Church of Our Lady of the Castle (Byzantine Museum)

The Church of Our Lady of the Castle stands on Museum Square in the Old Town of Rhodes, in the South Aegean region of Greece, beside the Archaeological Museum. Originally a Byzantine church, it was rebuilt by the Knights of St John in the 14th century as their Gothic cathedral and served as the main Catholic church of the order. After the Ottoman conquest of 1522 it was converted into a mosque, the Enderun Mosque, and a minaret was added. Today it houses the Byzantine Museum of Rhodes, which displays the religious art of the island and the wider Dodecanese. The interior is a large, plain Gothic space with thick walls, arched windows and a wooden ceiling, and the rooms hold frescoes removed from churches around Rhodes, painted icons, carved iconostasis fragments and liturgical objects. A series of wall paintings from 13th- to 15th-century churches shows the shift between Byzantine and Italian-influenced styles, and some icons are notable for their gold-leaf backgrounds. Visitors can follow a one-way route that takes about 45 minutes. The cool interior is a welcome break from heat, and the building has a quiet atmosphere compared with busy Museum Square outside. Adult admission is about 4 EUR, with free entry for eligible young visitors, and opening hours are roughly 08:00 to 20:00 in summer and shorter in winter, so it is wise to check odysseus.culture.gov.gr. Mornings are quietest, and tour groups cluster later. The museum pairs well with the Archaeological Museum next door and a walk up the Street of the Knights. Labels are in Greek and English. Visitors should dress modestly given the religious nature of the displays.