Patmos

The RevelationAccording to Christian tradition, the Apostle John was exiled to Patmos at the end of the 1st century and here in a grotto received the Revelation, which he dictated to his disciple Prochoros. Therefore, the island is still a pilgrimage destination today and is sometimes called the “Jerusalem of the Aegean.”Monastery and ChoraIn 1088, the monk Christodoulos, with the consent of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos, founded the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian, a fortified complex against pirates. Around its walls grew the Chora, which from the 15th and 17th centuries welcomed refugees from Constantinople and Crete. Preserved are merchant houses from the late 16th and 17th centuries, as well as many small churches with frescoes.FestivitiesThe religious year dictates the calendar. At Easter, large services and processions take place in Chora and Skala, and on Maundy Thursday, the Washing of the Feet is reenacted in the monastery. Visits to the monastery and the grotto require covered shoulders and knees.

ArrivalPatmos has no airport. Ferries from Piraeus and catamarans connecting the Dodecanese via Leros, Kalymnos, and Kos to Rhodes dock in Skala. Additionally, there are connections to Samos, Lipsi, Arki, and Agathonisi. Those flying usually land on Kos, Leros, or Samos and then take a boat.On the IslandAn island bus runs from Skala up to Chora, past the Cave of the Apocalypse, and to some villages like Grikos and Kampos. Taxis wait at the harbor. For the coves in the north and south, it's easiest to rent a scooter or a small car in Skala.On Foot and By BoatFrom Skala, an old cobbled path leads to the Cave and on to Chora. In Chora itself, the alleys are too narrow for cars. In summer, excursion boats depart from Skala to beaches like Psili Ammos.