The House of the Knights of Rhodes

The House of the Knights of Rhodes takes its name from the period (1310–1523) during which the Knights of the Order of St John, having left the Holy Land, established their seat of government on the island of Rhodes. Before becoming the Knights of Malta, the name by which they are still known today, the knights were therefore known as the Knights of Rhodes. Since 1946, the House of the Knights of Rhodes has been the seat of the Presidency of the Association of Italian Knights of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.

Home to the Order of St John since the Middle Ages, it was here that the first knights of the Order, having arrived in Rome at the beginning of the 13th century, took up residence, occupying the church and monastery of the Basilian monks built in the 9th century on the site of the Temple of Mars Ultor. The building, situated in the Rione Monti district, above the site of the Forum of Augustus, is the result of successive layers of construction and extensive alterations that have taken place over the centuries.

One of the most significant transformations took place in the years following 1446. It was Cardinal Marco Barbo, nephew of Pope Paul II and Grand Prior of Rome of the Order of St John, who, after moving into the building, commissioned a series of restorations and changes. Cardinal Barbo transformed the structure into a luxurious residence and gave it the appearance that can still be appreciated today. Reception halls were created, frescoed in full Renaissance style, with wooden ceilings and exquisite decorations. Above all, however, work was carried out on the beautiful and spacious loggia with eight arches, which today offers a spectacular view of Via dei Fori Imperiali, Trajan’s Column, the Trajan Markets, the Torre delle Milizie, the Torre del Grillo, the monument to Victor Emmanuel II and part of Piazza Venezia.

With the transfer of the seat of the Grand Priory of Rome to the Aventine Hill in the 16th century, the building was ceded to the Dominican nuns of the Santissima Annunziata, who established their monastery there. This was partly destroyed by the demolition work carried out in this area at the beginning of the 20th century to make way for Via dei Fori Imperiali.

Today, the interior of the House centres around three main halls: the Hall of Flags; the Hall of the Caryatids; and the Byzantine Hall. Decorated with frescoes, the ceilings still bear their ancient and exquisite wooden panelling.

The Hall of Flags: with its eight banners representing the ancient division into ‘Langues’ of the members of the Order of Malta – is adorned with two maps, the work of Professor Di Girolamo. One depicts the Knights’ possessions in the Mediterranean and the other the islands of Rhodes and Malta: the places where the Order ruled for the longest period.

The Hall of the Caryatids: houses a reconstruction of part of the marble frieze that once adorned the portico of the Forum of Augustus: the statues of two Caryatids (female figures used as columns) are interspersed with a round Greek shield, bearing the large head of Jupiter Ammon at its centre. In this room, visitors can also admire the fresco of the Crucifixion from the demolished church of the Dominican nuns and a fireplace featuring a map of the port of Rhodes.

The Byzantine Room: is adorned with architectural fragments from medieval churches and 12th-century frescoes from the Church of St Basil.

The chapel on the ground floor, built within the atrium of a Roman-era residence, is dedicated to St John the Baptist, patron saint of the Order of Malta. The large travertine arches of the Roman courtyard now divide the chapel into three naves.

As the headquarters of the Association of Italian Knights of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, the House of the Knights of Rhodes is home to the presidency and the offices of the National Directorate of the Italian Relief Corps of the Order of Malta, as well as those of the Rome Delegation.