Castles in South Aegean

Castles & Fortresses

This collection highlights the strategic military architecture of the Dodecanese and Cyclades, spanning the Byzantine, Venetian, and Hospitaller eras. It features the 14th-century Gothic Palace of the Grand Master in Rhodes, the Venetian fortified villages of Santorini, and the clifftop strongholds of Monolithos and Kritinia. These sites illustrate the defensive evolution of the Aegean, built to guard vital maritime routes against Ottoman expansion and pirate raids.

Viktoria Grocholl / CC-BY-SA

Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes

A 14th-century Gothic citadel and administrative center of the Knights Hospitaller. Reconstructed during the Italian occupation in the 1930s, it now serves as a museum housing Hellenistic mosaics and medieval artifacts.

Bernard Gagnon / CC BY-SA 3.0

Lindos acropolis

Lindos is an archaeological site, a fishing village and a former municipality on the island of Rhodes, in the Dodecanese, Greece.

Κλέαρχος Π. Καπούτσης / Attribution

Skaros

Climb this rocky hill which used to be a fortress in the past and enjoy a panoramic view of Santorini and the Aegean Sea.

Norbert Nagel, Mörfelden-Walldorf,… / CC BY-SA 3.0

Castle of Monolithos

Monolithos is a Greek village on the island of Rhodes, South Aegean region, belonging to the municipal unit of Attavyros.

Flingeflung / CC BY-SA 4.0

Castle of Kritinia

Originally built on 3 levels (with each level assigned to a different Grand Master), used to be a key fortress for the knights from the…

Μυρμηγκάκι / Attribution

Akrotiri Castle

Damaged in the 1956 earthquake, this castle used to be a powerful fort for the Gozzadini family until it fell to the Turks in 1617.

MJJR / CC BY 3.0

Castle of Asklipio

A 15th-century fortress built by the Knights of Saint John to protect the southeastern coast of Rhodes. The ruins feature thick perimeter walls and the remains of two square towers overlooking the village.

Klearchoskapoutsis / Attribution

Emporio

Discover picturesque medieval streets and buildings of this village lying at the foot of a mountain.

Chris06 / CC BY-SA 4.0

Archangelos Fort Castle

Constructed in 1467 by Grand Master Orsini on the site of a Byzantine fortification, this citadel served as a defensive refuge for the local population against pirate raids and Ottoman incursions.

Joachim Risopp / CC-BY-SA

Fort of Saint Nicholas

Located at the tip of Mandraki Harbour, this 15th-century bastion was built to guard the port entrance. It features a central tower surrounded by later defensive walls and currently houses a lighthouse.

Frantisek Porazik / CC-BY-SA

Panagias (Virgin Mary's) Gate

A double-arched gate in the medieval walls of Rhodes, constructed in the 15th century. It connects the Old Town’s Jewish Quarter to the harbor and features a relief of the Virgin Mary.

Karelj / Public domain

Castle of Antimachia

Explore the ancient fortress built on a hill and enjoy the panoramic view of the Kos island and the sea.

Ввласенко / CC BY-SA 3.0

Feraklos

Feraklos Castle, also Feraklou and Faraklenon Castle, is a ruined medieval fortress, located on an 85 m-high hill overlooking the village…

Maya Kharrat / CC-BY-SA

Thalassini (Marine) Gate

The grandest sea-facing entrance to the medieval city of Rhodes, built in 1478. The gate is flanked by two imposing defensive towers and decorated with reliefs of the Virgin Mary, Saint John, and Saint Peter.