Description
Porta Santa Cristina, also called Porta Mancina, is one of the surviving medieval gates of Campobasso, on the southeast side of the old town. Massive and still easy to recognize, it shows well how the old city was closed off and defended.
The arch is hemmed in at its base by two large bastions, and beside it rises a semicircular tower on three levels. Today the gate has become a home, but it has kept its original look. Above the arch a coat of arms bears the year 1374.
Tradition links it to Count Cola di Monforte, who in the 15th century gave Campobasso new walls, with the gates of San Leonardo and Santa Cristina. The name Mancina ("left-hand") comes from its position: seen from inside the old town, it stands to the left of Porta Maggiore, the church of San Leonardo and Porta San Paolo.
The arch is hemmed in at its base by two large bastions, and beside it rises a semicircular tower on three levels. Today the gate has become a home, but it has kept its original look. Above the arch a coat of arms bears the year 1374.
Tradition links it to Count Cola di Monforte, who in the 15th century gave Campobasso new walls, with the gates of San Leonardo and Santa Cristina. The name Mancina ("left-hand") comes from its position: seen from inside the old town, it stands to the left of Porta Maggiore, the church of San Leonardo and Porta San Paolo.