Rethymno Big Door

The Big Door (Porta Guora) of Rethymno, in Crete: The Venetian and Ottoman dominations of the past have left their mark on the city of Rethymno in the form of various monuments such as the Fortezza and the Big Door, amongst others. The fortress offers a breathtaking view of the entire city and the harbor beyond. The entrance to the Old Town of Rethymno is marked by the Big Door.

There are barely any remains of the initial fortress that guarded the old town; the entrance door is one of those. Porta Guora (or the Big Door) is the magnificent fortified entry that was built into the existing structure when the entire fortifications were rebuilt. This entrance led to the central square, which housed the brilliant public buildings of that era.

Today, there is a small market as soon as one walks through the Porta Guora. The gate took its name from the rector, in whose presence the gates were built, Jocopo Guora. The beginning of the Ethnikis Antistaseos street still holds a part of the door with a 2.6 meters high arc made of chiseled stones. Above the columns, the lions of St. Mark adorn the cornice.

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