Above the main gate are two dedicatory inscriptions. The upper inscription featured in the pediment refers to a donor and reads in translation: “(In the) Year 5247, 7th of Iyyar, I, Eliano Cortese, may he live forever, dedicated and built the entrance for the ransom of his own soul and for the lives of my children and grandchildren, may they live forever.” The Hebrew date corresponds to the 1st May 1487 in the Julian calendar. While Cortese was evidently an eminent personality, there is no further information about him.
The second inscription above the wooden gate comprises two parts: “This is the gate of the Lord: into which the righteous shall enter”, a quote from Psalm 118:20, and “Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in”, a quote from Isaiah 26:2.
Photo 1: © Anastasios Skikos
