Rhodes Medieval Castle of Lardos

Location: Lardos Village

The medieval Castle of Lardos stands on a low hill outside Lardos village, separated from the slightly rising plateau by a moat. It is within just 4 kilometers from the enchanting town of Lindos.

Little is known about its history or construction date, as the castle is not mentioned in the records kept by the Knights of Saint John, leading many historians to believe that it is a Byzantine fortification predating the rule of the Knights. After occupying Rhodes in 1309, the Knights Hospitaller ceded the settlement of Lardos to the Genoese pirate Vignolo de Vignoli, who was their ally and played an instrumental role in the occupation of the island. As the castle is not mentioned in the relative document, whether there was indeed a preexisting one or not is open to question.

In any case, the absence of historical records, along with the fact that the castle is vulnerable to artillery fire from a nearby, higher hill shows that it was never considered defensible. Rather, it was probably used by the locals as a temporary refuge in case of enemy raids or as an observatory overlooking the road to Genadi.

Covering an overall surface of 1,030 square meters, it is an oblong building with an inner courtyard and two square towers. The eastern tower now lies, for the most part, in ruins, while the western one, which might have served as a residence, is better preserved and dominates the hill. Inside the courtyard, it is still possible to discern the remnants of some buildings, while the surviving walls reach a length of about 30 meters. The northwestern side was also protected by an outer enceinte, which was added during the 15th or the 16th century, while close to the main tower, there is an underground domed cistern.

Given that the ground in that place is unstable, the fort collapsed as a result of erosion after being abandoned. Great parts of the walls are also missing, as the materials were later reused for the construction of other edifices.