KNIGHTS STREET

This is the main thoroughfare of the city of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, also known by its Greek name, Ippoton Street. It was along this austere medieval street that the Order's seven Auberges or Langues were established, between 1309 and 1522. The Auberges of Provence, Auvergne, France, Germany, Italy, England and Spain shared power over the town, each with its own establishment, recognizable by the coat of arms affixed to the building's façade.

At the western end of the street, on Kleovoulou Square, the Grand Master's Palace represents the center of power and its supreme authority. Opposite, excavations have uncovered the remains of the Catholic conventual church of St. John, the Knights' main chapel, where the Grand Masters were buried. The chapel was transformed into a gunpowder storehouse after the departure of the Knights, and an unfortunate explosion destroyed the church and damaged the surrounding area in 1856.

As you move beyond the Saint-Jean lodge and its vaulted doorway, you'll first come across the Auberge de Provence. It faces the larger Auberge d'Espagne, with its 150^m2 meeting room. These two palaces are linked by a bridge or arcade that spans the street. Further on, the Auberge de France is certainly the most impressive, and still houses the French consulate. You can enter the inner courtyard to admire the stone galleries and lush gardens.

The Auberge de France remained in the majority throughout the period of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, thanks to the support of the Langues de Provence and Auvergne. It's hardly surprising, then, that it wanted to assert this superiority even in the architecture of its grandiose palace. Just before the Auberge proper is the Chapelle de France or Church of the Holy Trinity. This is a Gothic edifice dating from the ^14th and ^15th centuries, later transformed into a mosque by the Ottomans.

Beyond the Auberge de France, the Auberge d'Italie dates from 1519 and faces the Hôpital des Chevaliers, where the sick and wounded were treated. Today, it houses the Archaeological Museum, a must-see site in Rhodes. At the eastern end of Ippoton Street, you'll find the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Castle, with the Auberge d'Auvergne, built in 1507 around Argyrokastrou Square, set back a little. This is home to the pleasant Café Auvergne with its ancient plane tree. Finally, the Place Mousson is home to the Auberge d'Angleterre.