Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes, Rhodes, Greece
The Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes, also known as the Kastello, is a medieval castle in the city of Rhodes, on the island of Rhodes in Greece. It is one of the few examples of Gothic architecture in Greece
The palace that is also called the Kastello, is built at the highest point of the medieval city, to the north-west, and its volumes dominate the city and its harbour. It was a strong structure, indissolubly linked with the fortifications, and played an active role in the defence of the city, forming the last refuge of the population in the event of the city boiling to the enemy.
The palace of the Grand Master is a roughly square building (dim: 80×75 m) designed around a large courtyard (dim: ca. 50×40 m). Built at the end of the 7th c., to act as the citadel of the Early Byzantine fortress, it continued to play this role throughout the Byzantine period and the period of the Knights of St. John (1309-1522). The building was modified before the Knights established themselves on the. island; from the first quarter of the 14th c. the Knights began to repair the Byzantine citadel and convert it into the residence of the Grand Master and administrative centre of their state.
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