The fortifications of Rhodes

Defense system became very complex, comprising eleven doors heavily fortified complex with baffles and drawbridge, many massive bastions, curtains and serrated, sometimes double or triple, protected by moats. The assembly is provided countless deadly openings and vents cannon firing angles whose cross cleverly calculated allowed to prohibit any potential attackers approach the walls by the moat.

The entire walled forms a rectangle of 800 m in 1000 for a 4 km radius.

The fortifications of Rhodes had little doors due to the situation of the city at the northern tip of the island, and because the rest of the island was sparsely populated. Three doors satisfy basic needs: the Gate St. Catherine , which gave access to the commercial port of the city of St. John’s Gate , which was the end point of the road from Rhodes to Lindos and villages of the east coast , the Gate of Amboise which gave access to the west coast . Three minor Gate s they were added: the Gate St. Athanasius on the south side of the walls has been closed for centuries, the Gate of the Mills , which gave direct access to mills in the harbor, the Gate St. Paul that gave access to Mandraki harbor .

{1/} The architecture of the city Gates is inspired by Provençal Gothic, reminiscent of Villeneuve-lès-Avignon.

The fortifications of Rhodes can be classified into three groups:

• those built until the first half of the fifteenth century when the attackers made ​​use of siege engines that were very different from those used by the Romans, catapults, battering rams, siege towers. Thus, the towers built after the siege of 1440 were often independent towers connected by a bridge to the walls, allowing to isolate the tower if it was taken, and not to lose the section walls. A wide ditch dug outside the walls prevented from approaching siege towers of the walls. The defenders could rain down a hail of arrows, Greek fire or boiling oil on the attackers gathered at the base of the walls.
• those built between 1453 (Fall of Constantinople) and 1480 (first siege of Rhodes by the Ottomans), these fortifications took into account the importance of the use of guns by the Ottomans to open breaches in the walls of Constantinople. The introduction of guns changed the nature of fortifications and sieges. Walls of 2 m thick could not withstand a cannonade applied to the same location. In contrast, the free tall towers could not absorb the recoil of guns that could replicate the guns of the besiegers. The towers were shortened at the walls and were firmly supported on the walls so that the recoil of cannons mounted on the towers was absorbed by the mass of the walls.
• those built between the two seats of Rhodes (the second took place in 1522); fortifications they were at the forefront of technology that can withstand the most powerful Ottoman guns. After the siege of 1480, the wall thickness was increased from 2 m to about 3.80 m by adding additional layers of masonry on the inside. However, the Ottomans had developed from the 1500s, powerful cannons are very effective in conquering cities in Southeast Europe, some of these guns had barrels 5 m long that could take stone balls more than 250 kg: same walls 3.80 m thick could withstand such impacts. A second wall was built to 5 m behind the existing wall, and the interval between the two walls was filled with rubble still available in abundance after the great earthquake of 1481. The walls then reached a thickness of 12 m.
  Another important improvement was the introduction of fortification bastion. A bastion usually has two projecting faces and two side faces; the sides allow gunnery parallel walls to destroy a wall attackers attacker. The bastions were often built so that bastion could protect adjacent bastions.

Fortifications stood before the important seats of the Sultan of Egypt (1444) and Mehmet II (1480) . After the siege of 1480, the Order reached such a reputation that he received many donations that were used to substantially improve the fortifications of the city. The influence of the fortifications of Rhodes town "Frankish" long considered impregnable is exercised throughout the eastern basin of the Mediterranean in the late Middle Ages.

Turks preserved and, in turn, changed the fortifications by adding large round towers called "Koule", but all still keeps its medieval character.

All restored in the twentieth century as one of the largest medieval fortresses in Europe.

On the foundations of the Byzantine walls, the Knights almost entirely rebuilt and the walls never ceased to revise and strengthen the fourteenth century to the sixteenth century until 1522, under the successive masters Giovanni Battista degl’Orsini (1467 -1476), Pierre d’Aubusson (1476-1505), Emery of Amboise (1505-1512), Fabrizio del Carretto (1513-1521) and Philippe Villiers de l’Isle-Adam (1521-1522).

Found on the walls of many patches reflecting the contribution of the pope and of the great masters in the repair and strengthening of the ramparts and moat. Pierre d’Aubusson, who became Master of the Order in 1476 distinguished himself in the consolidation and strengthening of the enclosure, over fifty patches embedded in the exterior cladding of the wall are evidence of its activities.

