Agios Ioannis (St. John) of the Collachium

This church used to stand at the highest point of the Collachium, right across from the Palace of the Grand Master. Construction works on this project were launched no sooner had the Knights of the Order of St. John established themselves on the Island of Rhodes (1310), the consecration of the church having taken place in 1314. This is a typical coenobium church playing host to both the religious and the political functions of the Order. As many as seven chapels were added to the main construction during the rule of the Knights, along with a canonical residence of Prior Jean Morel.
Under the Ottoman rule, the church was converted into the Grand Mosque of Rhodes. In 1876, a major explosion in a forgotten powder magazine under the belfry caused the whole edifice of the church to crumble. The neo-classical style school building now seen in this area was actually built on the site of that church.