GRANDMASTER'S PALACE

Overlooking the Rue des Chevaliers, a vaulted passageway and a first portal will lead you to the entrance of the Palace of the Grand Masters, the heart of the power of the Crusader city. A pure marvel. This is where the Grand Master lives, elected by the members of the Order and responsible for the supreme administration of the Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem until his death. Unfortunately, the explosion of a stock of ammunition in the neighbouring church of St. John destroyed the palace almost entirely in 1856. The Italians renovated it with varying degrees of historical fidelity: you will see the coat of arms of Victor Emmanuel II all over the place, as well as a commemorative stele to the glory of Mussolini at the ticket office. The original building was built in the 14th century on the highest point of the city, in order to dominate both the land and the port. An integral part of the fortress and walls of the medieval city, the palace is surrounded by impressive fortifications and towers, which you can admire in the first rectangular courtyard. This was intended to shelter the Rhodian population in case of an enemy attack on the city. The inner courtyard and the heart of power are accessed through a second gigantic portal. It is surrounded by a gallery of arcades surmounted by a floor, where you can visit rooms in succession. Unfortunately, you will find few explanations inside the palace: here are a few points of reference that may help you.

On the ground floor, there are two permanent exhibitions under the arcades of the inner courtyard. One exhibition deals with Ancient Rhodes and celebrates the 2,400-year history of the city since its foundation in 408 BC. The other exhibition deals with the Byzantine and Crusader periods, until the capture of the city by the Ottomans in 1522.

The first floor, reached by a monumental staircase, is made up of reception rooms and apartments in a row. The furniture and all the original elements were lost in the dramatic explosion of 1856. The floors are decorated with mosaics from the Hellenistic and Roman periods and are the main interest of the visit, beyond the palace itself. They were installed there by the Italians during the somewhat whimsical renovation they carried out here. Note the Hall of the Muses or the Hall of the Gorgon Medusa and their magnificent mosaics: they come largely from the excavations carried out by Italian archaeologists on the island of Kos.