naos

naos nāˈŏs [key], inner portion of a Greek temple, enclosed within walls and generally surrounded by colonnaded porticoes. In it stood the statue of the deity to whom the temple was consecrated. The naos was provided with a columned porch, typically only in front (pronaos) but often also at the back (opisthodomos). It was the prototype for the cella of the Roman temple.

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