Welcome back to the Medieval City and in this section I will be talking to you about The Archaeological Museum In Rhodes.
Now in this particular text, I will discuss the structure itself. I.e where it is, what it was used for in the past and so forth. When it comes to the actual inside of the museum and some of the works of art it contains, you will find this in the ‘museums‘ area on the website!
So now we have cleared that up, let’s move on!
Naturally the museum is located in The Medieval City, hence that is why it is part of the Medieval Tour, but as I have mentioned, the Old City is quite a big place. So where do you find it?
Well, if you enter the city via the Liberty Gate (one of The Eleven Gates) you are
presented with two choices. You can either go left and pass under the Gate of The
Arsenal and off towards the harbor, or you can head straight up.
Going straight will take you past The Temple Of Aphrodite (see The Knights Castle) and up towards Argyrokastro Square. As you pass through the archway into the Knights Square, you will see the Archaeological Museum on the right-hand side where The Street Of The Knights begins its journey up to The Grand Masters Palace.
It is a huge structure and to this day it is in almost the perfect original condition and it is considered one of the most meaningful and significant structures in all of the Old Town.
What Was Its Purpose?
Many people are not aware of the use of the structure prior to it becoming a museum. It may be surprising for you to learn that it was actually the Hospital of the Knights back during their occupation during the 15th century. Did you know that?
During the presence on the island of The Knights Of Saint John, it was used to give treatment to the travelers from the holy lands and also to the Crusaders.
When Was It Built?
The structure of the museum (then to be the hospital) was set about in the year 1440 by the 36th Grand Master De Lastic. He died in 1454 and the structure was eventually completed in 1484 by the Grand Master D’Aubusson in 1484.
When you enter The Archaeological Museum from the main entrance you will find yourself in a huge courtyard. From here you can be witness to the lion that sits there proud holding the head of Taurus.
As you look at the entrance area, you will see huge arches in place that were once
used as storage areas. Although in my opinion these areas should be left untouched and preserved, they are now used to house tourist and other shopping outlets. It is not such a thing I like to see in an old medieval structure like this, but hey, this is the way things are these days.
You can access the upper floor of the museum by using the giant huge stone stairs which are situated in the North East corner of the courtyard.
There are different rooms on this floor where you will find lots of artifacts and ancient findings. Like I say, I will discuss all these in the ‘Museums Area’.
One thing to point out here though, is on the East Wing of the upper floor there is a large hall. This hall was home to the patients ward of the building when it was in use as a hospital all them years ago. You will also find in this area exhibited tombstones. These are for the various Knights and their Coat of Arms.
You will find during the summer that the opening times are quite flexible. It certainly gives you enough time to see everything and at a great price too.
The museum is open every day from 8 am until 19.30 pm except Mondays, when it is open from 13.30 until 19.30
The price for entrance is 3 Euros. A good price in my opinion. Being able to see all of the ancient pieces for such a low price is a complete bargain. I remember visiting The British Museum in London, and it cost me a lot more than that!
Like I say, in the Museums Section I will be exploring the displays inside the museum itself. So do not worry 🙂
Have you visited this amazing place in Rhodes? Have you experienced walking around the old halls looking at some of the amazing historic artifacts on display here? If not, you are really missing out.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this, and if you have been lucky enough to see it for yourself, I would love your opinions! Just leave me a comment below and I will get back to you.
Thanks for reading!
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