Church of the Annunciation of the Virgin
The traditional settlement of Kalesa is located just 3 km southeast of Gazi. Kalesa consists of two settlements (Ano and Kato Kalesa), which are about 300 meters apart. In Kato Kalesa, in the old part of the village, is the church of the Annunciation of the Virgin with the excellent wooden iconostasis and portable icons, a typical example of the Venetian-occupied Crete of the 13th century. It is a one-room vaulted church with strict and straightforward interior decoration. During the Cretan Revolution in 1866, the church was looted by the Turks and rebuilt by the faithful people of the village in its current form. The church was renovated in 2008-2009 when it took its modern form.
The Church of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary celebrates on March 25th and August 15th, where the praises to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary are sung. On the same day, the procession of the Epitaph around the courtyard of the church takes place.
According to the local legend, during the Turkish occupation, in a raid of non-religious people, a village resident took the icon of Evangelistria and left for Krousaniotiko Langos to hide it. As he was running, a Turk hit him in the back with his rifle and killed him. The image then fell into a swamp. Believers often saw the light coming out of the spot, so they decided to burn the bush, but the icon suffered nothing. Then, the inhabitants took it and, with praises, placed it in the temple. Today, the icon of the Evangelistria is in Ikaria in a museum.