Description of the attraction
In the capital of the picturesque Greek island of Rhodes, on the famous Street of the Knights in the Old Town, there is an ancient Byzantine church of Panagia tou Castrow. It is one of the most magnificent structures of medieval Rhodes and the main monument of the Byzantine era. Today, the building houses the magnificent Byzantine Museum.
The Church of Panagia tou Castrow was built in the 11th century. Initially, the architecture of the building was a cross-domed temple typical of Byzantine structures with an elongated western part. After Rhodes passed into the possession of the Knights of the Order of St. John, the building housed a Roman Catholic cathedral, as evidenced by the papal bull of 1322. Large-scale restoration work and changes in the architecture of the building were carried out. In fact, the church was rebuilt into a three-nave temple with a transept. Some fragments of wall paintings dating back to the 14th century have survived since that time.
In 1522, after the capture of the island by the Turks, this church, however, like many Christian churches, was converted into the Ederum Mosque (also known as the Red Mosque). A minaret and a special niche for prayers, a mihrab, were completed, and the murals were hidden behind the brickwork. Turkish additions were destroyed during the reign of the Italians on the island. Later, the building was transferred to the jurisdiction of the Greek Archaeological Service.
In 1988, exhibitions of Byzantine and post-Byzantine painting began to be held within the walls of the Panagia tou Castrow church. Today it houses the Byzantine Museum of Rhodes with a magnificent collection of icons and frescoes. The most valuable exhibits of the museum are considered to be fine examples of painting from the 12th century from the monastery of Tari and frescoes from the church of Agios Zacharios from the island of Halki (end of the 14th century).
