St. Paul's Gate, Rhodes

Southeast of Mandráki Harbour, a scenic walk along the waterfront leads you through Saint Paul's Gate, an outer defensive bastion of the Old Town. This gate opens up at the northwest end of Kolóna, the central of Rhodes' three ports, buzzing with activity from colorful fishing boats, ferries arriving from Turkey, cruise ships, and large catamarans.

The bastion at the gate showcases expert construction techniques and serves as a point of reference for fortification experts: it features twelve cannon holes strategically positioned to cover a broad range between the two harbors and the mole of Saint Nicholas ("Agios Nikolaos"). A common element between this gate, the Saint Athanasius Gate, and the D'Amboise Gate is the drawbridge mechanism, believed to have operated through a system of beams and counterweights. Evidence of this system is visible in the vertical slots on the external wall, where the drawbridge beams would have been mounted.

Inside the semi-cylindrical tower on the inner wall, there's a marble sculpture displaying the coat of arms of the House of Grand Master d’Aubusson (1476-1503), adjacent to those of the Hospitallers Order and Pope Sixtus IV. Below these emblems is an effigy of Paul the Apostle and an inscription in Gothic characters reading "Sanctus Paul". These heraldic symbols date the completion of this section of the fortifications to around 1477, during a broader initiative led by Grand Master d’Aubusson to restore the northern walls.

During World War II, Saint Paul's Gate sustained significant damage and nearly collapsed, but was rebuilt in the early 1950s. Today, one of the best spots to appreciate the views is from the foundations of the now-gone Naillac Tower, just east of the gate. This location offers unparalleled views of Mandráki, especially at dawn and dusk, making it a favorite spot for both locals and visitors.