Holy Trinity Church, Rhodes: Knights Hospitaller Church and Orthodox Place of Worship
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.5
- Popularity
- Very Low
- Country
- Greece
- Primary era
- Medieval
- Eras represented
- Medieval, Early Modern
- Civilizations
- Crusader, Knights Hospitaller, Ottoman
- Site type
- Religious
- Remains
- Church
On this page6 sections
History
Holy Trinity Church in Greece is a medieval church in Rhodes built by the Knights Hospitaller between 1365 and 1374. The Knights Hospitaller were a Catholic military-religious order that ruled Rhodes during the medieval period. Originally dedicated to the Archangel Michael, the church was later rededicated to the Holy Trinity, while its first dedication reflected the Catholic faith of its builders.
Medieval foundation
The church stands on the Street of the Knights within the medieval walled town of Rhodes. Its position formed part of the religious and civic environment developed under the rule of the Knights Hospitaller. It is one of two churches dedicated to the Holy Trinity in the medieval town.
Ottoman and modern religious use
During Ottoman rule, the building was converted into a mosque called Khan Zade Mescidi. Its mosque function later ended, and the church was reconsecrated as a Greek Orthodox church after the Dodecanese islands were transferred to Greece following the Second World War. It remains an active Greek Orthodox church administered within the Metropolis of Rhodes.
Remains
The surviving building is a small, single-room church constructed of brick and stone. In its original form, it was probably covered by a single arch. An elliptical dome was added after the building became a mosque, leaving the structure with evidence of both its medieval Christian foundation and its later Ottoman transformation.
Exterior and entrance
The main entrance opens onto the Street of the Knights. Its eaves display the coat of arms of the Holy See, the central governing institution of the Roman Catholic Church, framed by the coat of arms of England. The heraldic decoration preserves a visible connection with the church’s origins under the Catholic order that ruled medieval Rhodes.
Wall paintings
Only a few of the murals that once decorated the interior survive, and the remaining paintings have undergone intensive Italian conservation. The wall paintings were probably completed in the late fifteenth or early sixteenth century.
A quadrant of the arch contains the rare image known as the Throne of Grace, a Western representation of the Christian Trinity. In this scene, the enthroned Ancient of Days, a biblical title for God drawn especially from visionary imagery in the Book of Daniel, holds a crucifix. The composition is flanked by the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus in Christian tradition, and Saint John the Baptist, regarded as the forerunner of Jesus. The semi-cylinder above is decorated with concelebrating saints.
Nearby sites
