Gate d'Amboise, Rhodes

Set in the northwestern corner of the Medieval City of Rhodes, the imposing D'Amboise Gate is undoubtedly one of its most remarkable structures, at least from a military standpoint, featuring a hugely fortified path with two gigantic round towers set to fend off any attack. Although the Ottomans eventually did manage to pass through it, they still couldn't enter the city right away, as the knights had modified the fortification so that three more gates, specifically added nearby, also had to be cleared in order to get in.

The D'Amboise Gate is found near The Palace of the Grand Masters, and bears the name of Grand Master Emery d'Amboise (1503-1512), in whose charge it was built in 1512. In fact, the actual construction started under his predecessor, Grand Master d'Aubusson (1476-1503), whose initial idea was to incorporate two earlier gates in this place, namely those of the Overseer and Saint Anthony.

Proportionate to its vital role, which was to defend the highly important yet vulnerable entrance from the west, along with the nearby Palace, the gate features a number of sizable halls for the guards. Niched above its arched entrance is the image of an angel brandishing the coat of arms of the Order, as well as that of the House of d'Amboise, along with the inscription "D'AMBOISE M. DXII (1512)".

Amid the havoc sown by the devastating earthquake of 1513, Grand Master del Carretto (1513-21) commissioned the gate's reconstruction, completed under the last Grand Master of the Order on the island, Villiers de l'Isle-Adam (1521-22). As the most elaborate piece of fortification in Rhodes, the gate bears witness to the opulence and power of the Order preceding the Ottoman invasion in 1522.