The Gates of Old Town: 11 Ways to Enter, 11 stories to discover!
August 13, 2021The Fall of the Knights Templar
August 14, 2021The Gates of Old Town: 11 Ways to Enter, 11 stories to discover!
August 13, 2021The Fall of the Knights Templar
August 14, 20218 Wonders of the Old Town: The Bastions and Towers
Bastions and Towers: For the difficult times.
Old Town Bastion and Towers Facts
- 1. The Bastions are a series of defensive towers that were built in the 14th century to defend the Old Town
- 2. The most famous is the St Nicholas fort, built on solid rock!
- 3. Most of them were originally used as a lookout towers by guards who would ring its bell if they saw any intruders approaching
- 4. These towers provided defense against enemies and served as high points for lookouts when fires occurred
When things got wild and the drums of war echoed, the famous Knights of St.John had to defend their areas. Old Town of Rhodes, has 8 Bastions and Towers so it could be well defended against any invader. Take a breath and let's explore those magnificent pieces of history and Rhodes's rich heritage!
The Bastion of the Knights (Fort of St.Nicholas) was built in 1521 under Grand Master Antonio Fluvian. It is the most important defensive element and it has successfully withstood a siege by the Ottomans twice - first time during Mehmed II's attack on Rhodes (1480) and again when they tried to capture it back from Venetians who had retaken it in 1657.
The Bastion of Saint Nicholas was designed by the Knights themselves and built between 1536-1540, on a promontory near to the bay with a beautiful view of Point Salines (the southernmost point of Rhodes). This Bastion is named after St.Nicholas because in this location, back in 1522, the Knights managed to stop and overcome a siege of 50 000 Turks. It is also worth mentioning that this Bastion was built without any mortar or other binding material – on solid rock!
Blood Sweat and Tears on the Towers of the Old Town
The Post of Italy or Del Carretto Bastion is the place where Mehmed II breached the walls and were then repelled by knights during their 1481 siege. Grand Master Fabrizio del Carretto had it armored with a chemin de ronde to hold cannon emplacements, making this location one not to be missed on your tour.
The Naillac Tower was built between 1396 and 1421 by the Grand Master Philibert de Naillac before cannons were developed. It had a square shape like many other medieval towers, but stood at 46 meters (145 feet) tall. The tower served as an important watchtower for Rhodes harbor until it sustained heavy damage during earthquakes in 19th century; this led to its demolition under Ottoman rule.
Windmills Tower it is known as the Tower of France or Angel. One of its two towers protecting the commercial harbor (emporium) was built by Grand Master d'Aubusson on natural mole East from harbour for coat-of-arms to be placed there beneath name "tour de la France" -- a reminder that this island belonged at one time to French knights who were granted lands here after being expelled during crusades. The 13 winds mills originally made up part of what now stands solitary amongst them - today only one remains but still does duty keeping watch over passing ships too near land's end where waves break against rocks with fury.
The terreplein of Spain is placed in the South West portion of the walls on Gate Saint Athanasiou and was guarded by knights from langue de Espana. It’s aim, as a defensive measure against invading armies lay within its construction; it prevented cannon from having a clear shot at the walls and if assailants had entered moat, but could be reached through underground passages that were quickly blown up should withdrawal occur. In 1522 Ottoman attempted to undermine this earthworks with tunnelling under moat - however Spanish defenders managed to counter-attack tunnels dug beneath their fortifications before they gave way or became watery graves for Ottomans caught inside them!
The terreplein of England is placed in the South side of the walls between the Gate of Saint Athanasiou and the Gate of Sain John was guarded by the knights of the langue of England
The terreplein of Italy was once an integral part of the Bastion's defenses until it became a forgotten relic, left to decay in solitude. It is now partially restored as one can see from its walls and arches that are still standing after centuries have passed by.