Museums and Antiquities

The Archaeological Museum of Rhodes

The Archaeological Museum of Rhodes now occupies the building that once formed the main hospital of the Knights. Its construction was begun in 1440 by Grand Master de Lastic, and finished in 1489 by Grand Master D' Aubuson.

It has been used as a museum since 1914 and its exhibits cover periods from the Mycenaean era to early Christian time, as well as various typical examples of the arts of the Knights themselves.

The first floor has altars, sarcophaguses and other objects from Ialysos, statues and steles from Kamiros and the neighboring islands. The famous grave stele of Kalliarista, the statue of Venus, a bathing Aphrodite, the "Drunken Dionysus" and a headless statue of Artemis are just some of its exhibits.

Address: Apellou str. Medieval Town of Rhodes


The Palace of the Grand Master

The Palace of the Grand Master of the Order, the famous "Castello" is the most imposing edifice in the old town. It was the headquarters of the leader of the Order of the Knights of Saint John and, at the same time, a strong fortress.

It was built in the 14th century on the ruins of a Byzantine fort. It consists of two storeys with a large internal courtyard. It was destroyed in the period of Turkish rule and rebuilt in the 1930's in the magnificent style we see now.

Today the Palace is a museum and its many rooms contain important archaeological finds from ancient and medieval Rhodes.

- Statues from the Hellenistic and Roman periods, removed from the ancient music school on Kos, stand in the courtyard.
- In the right hand wing of the ground floor are three halls decorated with frescoes by the painter Venlia (1940).
- The corridor in front of the chapel of the Annunciation (1940) leads to the ground floor exhibition salons.
- A wide, generous, staircase leads to the first floor, where visitors can marvel at the splendid décor.
- Many of the separately named first floor rooms contain floor mosaics, furniture, statues, vases, icons and other luxurious artifacts

The Hospice of St. Catherine

The Hospice of St. Catherine was built in 1391-92, under grand master Heredia, by the Italian Domenico d'Allemagna, admiral of the Order of the Knights of St. John (Knights Hospitaller).
The Hospice, exclusively intended for eminent guests of the Order, was in use from 1394.
The building was apparently destroyed in the siege of 1480 and the earthquake of 1481 and rebuilt by Costanzo Operti in 1516, when Fabrizio del Carretto was grand master.
Today, restored, it shelters the Hellenic Educational Center of the Ministry of Culture in the Dodecanese Islands.
Address: Peisidorou Square, Medieval Town Rhodes

Decorative Arts Museum of Rhodes

The museum is housed in a three - aisled domed ground - floor room that was part of the Knight's arsenal. Here are displayed wood - carved and ceramic vessels made in Europe and the East, as well as folk costumes and embroideries from all the islands in the Dodecanese. The exhibits date from the 17th to the early 20th Century.
Address: Argyrocastrou Square, Medieval Town of Rhodes


Museum of Modern Greek Art of Rhodes

The Museum of Modern Greek Art of Rhodes holds one of the most comprehensive collections of Greek Art of the 20th Century. The collections consists of an extensive number of painting and prints as well as a smaller number of sculptures, drawings and valuable documents by the most renowned Greek Artists. Maleas, Parthenis, Theofilos, Eggonopoulos, Tsarouchis, Vouzianis, Hatzikyriakos-Gikas, Moralis are some of the grand names that embody its collection of more than 1000 artworks.
Founded in 1959 and widely acclaimed as leading contemporary art institution, the Museum offers to the viewer an invaluable insight to the cultural identity of Modern Greece.
The collection of the Museum is expanded in 3 venues:
1. The Nestorideion Melathron is the major and newest venue of the Museum. This 3-storey venue was inaugurated in June 2002 to be a real "jewel" at the heart of the City Center and is located at the 100 Palms Square just beside Aquarium Beach. Except from housing its permanent collection, the Nestorideion Melathron serves the needs of temporary shows and cultural happenings. It features, a museum shop, a multimedia room, an art café and a library.

Address: Museum of Modern Greek Art of Rhodes, Nestoridion Melathron, 100 Palms Square, City of Rhodes.

2. The Art Gallery
Address: Symis Square 2, Medieval Town of Rhodes


3. Center of Contemporary Art, hosting the annual art project MoTeR aiming to support promising young artists of all over Greece.
Address: 179, Socratous str. Medieval Town of Rhodes

The Folklore Museum in Apollonas

At the village of Apollonas, the Folklore Museum is housed in an impressive setting of an old olive-press and is most remarkable of the island's folklore museums. The exhibits include traditional women's costumes, household utensils and the equipment used in producing the olive oil.

The Tombs of St. John

This site lies in the central part of the very extensive necropolis of Rhodes and is the only part open to the public.
The most important features are the large corner grave complex with the vaulted masonry tombs, the cluster of vaulted tombs, also of masonry, crowded with a monument with triglyphs and metopes and the tomb carved into the rock with the monumental gate, at the entrance to the archaeological site.
Most interesting of all, however, is the underground quarry with burial chambers dug into its tunnels.
The Ephorate of Antiquities has done a fine job of laying out the site in such a way that visitors can acquire a better understanding the funerary rituals.

Address: Michail Petridis & Tsaldari St.