Panagia tou Bourgou, the 'Virgin Mary of the Burgh' (or Bourg), is the roofless ruin of a large Gothic church in the lower part of Rhodes Old Town. The Knights of St John built it in the early 14th century for the town's citizens, and it was wrecked in the great Ottoman siege of 1522. What remains are three soaring pointed arches that frame the sky, and on summer evenings they are lit up for concerts and performances.
Panagia tou Bourgou at a glance
- Where: in the eastern part of Rhodes Old Town, in the old Bourg (the civilian town) near the Gate of the Virgin and the former Jewish quarter.
- Built: early 14th century, under the Knights of St John; usually linked to the time of Grand Master Hélion de Villeneuve.
- What it was: a three-aisled Gothic basilica, also known as Our Lady of Mercy (Santa Maria della Misericordia del Borgo), one of the main Latin churches of the Knights' town.
- What it is today: a partly restored, open-air ruin and a venue for summer concerts and cultural events.
- Time needed: 15–20 minutes, longer if you come for an evening event.
The citizens' church of the Knights
When the Knights Hospitaller took Rhodes in the early 1300s, they divided the walled town in two. The Collachium in the north, around the Palace of the Grand Master and the Street of the Knights, was reserved for the Order. The larger Bourg (Burgh) to the south was where Greeks, Latins and Jews lived, traded and worshipped. Panagia tou Bourgou was built to serve this civilian town: a stone basilica with a nave and two aisles divided by arcades of pointed arches. Over the years six side chapels were added, and seven arched tombs were set into the north wall.
The church was in use for about two centuries. In 1522 Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent besieged Rhodes for six months, and the Bourg took heavy damage from the bombardment. After the Knights surrendered and left the island, the church was not repaired or converted into a mosque, unlike several others in the Old Town. It slowly fell into ruin. Conservation work in recent decades stabilised the remains and laid a new floor so visitors can walk through, and the restoration received a Europa Nostra distinction in 2006.
What to look for
- The three tall pointed arches at the east end: they once opened into the apse and side chapels, and today they stand free against the sky.
- The springing points of the nave arcades and a single surviving column, which help you picture the size of the original three-aisled church.
- The seven arched tomb recesses along the north wall, where important citizens were once buried.
- The traces of the side-chapel foundations around the edges of the paved floor.
An open-air stage
Few ruins are used as well as this one. In summer the church becomes a venue for concerts, theatre and other cultural events, and after dark the arches are lit up, which makes them look even taller. If you are in Rhodes in the warm months, look out for posters around the Old Town: hearing music between 700-year-old Gothic arches is one of the nicest things to do on an evening in the Bourg.
Tips for your visit
- Come twice if you can: in the daytime to see the stonework, and after sunset when the arches are lit.
- In the midday heat there is little shade inside the ruin; early morning or late afternoon is more comfortable.
- Combine it with a walk through the quiet lanes of the former Jewish quarter and out through the Gate of the Virgin to the harbour.
Nearby
- Square of the Jewish Martyrs: a short walk away, with its seahorse fountain and a memorial to the Jews of Rhodes deported in 1944.
- Kahal Shalom Synagogue: founded in 1577, the oldest synagogue in Greece, with a small museum on the Jewish community of Rhodes.
- Hospice of St Catherine: a 14th-century guesthouse of the Knights for pilgrims, in the same part of the Bourg.
- Sokratous Street and Hippocrates Square: the Old Town's busy shopping street and its main square, a few minutes' walk to the west.
See Rhodes with World City Trail
Our Rhodes scavenger hunt turns the medieval Old Town into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around 2 hours, with about 30 minutes of walking. It includes the Palace of the Grand Master and the Street of the Knights. You can play in English, German, French, Italian, Dutch, Polish and Greek.
If you prefer a different format, there is also a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game in Rhodes.
Play the Rhodes scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of Rhodes →
Play the outdoor escape game in Rhodes →
Facts checked in October 2026.