Facade – Palace of the Grand Master
At the top of the Avenue of the Knights in the magnificent medieval city of Rhodes, sits the Palace of the Grand Master of the Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem. Somehow, despite being a huge fan of Renaissance art and medieval history, Rhodes has never really been on my radar previously. How glad I am then, that I have now discovered this gem in the crown of Middle Ages history.
Garden of the Palace
Although the Middle Ages was a period extending from about 500AD – 1500AD, Rhodes’ story starts much earlier than this. In fact, it is said to have been inhabited during the latter part of the Neolithic period (15,200BC – 4,500BC) with the city of Rhodes itself only being established by the Greeks around 408BC after an agreement for synoecism for the formation of the capital.
There was a short time of Persian rule before they were defeated by Alexander the Great and then heralded the Hellenistic age (around 332BC), followed by a time of relative independence with varying degrees of alliances with Egypt and the Romans.
Courtyard of the Grand Palace
The Byzantine period, from 395AD, when the Roman Empire became divided, saw Rhodes become the capital of the Roman province of the Islands with strong maritime influence before the Islamic occupation from around 654AD. It was during this time, in the late 7th Century that the Grand Palace was built on the foundations of the Temple of the Sun God (Helios). Originally it served in this form as a Byzantine citadel. The Order itself is a medieval Catholic military order, founded in Jerusalem around 1099 and based on traditions of military, chivalrous and noble nature (see generally Knights Hospitaller, Wikipedia).
The more notable history, for my purposes, started around 1310BC when the city of Rhodes surrendered to the Knights Hospitaller after a four year campaign to acquire their own domain. They took over the Palace and converted it into their administrative headquarters, later making extensive reparations and modifications. The Order, originally established and headquartered in Jerusalem to serve as protector and defender of the Holy Land, came to Rhodes after the First Crusade and the fall of Jerusalem (first the city and later the Kingdom).
With new headquarters in Rhodes the Knights became more militarised, forced to fight off invasions by pirates (Barbary Corsairs operating from northern Africa), the Egyptians and the Ottomans. During these times, the palace functioned as headquarters and fortress.
I begin downstairs in the auxiliary rooms, where the ancient Rhodes artifacts and monuments are housed. This is a fascinating display of antiquities and although not as splendorous as the first floor, should not be missed and is, in many ways, more authentic viewing than the mix upstairs.
Courtyard and external staircase leading to the first floor
Today, only a small portion of the palace is open to the public. and although the outside of the Palace appears as it would have in the 14th Century, much of the interior was destroyed in 1856 by explosives hidden in the basement of the church. This was restored at the beginning of the 20th Century by the Italians and some say that the renovations were not true to the original design. This is not immediately apparent to my untrained eye and the first floor displays 16th and 17th Century furniture and antiquities, sculptures, carpets, vases and most notably the mosaics. It does become apparent, walking through the rooms, that not all the items fit the times of the Knights, most are from later periods, but what is here lends an authentic feel and makes for interesting viewing. In any case, the real sense of grandeur is in the building and the rooms themselves, in the history that they witnessed if not the items themselves.
As I enter my eyes are drawn to the external stairs leading up off the courtyard. They’re huge and I know I can never capture their grandeur in a photo. After spending some time investigating the ancient Rhodes exhibits in the auxiliary rooms, I cross back over the courtyard to near the ticket booth where this beautiful sculpture of Mary & Child resides on the outside wall, just as you enter the internal Grand Staircase.
This Grand Staircase leads to the first floor which was used as the official rooms for, as well as the private quarters of, the Grand Master. Halfway up and again at the top of the stairs is a small landing with a nice view of the courtyard from above, but head on into the Grand Reception Hall, Waiting Room, Ballroom and Music Rooms to really have your breath taken away.
It’s easy to imagine peaceful times here, knights and religious men walking the halls, gathering in the rooms around desks to discuss the business of the day and congregating in the chapel to pray and give thanks.
It’s harder to imagine how it would have been during the invasion by the Ottomans in 1480, which although unsuccessful, would have shaken the town as well as the confidence of those in the palace fortress. It’s difficult to fathom the panic in the corridors and men plotting their defense in this hushed environment. Only a few coats of armor around the rooms belie the otherwise religious and restful qualities of the soothing setting.
Yet in 1522, another attack came. Suleiman the Magnificent (Sultan of the Ottoman Empire) invaded with around 100,000 men and 400 ships. The Knights were besieged with only about 7,000 men at arms to defend them. Nevertheless the siege lasted about six months before the Knights submitted and the remaining Hospitallers were allowed to withdraw to Sicily. Despite the defeat, the conduct of the Grand Master at the time, Villiers de L’Isle-Adam was considered by both sides, Christians and Muslims, to have been extremely valiant.
Towards the end of the siege both sides were exhausted. The Knights and their town were running out of supplies and could not expect support or relief, the Turks were also running low on supplies and demoralised by the extended blockade. Villiers de L’Isle-Adam was implored by the townspeople to negotiate and they were eventually offered their lives and food to surrender. This peaceful end resulted in the Grand Master being proclaimed a Defender of the Faith by Pope Adrian VI.
This victory lead to the Ottoman Turks taking control of the eastern Mediterranean and later their position on Rhodes supported the capture of Venetian Crete.
The Knights of the Order were allowed 12 days to leave with ships to take them, their belongings and several thousand civilians. They sailed to Crete although the Order were later headquartered in Malta. The current, modern version of this order, now the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, is today headquartered in Rome. The Order remains a sovereign subject of international law.
The Palace itself was used as headquarters by the Ottomans, a holiday house for the Italian King and later the dictator, Mussolini. After World War II it was transferred to Greece and converted into a museum.
Good To Know
The museum is open Tuesday – Sunday 08:00 – 16:00 (though check before visiting).
For further information on Rhodes and the Order of the Knights of Saint John see Malta and Wikipedia (also cited above).
Would I Return?
Yes.