Church of Our Lady of the Castle

At the easternmost point of the Street of the Knights in Medieval Town of Rhodes lies the Church of Our Lady of the Castle, also known as Panagia of the Castle.

This Byzantine temple, believed to have been built in the 11th century AD and dedicated to the Theotokos, functioned as the center of the Orthodox faith. After the Knights of St. John took control of Rhodes, the church was repurposed as a Catholic establishment, still dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and became the archiepiscopal cathedral for the Latin community, referred to as Sancta Maria Castelli Rodi.

During the earthquake of 1303, the middle aisle with the dome suffered a possible collapse, and for this reason in the first half of the 14th century, the Byzantine church was remodelled and took the form of a three-aisled Gothic basilica. The rebuilding of the temple was done with the financial help of Pope John XXII and as a tribute they placed his coat of arms next to that of the Grand Master Helion de Villeneuve (1319-1346). Also, the coats of arms of the Grand Master Pierre d’Aubusson, and the previous Grand Masters Antoni de Fluvian and Jean Bonpart de Lastic were placed as a tribute to their contribution to the respective repairs, from the extensive damage the temple probably suffered during the siege 1480.

During the Turkish occupation, the Catholic Church of Our Lady of the Castle was converted into a Muslim mosque under the name Enterum Mosque, a minaret was erected on the eastern side and changes were made to the interior of the church. During the period of the Italian occupation, in the context of the revival of the Knightly character of the city, all the elements of the Turkish occupation were removed and the form of the temple was restored.

Only a few parts of the church’s painting decoration have been preserved, such as the Virgin Mary with the Child and a couple of Saints on the north-western pesso (second quarter of the 14th century) and the figure of Saint Lucia on the south wall, probably the work of a Western European painter (second half of the 14th century). Also of interest is the existence of an underground water source in the northeast corner of the temple, which seems to have been in use at least since the 11th century and was considered sacred.

Today, the church of Our Lady of the Castle houses the Byzantine Museum of Rhodes and from time to time hosts exhibitions and various events.

A brief walk will lead you to the Archaeological Museum of Rhodes.