St. George Gate: the Gate with the three names

The creator of St. George Gate is Julio Savorgnano, the ingenious military engineer and architect who was the contractor for the construction of the new defensive walls of Khándax (Candia). This impressive Gate was constructed on the northern flank (fianco) of the Vitturi Bastion, between 1562 and 1566, as evidenced by the chronology of 1565 that was engraved on both sides. The entrance towards the city was particularly elaborate, with Ionic pillars to the right and left of its opening. Above the Gate, between two plaques featuring the Lion of Venice, a marble round plate depicting the icon of Saint George was embedded, to remind us that the Gate is dedicated to the military saint. St. George Gate was the third and last one built on the eastern side of the fortress and belonged to those Gates known as “urban Gates”. It was a point of exit to the eastern suburbs and the countryside. It was also the area from where supplies of agricultural products, food and, in general, everything that could not arrive by sea in Khándax (Candia), entered the city. Over time, St. George Gate witnessed many combats, but it is connected to one in particular. It was through this Gate, in June 1669, that French allies of the besieged Venetians, led by the Duke of Beaufort, attempted to flee, with tragic results for them. It also related to the city’s social history, as its other two names reveal. It is called the Gate of Maroulas and the Gate of Lazaretto, because it served as a gateway to the suburb of Maroulas and to the Lazaretto (hospital for those with infectious diseases, namely leprosy). The Gate was also a meeting point for those ill-fated patients who gathered in order to beg for money. The fate of the imposing Renaissance facade of St. George Gate was equally grim. It was demolished in 1917 to open the way for Dimokratias Avenue. Just a small part of the vaulted gallery has been preserved and the arch-shaped outer door who led to the trench. Its lateral outer part is adorned by the Haniali fountain, which dates back to 1709 and was named after a house of the Turkish-occupied Heraklion.