Saint Nicholas Fortress — Attraction in Municipality of Rhodes

The imposing St. Nicholas Fortress is located in the Rhodes Old City looking out over Mandraki harbour.

In ancient times, Mandraki harbour was a military space, and in the 15th century, a guard tower was constructed there on the orders of Grand Master Raimondo Zacosta.

Following the first siege, the tower was fortified. A bastion was added by Grand Master d’Aubusson and the newly formed fortress was named after the chapel inside it.

It was largely thanks to the fortress that the Knights Hospitaller were able to fend off attacks from the Turks for so many years. Major sieges by the Turks were mounted in 1480 and 1522-23. The initial attack was thwarted, but the Turks ended up seizing Rhodes in 1522, and the Knights were forced to leave the city.

When the fortress was built, it took into account that the Ottoman's use of cannons and other siege weaponry and its thick walls were impermeable for many years. Indeed, considering their age, they are in excellent condition to this day.

The fortress is hugely popular with visitors these days, and it has been well preserved. You can walk along the path of the former moat, which has been dried out and provides a scenic, tree lined walking path.

It was built between 1460 and 1467 by the Grand Master of the Order of St. John Zacosta.

It suffered severe damage in the siege of 1480 (by the Turks) and by the earthquake of 1481. It was reoaired by Grand Master D’ Aubusson.

The castle was built at the place of an old Byzantine church dedicated to St. Nicholas, hence the name.

Since the 17th century, a lighthouse was added at the top. For the last 15 years, a major reconstruction project of the fort is...

This unusual circular artifact could have served as platform for the colossus that guarded the port between 280 and 226 BC. Curved blocks of marble incorporated into the fortress structure, considered too intricately cut to have been quarried for that purpose, suggest to be the remnants of a marble base for the statue. However, after snapping at the knees and falling down, due to a great earthquake, it laid on the ground for over 800 years. So, probably it couldn't lay here, not having enough ground to lay for so many years. It is more plausible to have it positioned at the opposite side, where the small statue of the "fallen angel" resembles the falling colossus. For sure we know, the legs were not apart, straddlig the two sides of the port. It must have been just one firm standing statue similar to the Liberty in NY, probably with similar spikes, but unsure about...

El Coloso de Rodas, fundido para obtener el preciado bronce.

En la isla griega de Rodas, el escultor Cares de Lindo, discípulo del famoso escultor clásico griego Lisipo, realizó El Coloso de Rodas, terminado en el año 292 a.C.

Una monumental estatua de bronce representando al dios griego Helios, protector de la ciudad, de 32 metros de altura sobre unos pilares de mármol de 15 metros.

La estatua fue encargada por Ptolomeo I como conmemoración por su victoria en Rodas frente al asedio de Demetrio Poliorcetes en el año 304 a.C., quien huyó ante su gran flota.

Debía ser impresionante como se llegaba a la ciudad en barco pasando bajo las piernas del coloso, una de las primeras puertas a la ciudad, tanto, que es considerado una de las 7 maravillas del mundo antiguo. La tercera imagen, más realista e impresionante, no es el dios Helios, se corresponde con el Titan de Braavos, de Juego de Tronos, en alusión al histórico griego.

Sin embargo, no se mantuvo en pie por muchos años, en el año 226 a.C. un terremoto derribó la colosal obra, dejando el cuerpo del dios Helios repartido en ruinas a los pies de la ciudad, solo quedo intacta una de las piernas hasta la altura de las rodillas.

Más tarde, Ptolomeo III propuso su reconstrucción, pero el pueblo de Rodas se negó ante la noticia del Oráculo de Delfos (del que ya hablamos en este otro post) de que el terremoto había sido ocasionado por los dioses ante la ofensa del hombre por levantar la estatua del dios Helios.

De este modo, la obra de Cares de Lindo quedo destruida y esparcida en ruinas a los pies de la ciudad durante 900 años más.

Hasta el año 654, cuando la invasión árabe en la ciudad de Rodas, hizo que definitivamente desapareciera el coloso al ser vendido a un comerciante judío, quien se dice, se lo llevó a Edesa, en la actual Turquía, con la ayuda de 900 camellos para fundir todo el metal y,...