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Prefecture: Heraclion
Address: Ηράκλειο, Ελλάδα
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Places near Agios Ioannis Eleimon
The Gate Makasi (meaning "switchman" in Turkish) is a military gate of the Venetian Walls of Heraklion, the gallery of which had a length of 110 meters. The gallery leads to the eastern low square of Martinengo bastion, that housed the canons that protected the bastion Bethlehem.
The gallery is used as a memorial for the National Resistance in Crete, as here the Germans imprisoned hundreds of locals in the Second World War. On July 15, 1943, when the so-called Big Blockade of Crete took place, dozens of Christians and Jews were captured and imprisoned here.
On November 4, 1943, many prisoners were transferred to Mauthausen concentration camp, while other 600 boarded on June 8, 1944 in Tanais ferry to Piraeus. However in the open sea, the Germans got rid of the 600 souls by sinking the ship and then announced that the British navy sank ship. The Germans never paid for these atrocities, just like all such stories in Crete.
The temple of Panagitsa is located in the area of Mastabas in Heraklion. It was built in 1922 by refugees from Asia Minor, who came to Crete.
The temple is dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and on its feast day on August 15th, it is honored by the inhabitants of the city and surrounding areas.