The Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes, also known as the Kastello ( gr, Καστέλο, from it, Castello, "castle"), is a medieval castle in the city of

Rhodes Rhodes (; el, Ρόδος , translit=Ródos ) is the largest and the historical capital of the Dodecanese islands of Greece. Administratively, the island forms a separate municipality within the Rhodes regional unit, which is part of the S ...

, on the island of

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wi ...

. It is one of the few examples of

Gothic architecture Gothic architecture (or pointed architecture) is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It ...

in Greece. The site was previously a citadel of the

Knights Hospitaller The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic military order. It was headq ...

that functioned as a palace, headquarters, and fortress.

History

According to recent study, in the exact spot in which the palace exists today, there was the foundations of the ancient temple of the Sun-god 'Helios' and probably that was the spot where

Colossus of Rhodes The Colossus of Rhodes ( grc, ὁ Κολοσσὸς Ῥόδιος, ho Kolossòs Rhódios gr, Κολοσσός της Ρόδου, Kolossós tes Rhódou) was a statue of the Greek sun-god Helios, erected in the city of Rhodes, on the Greek is ...

stood in the Antiquity. The palace was originally built in the late 7th century as a

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

citadel A citadel is the core fortified area of a town or city. It may be a castle, fortress, or fortified center. The term is a diminutive of "city", meaning "little city", because it is a smaller part of the city of which it is the defensive core. In ...

. After the

occupied Rhodes and some other Greek islands (such as

Kalymnos Kalymnos ( el, Κάλυμνος) is a Greek island and municipality in the southeastern Aegean Sea. It belongs to the Dodecanese island chain, between the islands of Kos (south, at a distance of ) and Leros (north, at a distance of less than ...

and Kastellorizo) in 1309, they converted the fortress into their administrative centre and the palace of their Grand Master. In the first quarter of the 14th century, they repaired the palace and made a number of major modifications. The palace was damaged in the earthquake of 1481, and it was repaired soon afterwards. After the 1522 capture of the island by the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University ...

, the palace was used as a command centre and fortress. During the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

rule of Rhodes, the Italian architect Vittorio Mesturino restored the damaged parts of the palace between 1937 and 1940. It became a holiday residence for the King of Italy,

Victor Emmanuel III The name Victor or Viktor may refer to: * Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname Arts and entertainment Film * ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film * ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...

, and later for Fascist dictator

Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in ...

, whose name can still be seen on a large plaque near the entrance. On 10 February 1947, the Treaty of Peace with Italy, one of the

Paris Peace Treaties The Paris Peace Treaties (french: Traités de Paris) were signed on 10 February 1947 following the end of World War II in 1945. The Paris Peace Conference lasted from 29 July until 15 October 1946. The victorious wartime Allied powers (princ ...

, determined that the recently established

Italian Republic Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

would transfer the

Dodecanese Islands The Dodecanese (, ; el, Δωδεκάνησα, ''Dodekánisa'' , ) are a group of 15 larger plus 150 smaller Greek islands in the southeastern Aegean Sea and Eastern Mediterranean, off the coast of Turkey's Anatolia, of which 26 are inhabited. ...

. In 1948, Rhodes and the rest of the Dodecanese were transferred as previously agreed. The palace was then converted to a museum, and is today visited by the millions of tourists that visit Rhodes. In 1988, when Greece held the rotating presidency of the

European Economic Community The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organization created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957,Today the largely rewritten treaty continues in force as the ''Treaty on the functioning of the European Union'', as renamed by the Lis ...

(as the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are located primarily in Europe, Europe. The union has a total area of ...

was then known), Greek Prime Minister

Andreas Papandreou Andreas Georgiou Papandreou ( el, Ανδρέας Γεωργίου Παπανδρέου, ; 5 February 1919 – 23 June 1996) was a Greek economist, politician and a dominant figure in Greek politics, known for founding the political party PASOK, ...

and the other leaders of the EEC held a meeting in the Palace.

Gallery

File:Palace of the Grand Masters of Rhodes, 1844.jpg, The palace in 1844 File:Medieval City of Rhodes 03.jpg, The castle overlooking the medieval town File:Palazzo dei gran maestri di rodi, entrata principale 01.JPG, The main entrance File:Rhodos407.JPG, Chimneys File:Palace of the Grand Masters of Rhodes - Windows 01.jpg, Detail File:Rhodes old town Greece 6.jpg, Close view File:Palace of the Grand Masters of Rhodes - Door.jpg, Door File:Rhodos408.JPG, Courtyard File:Palazzo dei gran maestri di rodi, cortile 06.JPG, Arcades at the courtyard File:Madonna with child Rhodes.jpg, Sculpture of Virgin Mary File:Knights HospitallerP8220779.JPG, View from the interior File:Rhodos311.JPG, Gothic portal File:Main hall of the palace.jpg, Main hall File:Mosaic of Medusa from Kos, installed in the Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes.jpg, Medusa mosaic (2nd century BC) from

Kos Kos or Cos (; el, Κως ) is a Greek island, part of the Dodecanese island chain in the southeastern Aegean Sea. Kos is the third largest island of the Dodecanese by area, after Rhodes and Karpathos; it has a population of 36,986 (2021 census), ...

File:Palazzo dei gran maestri di rodi, sala delle muse, mosaico delle nove muse da kos 03 talia.JPG, Mosaic with

Thalia (Muse) __NOTOC__ In Greek mythology, Thalia ( or ; grc, Θάλεια; "the joyous, the flourishing", from grc, θάλλειν, ''thállein''; "to flourish, to be verdant"), also spelled Thaleia, was one of the Muses, the goddess who presided over ...

from Kos File:Palazzo dei gran maestri di rodi, sala delle muse, mosaico delle nove muse da kos 09 polimnia.JPG, Mosaic with

Polyhymnia Polyhymnia (; el, Πολυύμνια, lit=the one of many hymns), alternatively Polymnia (Πολύμνια), was, in Greek mythology, the Muse of sacred poetry, sacred hymn, dance and eloquence, as well as agriculture and pantomime. Etymology ...

from Kos File:Palazzo dei gran maestri di rodi, mosaico bizantino da kos occ.le, 450-500 ca..JPG, Byzantine mosaic from Kos (450-500) File:Rhodos388.JPG, Byzantine mosaic from Kos File:Laokoon1.jpg, ''

Laocoön and His Sons The statue of ''Laocoön and His Sons'', also called the Laocoön Group ( it, Gruppo del Laocoonte), has been one of the most famous ancient sculptures ever since it was excavated in Rome in 1506 and placed on public display in the Vatican Museums ...

'', modern copy File:Rhodos440.JPG, Portrait of Philibert de Naillac, Grand Master (1396-1421) File:Knights HospitallerP8220782.JPG, Uniform of the

Sovereign Military Order of Malta The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta ( it, Sovrano Militare Ordine Ospedaliero di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme, di Rodi e di Malta; ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Palace Of The Grand Master Of The Knights Of Rhodes Castles in Greece Gothic architecture in Greece Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes Rhodes under the Knights Hospitaller Buildings and structures in Rhodes (city) Medieval sites in Greece Tourist attractions in the South Aegean Castles and fortifications of the Knights Hospitaller Rebuilt buildings and structures

History

Gallery

See also

References