The palace of the Grand Masters

The impressive palace of the Grand Masters is located at the highest point of the Castle of the Knights, the imposing size of which, as it dominates above the Old Town of Rhodes, attracts the visitors attention from wherever it is seen by.

The palace of the Grand Masters or Kastelo is located at the Northwest side of the Castle, at the end of the Street of the Knights, that constitutes the most significant Street of the Old Town as well as one of the most well maintained stone paved medieval streets in Europe, 200meters long and 6m wide, the Street has been built on the old street that use to lead to the Citadel of the Castle. The Kastelo was founded at the end of the 7th century AC by Byzantines and constituted the Citadel of the fortress.

The legend mentions that the Kastelo was built on the foundations of the temple of God Iliou (Sun). The Knights of the battalion of Saint Ioanni (John) or Ioannites knights after the conquest of Rhodes in 1309 rebuilt the Kastelo in order to be the official residence of the Grand Master of their battalion. Yet apart from a palace it also constituted an administrative center of the knightly government and a fortress, as its powerful defense offered protection to the locals many times during the repeated invasions by the numerous enemies who had designs on Rhodes. It is distinctive that during the siege by the Turks in 1522 when Rhodes had been captured it remained almost intact due to its exceptional construction.

The Palace of the Grand Masters is a rectangle imposing building that seems like it has come out of a fairy tale. Its dimensions are 80x75m and it is built around a large internal yard the dimensions of which are 50x40meters. The auxiliary rooms, the kitchens, the storage rooms and the stables were located on the ground floor while on the first floor there were the official rooms, the large room of conferences, the dinning room and the private rooms of the Grand Master, known with the name “Margarites” (Daisies). The entrance of the Palace is impressive and is adorned by two imposing semicircular towers with ramparts as well as the coat of arms of the Grand Master.

The Palace of the Grand Masters endured almost all of the attacks of the enemies but fell in decline during the Turkish conquest (1522-1912), when the conquerors converted it into a prison and later left it to ruin.

It was awaited by an even worse destiny in history. In 1865 it was almost destroyed by the foundations when a powder-keg that was located in the basement of the neighboring temple of Saint Ioanni (John) exploded. Only the two towers of the entrance were saved after the explosion.

The Palace met new glories when during the Italian conquest in the Dodecanese (1912-1948) the Italian governor Cesare Maria De Vecchi decided to rebuild it according to the original plans that they managed to discover and to convert it into the official residence of the Italian Governor but also a summer palace for the Italian King Vitorio Emanouele the third and later Benito Mousolini.

Special interest presented the mosaic floors that were paved with mosaic, of ancient Roman and Byzantine Art, that the Italians brought from Ko as well as the furniture collection of Western Art of the 16th and 17th century. The interior yard is adorned by many statues of the Greek and Roman period while the waiting rooms, reception rooms, music rooms, dance rooms and the room of the Mosaic of the Medousa are distinctive.

Today permanent shows are presented in the rooms of the basement. The first one is located in a room of the north side of the palace and the second in a room of the southwest side and their themes are inspired by the Town of Rhodes from its foundation until 1522.

According to the indications that remain, the ancient temple of Iliou (Sun) was built were the Palace is today. The “Kato” (Lower) Citadel of ancient Rhodes was also at the same place.

More photographs of the palace of the Grand Masters

More photographs of the internal of the palace

RHODES SIGHTS – THE PALACE OF THE GRAND MASTERS