149-164

Master masons, ''Protomastores'' and Engineers of the Medieval Fortifications of Rhodes

Articles

• Κόλλιας, Ηλίας Ε.
• ΚΟΛΛΙΑΣ, Ηλίας Ε.

An the 13th century, it is certain that Rhodes was stronglyfortified. The Byzantine army of emperor John Vatatzesfailed to capture it in 1233; the same happened later when,in 1248, the Genoese occupied the town while it was unguarded. It was with great difficulty and after negotiationsthat the Byzantine army was able to recover it. The KnightsHospitaller laid siege to it for three or four years (1306-1309or 1310) until its defenders finally surrendered on terms.From the early decades of the 14th century it appears thatthe Knights began strengthening and expanding the defences of the town (cf. travellers' accounts, information from archival material, saints' Lives and Bosio's History). Grandmasters Juan Fernandez Heredia (1377-1396) and Philibertde Naillac (1396-1421) reinforced and reorganised the defences of the Northeast part of the town and the harbour.Grand Master Anton Fluvian (1421-1437) extended the enceinte to the west and south, enlarging the perimeter of thetown approximately as far as the Gate of St. John to theSoutheast. Grand master Jean Bonpart de Lastic (1437-1454) continued Fluvian's work; it was probably he whoenclosed the Jewish quarter to the east within the fortifications. The bilingual inscription (Italian/Greek) of 1457,mounted on the wall by the Gate of St. John, and citingManolis Kountis as chief master-mason of "all the newwalls" of Rhodes, signifies the completion of the expansionof the city wall. In any case, it is certain that the defenceswere completed, reaching their present extent, in the timesof grand master Pedro Ramon Zacosta (1461-1467). In 1465an order was published reallocating posts of combat to thedifferent Tongues of the Order along the new walls.A large part of the unskilled workforce for the building ofthe walls was usually composed of slaves (information fromtravellers' accounts and Bosio). The Knights might also extract forced labour from the local inhabitants or hire freeworkmen, the so-called homines or argodulatoi. The workswere executed by masters or magistri muratores and weredesigned and supervised by the protomastores. Very few oftheir names are known to us so far and, perhaps by accident,they are all Greek: George Singan (the Gypsy?) or "theTurk", Theodore Stratiotes, Antonios "tou Papa", ManolisKountis and Nicholas Flevaris.It is almost certain that Western masons, master-masons orarchitects were also active on Rhodes; they designed and builtvarious edifices and parts of the defences, teaching the localworkforce the freshly-arrived Western architecture. Commander Pierre Clouet and Jean Morel, prior of the church ofSt. John in the Collachio (later Catholic bishop of Rhodes)are mentioned as having directed the construction of important buildings; but we lack definite information that they possessed architectural or engineering knowledge. In contrast, itis certain that grand master Pierre d'Aubusson (1476-1503)had a knowledge of engineering. When Giovanni Battistadegli Orsini, his predecessor, was grand master, he undertookcontractually works of construction, repair or modification ofthe defences as supervisor of the fortifications. Later, as headof the Knightly state, he did the same (cf. Nat. Library of Malta, Lib. Consiliorum Arch. 75, f. 118 bis-119 and Nat. Libraryof Malta, Lib. Consiliorum Arch. 75, f. 145).Engineers specializing in fortification design are mentionedby the sources as arriving in Rhodes in the second decade ofthe 16th century. Of these, Matteo Gioeni seems to have designed and directed works on the Rhodian defences. Basiliodalla Scuola was used by the Knights mostly as an adviser forthe improvement of strongpoints. Gerolamo Bartolucci andGabriele Tadino da Martinengo reached Rhodes during itslast siege of 1522 and were used by the Hospitallers principally as advisers as to the best ways of coping with Ottomanmining operations and the defence of the town in general.

• Arts
• History and Archaeology

• Architecture and history

• http://ejournals.epublishing.ekt.gr/index.php/deltion/article/view/4785
• http://dx.doi.org/10.12681/dchae.1203