The Knights Templar and the castle of the Grand Master on the Greek island of Rhodes is an integral, as well as intriguing part of the island’s rich history.
Visitors and locals alike will travel back in time to the medieval past in a fascinating exhibition about the Knights of Rhodes starting in September and lasting for the next three months.
The goal of the initiative is to set up a permanent exhibition, on a quarterly basis, about the Knights and their significant presence and contribution to the island of the Dodecanese and its history.
Despite their long presence and impact on Rhodes, the medieval era of the Knights has never been the subject of a comprehensive, thematic and in-depth exhibition to the general public, an oversight the exhibition hopes to rectify.
The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller, the Knights of Malta, or the Order of Saint John, was a medieval and early modern Catholic military order.
Their official title was Knights of the Order of St. John’s Hospital in Jerusalem, as their legendary founder was a monk and head of a hospital in Jerusalem. The Knights conquered Rhodes in 1309, and their famous order, taking on military form, took over the sacred mission of protecting the inhabitants of the island.
Apart from shedding light on the Templar’s history on the island, the organisers also aim through the fascinating exhibition narrative back to the medieval times to contribute significantly to the promotion of cultural tourism of the island, further highlighting its rich historical tradition.