The monastery of St. John the Theologian (in Greek Ágios Ioánis Theológos) stands on the island of Patmos, in the center of Chora, on the top of the hill that dominates the small capital from above, it is visible in fact from every part of the island.
History of the monastery of S. John
Archaeological finds testify that the monastery of S. John was built where the ancient temple of the goddess Artemis (Diana) and later an ancient early Christian church stood.
In Roman times the island of Patmos was a place of exile and the disciple of Jesus, St. John in 95 AD. he found himself on the island because he was sentenced to exile for two years. Patmos is in fact explicitly mentioned in the work as a place where he would have had his visions and wrote the Apocalypse, the last of the 27 books of the New Testament. The cave of S. Anna, where this would have happened is considered to be one of the most important places in Christianity. And for this Patmos, it is called the "Jerusalem of the Mediterranean".
The monastery was founded by Saint Cristodulo during the Arab period, in the 11th century and was later named after St. John the Theologian. Patmos was almost deserted when this gifted and educated monk, Saint Cristodulo in 1088 asked and obtained the management of the whole island by the Byzantine emperor Alessio I Comneno, because he founded a monastery in honor of Saint John Evangelist.
San Cristodulo remained in Patmos until 1108 when he was forced to abandon it due to the invasions of the Turkish pirates and died the same year in Euboea. However, his dream continued to inspire other monks who continued his work in the following centuries and enlarged the monastery between the XV and XVII centuries.
The foundation of the monastery of Saint John the Theologian marked the beginning of a cultural and religious journey that led the island to be a point of reference for all Christianity. From that moment an amazing development began on the island of Patmos, not only from a cultural point of view, but also from an economic one.
Over the centuries, in almost a millennium of history, the monastery of Saint John has always remained active and preserves frescoes and ancient documents of great value. The island of Patmos was declared holy by the patriarchate, by the synodic act and by the law 1155/81 of the Greek state. The monastery together with the city of Chora and the Cave of the Apocalypse were nominated by UNESCO as a world heritage site in 1999, for their high universal value.
Let's explore the monastery of S. John
The monastery seen from the outside looks like a fortress for its imposing 15 meters high walls. It was in fact built on the highest peak of Patmos with the idea of building a place well defensible by pirates. By the monk's death, the construction of the mighty outer walls of the main church (the so-called Catholicon) of the refectory and some of the twenty cells that the monks now have had been completed.
The interior of the monastery features many courtyards, cloisters and 10 chapels. In the central courtyard, with three large arches built in 1698, there is the Katholikón, formed by the main church, the chapel of S. Cristodulo and that of the Virgin. The chapel dedicated to the Virgin has a rectangular plan and houses the oldest frescoes of the monastery, dating back to the end of the 11th century.
Inside the church, with a Greek cross plan and central dome, there are an iconostasis from 1820 and some 17th century frescoes. In the chapel of S. Cristodulo, built in the 16th century, the remains of the founder are still found today. In the convent there are other chapels from the post-Byzantine period such as those of San Giovanni Battista, San Nicola and that of the Apostles dating back to 1603.
The convent is surrounded by an irregular fence that dates from the late 11th century to the 17th century. The main church, the refectory and the cells are preserved from the Byzantine period. While the important library of the monastery, with over nine centuries of history, preserves manuscripts made from the eleventh to the fifteenth century, as well as an archive of Byzantine documents concerning public administration and religious history, with books dating back to the Byzantine era . The most precious treasure is the Gospel of St. Mark dating back to the 6th century: thirty-three sheets written in gold and silver on a purple colored parchment.
The treasures that enclose the monastery are not yet finished, let's not forget the ancient vestments, the ecclesiastical objects in carved wood and then the furniture, the classic and early Christian jewels, as well as the representative objects of the Ottoman period and the Slavic collections of documents and works of 'art.
The proceeds from the symbolic entrance ticket and the purchase of a souvenir from the museum shop will contribute to the maintenance and restoration of the works, in order to continue the monastic tradition and also allow future generations to appreciate this immense historic-religious heritage.
The exterior of the Monasero di S. Giovanni
From the terrace and courtyards you can admire a magnificent panorama, much of the island of Patmos, the port of Skala and the Chora village with its white vaults and domes are clearly visible.
Forty-three steep steps lead to the cave of the Apocalypse, where St. John had the prophetic visions which were reported in his Sacred book. The cave is covered with bare rock and is a magnificent site, visited every year by tourists from all over the world. Inside the cave the stone where San Giovanni is supposed to rest his head to rest is clearly visible.
The monastery of St. John the Theologian is one of the most important pilgrimages for Christianity and is considered the most important convent in the Aegean Sea.
If you are on vacation on the island of Patmos or on a neighboring island take a break from the sunny beaches and take an excursion to this notorious monastery, you will not regret it!