings were morphologically balanced between traditional and ancient architecture.
