South of the Propylaea is the temple of Athena Nike, also known as Nike Aptera, whose construction was commissioned to the architect Callicrates between 421 and 410 BC. This monument, located at the entrance to the Acropolis, was intended to symbolize that, once Athena lost her wings, she would not leave Athens.

The temple has a practically square plan of 418 cm x 3178 cm, with a pronaos consisting of four columns and another four in the opisthodomos, all in the Ionic style.

The frieze that surrounds the entire temple had a decoration related to the Medical Wars, and the pediments were dedicated to the goddess Athena. On the parapet of the bastion, in 410 B.C., decoration was added with large reliefs showing the influence of the school of Phidias, especially in the folds of the clothing of the representations of the "victories", which were depicted performing everyday actions, such as untying a sandal or getting into a chariot.

The temple we see today is the result of a reconstruction carried out between 1936 and 1940 by Nikolaos Balanos and Anastasios Orlandos, in order to address some structural problems.