Jesus Gate (Kenourgia Porta)
Gate of Jesus or New Gate (Kenourgia Porta) was built on the south side of the Venetian Walls of Heraklion, in today's Evans Street, in 1587. From this gate left those who were heading to the southern provinces of the county. The gate also hosted the pipeline which supplied water to the city through the giant aqueduct of Morozini.
The gate is also known as Kenourgia Porta (new gate) s next to it there is the arched passage across the walls, constructed in the 1970s for cars. The old Jesus Gate is a few meters to the west and was restored in 2014 and now hosts a permanent exhibition about the famous Cretan writer Nikos Kazantzakis. The gate is one of the finest examples of Renaissance architecture of the Venetian city of Candia (current Heraklion). The gate, which was a project of Michele Sanmichelli stands out particularly for its imposing inner façade, covered with carved stones and organized in vertical symmetry axes.
On either side of the central doorway there are some openings corresponding to stairs, windows and secondary entrances to adjacent locations, above and inside the gate gallery. These rooms were used for storing weapons and for accommodating the guards of the gate. Unlike the internal face of the gate, the corresponding external was much simpler, bearing five coats of arms on top of.
