Castello del Molo, Rocca a Mare or Koules (a name given during the Ottoman rule) are some of the names attributed to the sea fort which looms over the harbour entrance. The Fortress was built by the Venetians in the early years of the Venetian rule in Chandax before the new Venetian fortification took place […]
Venetian Harbour of Heraklion Read More »
The street name refers to one of the most important Cretan uprisings to overthrow the Turkish yoke. The Heraklion central market is full of shops selling souvenirs, fruit and vegetables, herbs and spices, cheese and meat, along with small cafés and traditional restaurants (tavernas). The roads running at right angles to left and right of
The town’s main thoroughfare (Ruga Maistra) in the Venetian times is now known as 25th August St. Then as now, it linked the port to the main town square and was lined with the finest buildings – the Loggia, the Palazzo Ducale and the Palazzo del Capitano. In order to maintain the appearance of the
Ruga Maistra – 25th August street Read More »
In Sabbionara bastion there is one of the three beach gates – the second one is in the bastion of Saint Andrew and the third one is in the bay of Dermatas. The Venetians originally called it “Mikro Martinengo” (Little Martinengo), after the name of the commander Girolamo Martinengo. Then the name Sabionara, the “Gate
A long road, the Strada Larga or Strada Imperiale or Strada Larga di Panigra – also known as the broad alley- centuries later would be the current Kalokairinou Avenue. This leads to the western side of the Venetian fortification where one of the main gates of the city opens. The Pantocrator Gate, as it is
Gate of Pantocrator Read More »
One of the two most powerful bastions of the city is Martinengo, which was named after Gabriele Tandini di Martinengo, the distinguished Venetian military engineer and successful officer who in 1519 took over the general supervision of the fortifications of Crete. The bastion’s military gate is known as the Martinengo Gate or Makasi Gate –
According to the Italian historian and scholar of Venetian Crete, Joseph Guerola, Jesus Gate is the “most beautiful gate of Chandakas (Chandax)”. It is a public gate that owes its name, like its bastion, to a small church dedicated to Christ that once stood nearby. It was through this gate that those heading for the
The Gate of Dermata was opened on the coastal front of the fortification, between the San Andrea bastion and the Sabbionara bastion. It was also called Giudecca or Judaica or Jewish Gate because it was adjacent to the leather craft industries of Chandaκas and also because the Jewish quarter was near. Dermatas Gate was completed
Vitturi Gate or the “Provveditore Generale Gate” is located on one of the most powerful bastions of Chandakas, the Bastion of Agios Eleftherios which took its name from a small church nearby. It was named after the Provveditore Generale (General Intendant of Crete) Giovanni Vitturi whose coat of arms was placed in the corner of
The Bethlehem bastion was named after a small church of Virgin Mary of Bethlehem built in the fields, outside the wall. The bastion was served by the two military gates of the same name, the North and the South. The city-side façade of the North Bethlehem Gate stands out for its elaborate design, reminiscent of
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