Church of the Evangelismos, Gothic Revival cathedral in Rhodes, Greece.
The Church of the Evangelismos is a Gothic cathedral in Rhodes featuring pointed arches and large stained glass windows throughout its interior. The colored glass fills the space with light and displays religious scenes in detailed patterns.
Built in 1924–1925 under Italian rule as the Catholic church of San Giovanni, it was designed by Rodolfo Petracco and Florestano Di Fausto. Its Gothic Revival forms follow engravings of the church of San Giovanni dei Cavalieri, destroyed in 1856 when lightning hit its gunpowder store, killing 800 people. In 1947 the Dodecanese passed to Greece and it became the Orthodox cathedral of the Annunciation.
Built as the Catholic church of San Giovanni under Italian rule, it became an Orthodox cathedral after the Dodecanese passed to Greece in 1947 and was dedicated to the Annunciation, Evangelismos. The interior was adapted to Orthodox worship under Bishop Timotheos, painted in Bishop Spyridon's time, and given marble sculptures between 1951 and 1961.
You can visit the building during daylight hours to observe architectural details and religious ceremonies. The interior is easy to walk through and offers different viewing angles of the windows and decoration.
The church reproduces the lost church of San Giovanni dei Cavalieri, converted into a mosque in 1522 and destroyed in November 1856 when lightning hit the gunpowder stored in its crypt, killing 800 people. Architects Rodolfo Petracco and Florestano Di Fausto based the design on engravings made by Belgian colonel Bernard Eugène Antoine Rottiers, who visited Rhodes in 1826 and published them in 1828.
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