Lardos Castle

Lardos castle was built sometime in the 12th century, during the Byzantine era. When the Knights of the Order of St. John invaded the island in 1309, one of their immediate priorities was to locate ideal sites on which they could erect forts so that they could be used as lookout posts over the sea, but also to protect the soldiers from the enemy. When they came to Lardos, they discovered an entire fort from the Byzantine Era, which was in excellent condition. Very little restoration work was needed to be done to this stronghold, so for the new conquerors it was simply a matter of moving in.

The castle was then presented to the Genovese Admiral, Vinioli, by the Grand Master in the same year of their arrival, as reward for his part in the successful invasion of Rhodes. And that was not all that he was given  his reward package included the entire settlement of Lardos. Today, the ruins of this once glorious Byzantine stronghold lie in very peaceful surroundings, in a remote location, some 500m from the residential part of Lardos, with only roaming goats for company  a far cry from the days when the castle was buzzing with activity and the battle cries of warring soldiers. Also in the area of the castle, among the ruins of other smaller defenses, archaeologists had found remains of some of the mansions from the same era.

References:

• visitrhodes.com

Address

Lardos, Greece

Details

Founded: 12th century
Category: Castles and fortifications in Greece