DAPHNI

DAPHNI. The name of the ancient Greek shrine to Apollo on Mt. Parnassus to the north of Athens and site of an oracle famous throughout classical Greece and, later, the early Roman Empire (q.v.). With a slight change in spelling, Daphne is the site of a Byzantine monastery church still standing six miles to the west and south of Athens. The church, together with its interior iconography, is considered one of the finest examples of Byzantine art and architecture (qq.v.) extant in Greece.