The Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Hospital Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, Rhodes and Malta Fra’ John Dunlap and the Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni inaugurated, in the Palace of the Grand Master in Rhodes, the permanent exhibition “From the Johnites to the Knights of Malta”, as the presence and history of the Knights on the island is five centuries old!
The exhibition is dedicated to the history of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, Rhodes and Malta. The previous exhibition at the Palace opened in October 1993. The new exhibition was carried out in collaboration with the Ministry of Politism, through the Ephorate of Antiquities of the Dodecanese and the Order’s ambassador to Greece Luca Rovati. This is a radical reorganization of the permanent exhibition, whose main characteristic is the use of new audiovisual technologies to project the history and activity of the Order. Given the use of high technology, the exhibition already arouses the interest of visitors, especially young people.
OR Lina Mendoniin his greeting, he said that “the day is historic, as it marks the first official visit of the Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, Rhodes and Malta to Greece, after the establishment of diplomatic relations between our country and the Order, in 2021. It is the first time, after 500 years, that a Grand Master has visited the island of Rhodes, where the Order has played a central role for 217 years.”
As the Minister said, “Rhodes, a place where most cultural traditions were indelibly imprinted in countless monuments from all historical periods, welcomes the modern descendants of the medieval Knights as an integral part of its historical and cultural heritage”.
And he highlighted that «this first official visit of the Grand Master, accompanied by the Order’s senior officials, seals the friendship, mutual respect and cooperation between the Order and Greece, which has a continuous history and contribution for 900 years. . Your mission is always timely. Much more so today, when Europe, but also our region in general, due to the crisis in the Middle East, faces the shadow of war”.
The exhibition is divided into four sections arranged in corresponding rooms. In the first, “Holy Places, 1050-1291”, the history of the Order in the crusades between Palestine and Cyprus is presented. Visitors are welcomed by the founder of the Order, Gerardos, speaking from a life-size screen, while the chronology of the Order’s history during the crusades is developed through observational material and characteristic objects.
In the second section, “Knights of Rhodes, 1309-1523” the history of the Order in Rhodes is presented, through digitalized portraits of three Grand Masters. Each of them narrates historical events, while a copy of the icon of the Virgin by Philerimos Palladio, of the Order, is displayed.
In the third section, “Knights of Malta, 1530-1798”, the document granting Malta to the Order by Charles V of Spain is displayed on a digital pulpit screen and the relics of the Order from the period 1530-1798 are displayed, while the digital tells the story of the Order during its period of settlement in Malta.
In the fourth section, “Sovereign Military Hospital Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, Rhodes and Malta” the action of the Order is presented today.
The opening ceremony was attended by the representative of the Metropolitan, Bishop Theophilus of Olympus, Mr. Kyrillos, the deputies of the Dodecanese Manos Konsolas, Vassilis Ypsilantis, the Regional Governor of the Southern Aegean Giorgos Hatzimarkos, the Mayor of Rhodes Alexandros Koliadis .
Below is the full greeting from the Minister of Culture Linas Mendonis:
It is with great pleasure and special honor that I welcome you here today, at the emblematic Palace of the Grand Master of Rhodes, on the occasion of the official inauguration of the new permanent exhibition “From the Johnites to the Knights of Malta”, in spaces that have been ceded to the Order for this specific purpose.
Today is a historic day, as it marks the first official visit of the Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Hospital Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, Rhodes and Malta to Greece, after the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Hellenic Republic and the Order, in 2021.
Furthermore, it is the first time in 500 years that a Grand Master has visited the island of Rhodes, where the Order played a central role for 217 years, from 1310 to 1523.
Rhodes, a place where most cultural traditions have been indelibly imprinted on the countless monuments of all historical periods, creating an amalgam of cultures, welcomes the modern descendants of the medieval Knights as an integral part of its historical and cultural heritage.
The exhibition that is officially presented today, and which was carried out with the care of the Order itself and with the active collaboration of the Ephorate of Antiquities of the Dodecanese – replacing the oldest one dating from 1999 – is a modern tribute to the Knights, who wrote in golden letters their own page in the history of the Mediterranean, of Rhodes and, finally, of Greece.
We are especially happy that this historic journey continues with new actions, which honor our past and further strengthen our bonds.
I hope this exhibition will be a source of inspiration and a starting point for new initiatives that promote and highlight our common cultural heritage.
The Grand Master’s first official visit, with senior officials of the Order, seals the friendship, mutual respect and cooperation between the Order and Greece. The Order has an ongoing history and 900-year service to show for it. Your mission is always timely. And today, when Europe, but also our region in general, due to the crisis in the Middle East, faces the shadow of war.
Your Highness,
I welcome you on behalf of the Greek Government to Greece and hope that your presence here today will strengthen our bilateral relations and establish the conditions for promoting new partnerships in your social, humanitarian and cultural work.”
Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Diligence:George Koulouvaris
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