Housed in the old Hospital of the Knights, it is one of the largest medieval buildings of the Old Town at the beginning of the Knights (Ippoton) Street (the street of the Knights – Mousiou (Museum) Square). It began being built in 1440 and it was completed 49 years later. The museum houses exhibitions of findings from Rhodes and the nearby islands, dating back to a period that spans from the Mycenaean era to the Middle Ages.
In the large first floor hall medieval tombstones and a Roman sarcophagus, in which the Master Pierre de Corneillan was buried, have been placed. Coins, pots, figurines, sculptures, mosaics and escutcheons are exhibited in smaller halls. The seated lion in the museum’s courtyard is made of Lartian stone, namely marble mined in Lardos village. In the patio on the first floor you can see sculptures, sarcophagi and stone cannon balls among trees and flowers.
Worth seeing is the grave stele of Krito and Timarista from the 5th century BC, the head of Helios from the 2nd century BC, the bathing Aphrodite, namely a small statue from the 1st century BC and the bashful Aphrodite (Venus Pudica), a large sculpture from the 3rd century BC found in 1929 in the bottom of the sea near the Grand Hotel. This statue inspired Laurence Darell to write his book named “Reflections on a Marine Venus”.
Info
Visiting hours: 08:30 – 15:00, except Mondays (winter season) and 08:00 – 19:40 from Tuesday to Sunday, Monday 09:00 – 16:00 (summer season)
Address: Ippoton Street, Medieval City
Tel. number: +30 22413 65256
