Gate of Jesus: the "Most Beautiful Gate of Khándax (Candia)"

In August 1588, when Gian Battista da Monte (the Army Commander) arrived in the city, he said that Khándax (Candia) was "Europe's most beautiful fortress". Perhaps it was no coincidence that a year before the Gate of Jesus had been completed. The same Gate, many centuries later (late 19th - early 20th), draw the attention of Giuseppe Gerola, the Italian historian and scholar of Venetian Crete, who wrote that its monumental inner facade was the most beautiful of Khándax (Candia). The creation of this magnificent façade is attributed to the ingenuous Veronese military architect Michele Sanmicheli. The Gate of Jesus was one of the urban-public Gates of the city. People, animals, and carriages used to exit through the Gate heading south. The Gate, as well as the nearby bastion, was named after a small church dedicated to Jesus Christ that once stood there. This brilliant work was complemented by the Provveditore Generale Joannes Mocenigo during his first term in Crete. His name was written on a large marble plaque in engraved and gold-plated letters, located above the main entrance of the Gate. Two smaller Gates led to two adjacent halls, where weapons and munitions were kept, and were used as a place of temporary stay of the garrison. In early 20th century, parts of the Venetian wall were demolished thus creating the so-called "cracks" to facilitate the circulation of vehicles. One of them was located east of the Gate of Jesus and its bastion. It was bridged in the 70s during the construction of the "Kainourgia Porta" (that is, New Gate), a name (Porta Nuova) which was also given to the Gate of Jesus during the last years of the Venetian domination. Today, this elongated vaulted passage hosts an exhibition dedicated to the eminent Cretan author Nikos Kazantzakis.  N. Kazantzakis entitled "AN ODYSSEY”.