After a first seat of the Ottoman Turks in 1480, and in 1481 a small earthquake, the damage forced the Knights to consolidate once again their defensive walls. The thickness of the walls then reached 5.30 m, interior corridors were created for a freer flow of siege, the number of gates was reduced, and each was reinforced by two towers.

Some walls and bastions in their upper portions, include kinds of glazes or canted so that the ball does not hit full force but be amortized and deviated from their path ... We attributed the achievement, once again, Pierre d’Aubusson ...

The walls form an enclosure 4 km long and a thickness of 5.30 m (up to 12 m). In the early sixteenth century, in the area of Gate of Amboise, built in the northwest corner in 1512, the curtain reached 12 meters thick, and served as an artillery platform with a crenellated parapet again off 4 meters drilled guns, making fire on the attackers.

In the second Turkish siege, the defense of various sections of walls or "boulevards" of several hundred meters, were placed under the responsibility of different "languages" of the Knights (language designating the seven priories national component the Knights ). Thus we find successively the "boulevards" of France (Galia), Germany (Germania), Auvergne (Ovérni), Spain (Ispania), England (Anglia), Provence (Provingía) and Italy (Italia).

The Turks succeeded in entering the city after a long siege by attacking the boulevard of the language of Aragon, between the towers of Spain and St. Mary, where remained low despite multiple consolidations in recent decades .

After a first seat of the Turks in 1480, Emery d’Amboise , fearing further attacks, continued the work. The outer ditch was extended up to 20 m, and dug to a depth of up to 23 m in places. He opened a second ditch along the weaker parties.

It should be noted that the ditches or dry moats, never received water because they were higher than the sea level

Ditches have now become beautiful gardens planted with hibiscus, oleander and bougainvillea, where you can stroll.

These ditches 2500 m long are accessible at any time from the Gate of Acandia or from the tower of St. Peter .

Go to the Gate St. Catherine .

St. Paul, former Trébuc Tower, changed name around 1477 when it was rebuilt by the Grand Master Pierre d’Aubusson who placed a bas-relief representing St. Paul.

Gate St. Paul was severely damaged by English bombing during the Second World War.

Go to Fort St. Nicholas .

The Knights, after conquering Rhodes in 1308, restored the walls with a few minor changes: during the magisterium of the Grand Masters Heredia (1377-1396) and Naillac (1396-1421) the walls were almost entirely rebuilt and new amended and reinforced in the second half of the fifteenth century.

The tower dedicated to St. Peter belongs to this time: it was built by Grand Master Zacosta from 1461 to 1464 during the pontificate of Pope Pius II, whose crest can be seen on the tower. In addition to the construction of new fortifications, Grand Masters placed on the walls of bas-reliefs of the angels in the city.

Gate St. Anthony, surmounted by two turrets, became, after the consolidation of the fortifications, the fourth and final door door Amboise .

Go to the Gate of Amboise .

Today, the walls began to visit the Canons Gate and ending at the Gate St. John .

The Bastion St. George was one of the most impressive additions made ​​after the siege of 1480: it was built with the help of Basilio della Scola, an architect from Vicenza near Venice.

A bas-relief representing St. George slaying the dragon and below the arms of the Grand Master Antoine Fluvian framing those of Pope Martin V and those of the College.

Below, part of the legend, dated 1486, is readable:

"DIVUS F [ra] PETRUS DAUBUSSON RHODIORUM MAGNUS MAGISTER"

The Knights could be accessed by an underpass which could be easily destroyed if the enemy invested the wall. The development of these new fortifications led to a change in the techniques of siege. The canons of the time not drawing explosive charges, but only heavy stone balls, causing little damage on these new bastions. The only way to seriously damage was placed at the base of explosives, and so the Ottomans dug tunnels for this purpose. Siege warfare became a matter of sappers.

The outer door St. John was built by Grand Master Pierre d’Aubusson to protect fortifications built by the previous Grand Masters Fluvian , Milly and Zacosta .

Inside you can see a pavement dating from the first phase of construction of the walls.

You can see the arms of Pierre d’Aubusson , arranged at the time he was not yet a cardinal.

It was reinforced by the Grand Master Pierre d’Aubusson who disposed at the top of the crest France.

Tower St. Ange is commonly known as the Tower of the Mills pier where it is located welcomed thirteen mills which there are only three.

Phone: 00 30 22410 23255

We can start the Tower of the walls using the stairs to the left of the court at the Palace of the Grand Masters . It allows you to examine the books, reinforced bastions between the Gate of Amboise and the Gate St. John , offering lovely views of the ditches bloom and the Turkish city bristling with minarets.

Tour from Tuesday to Saturday 2:45 pm : € 6.