The monastery of Patmos was founded in 1088 by Ossios Ioannis Christodoulos following a grant by the Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos. The greater part of the monastery was completed by Christodoulos in just three years. Its heavily fortified exterior was necessitated by the threats of piracy and Seljuk Turks.

The Monastery of Saint John and the Cave of the Apocalypse together with the historical center of Patmos has been a “UNESCO World Heritage Site” since 1999.

History

Patmos is mentioned in the Christian scriptural Book of Revelation. The book's introduction states that its author, John, was on Patmos when he was given (and recorded) a vision from Jesus. Early Christian tradition identified this writer John of Patmos as John the Apostle. As such, Patmos is a destination for Christian pilgrimage. Visitors can see the cave where John is said to have received his Revelation (the Cave of the Apocalypse), and several monasteries on the island are dedicated to Saint John.

After the death of John of Patmos, possibly around 100, a number of Early Christian basilicas were erected on Patmos. Among these was a Grand Royal Basilica in honour of Saint John, built c. 300-350 at the location where the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian stands today.

Early Christian life on Patmos, however, barely survived Muslim raids from the 7th to the 9th century. During this period, the Grand Basilica was destroyed. In the 11th century, the Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos gave Father Christodoulos the complete authority over the island of Patmos, as well as the permission to build a monastery on the island.

The spot around the cavern of Saint John was the one initially chosen for the monastery. Upon his arrival Osios Christodoulos decided, to build it instead on a higher point (current position) making it less vulnerable to raids.

Wanting to fulfil his wishes, he built a hermitage, covering the cave at its core. He started off by closing off the cave with the building of a chapel, he named it St Anne after his mother, the Virgin Mary’s mother and the mother of emperor Alexios I Komnenos, who was called Anne Dalassini and it was she who advised her son to cede the island of Patmos to Ossios Christodoulos.

Christodoulos began the construction of the monastery when he came to the island in 1088. Particular importance was given from the beginning to the fortification, as an effective defense was of primary importance for the existence of the monastery. Christodoulos was very satisfied with the construction of the fortified enclosure, which he refers to repeatedly in his handwritten note Hypotyposis which was written in May 1091 and which narrates the events of the first years in Patmos.
At the same time, the main buildings of the monastery were built, such as the Church.

Unfortunately, while the works continued, raids on the island intensified, at the time when the fleet of the Emir of Smyrna Tzaha dominated the Aegean, and in 1092 Saint Christodoulos and the other monks (perhaps not all) were forced to leave Patmos and take refuge in Evia. There, the following year, in 1093, the saint died.
After the death of Tzaha (in 1093) and the start of the crusades, the conditions in the Aegean improved, so in 1095 the disciples of Christodoulos returned to Patmos, bringing the body of their master with them. The work of rebuilding the Monastery after this interruption continued successfully and soon the island became known as a holy place throughout Christendom.

In the following centuries we have no much info about the history of the monastery. It is almost certain that in the 12th century it experienced a period of prosperity. In 1192, the forces of the French king Philip II Augustus landed on the island, returning from the Third Crusade, but it does not seem that they caused any problems.
In the 13th century, with the beginning of the Frankokratia and until 1261, the Monastery seems to be closely connected with the Byzantine emperors of Nicaea and acquired many lands in Asia Minor. After the fall of the Latin Empire, Patmos was briefly targeted by Italian pirates and went through a difficult time. A document of 1282 reveals that the Monastery was in great poverty. A little later, however, towards the end of the 13th century, the Monastery entered a new period of prosperity, as many privileges and possessions were renewed or granted then thanks to the favor of the emperor Michael VIII Paleologus.

In 1314-1315, the knights of the order of Saint John of Jerusalem who had occupied Rhodes since 1309, completed the conquest of the Dodecanese by occupying Kos, Nisyros, Leros. Then the Ioannites probably occupied Patmos as well, but there is no information that they settled on the island nor that they ever became the overlords of the Monastery. The only consequence of that development was the loss of the Monastery’s dependencies in Kos (but not in Leros). It seems that the knights of Saint John, who were a religious order, respected the holiness of the place and the status that Patmos had in the Christian world.

Patmos does not seem to have suffered much after the conquest of 1453, thanks to the skillful diplomatic moves of the monks, who managed to get on good terms with everyone. After 1522 when the Ioannites were defeated and withdrew from Rhodes, the situation in the Aegean calmed down completely. In the following years, the leaders of the Monastery in a semi-autonomous status and having excellent relations with the Turks (with rich “donations”) managed to lead the Monastery to continuous growth. The Ottomans maintained the status of privileges and tax exemptions of the Monastery as can be certified from Ottoman documents found in the library.

During this period, from the second half of the 15th century to the beginning of the 16th century, the Monastery underwent extensive repair and renovation works as can be deduced from the study of the icons that were widely renewed with new orders during this period. Over the next 3 centuries prosperity continued and the wealth of the Monastery increased, especially after 1584 when the Greek rulers of Moldavia and Wallachia began supporting the monastery with a generous annual grant (which continued until 1820). In fact, in the 17th century, the Monastery appears to have its own merchant fleet!

Between the years 1645-1669, i.e. the period of the Fourth Venetian-Turkish War (the so-called "Cretan War"), Patmos was on the side of Venice. The Venetians then used the anchorages of Patmos, while at least 6 large ships of the Monastery were used to transport supplies to Crete and to Heraclion, which was besieged for decades by the Ottomans.

During this Venetian period, i.e. around the middle of the 17th century, with the help, possibly, of Venetian or Rhodian craftsmen, important new buildings were built in the Monastery, such as chapels, the sacristy, the entrance and, mainly, its walls were lined with the characteristic, sloping and disproportionately large scarpas (mantle walls) to support and strengthen the worn walls.
In this way the fortification of the Monastery of Patmos took its final form, which after some restorations in the 20th century, is what we see today.

Between 1830-1956 the Monastery went through a period of great decline and was almost deserted with the final blow in the earthquake of 1956. Afterwards, however, the Greek state repeatedly took care of the restoration of the building facilities.
In the 1950s, the entire west wing (photo 3, left) and the imposing spire of the entrance (photos 8, 11) were reconstructed completely. In this western wing, the existing buildings and fortifications (which were not in such a bad condition) were demolished and a four-storey building, rather out of place with the rest of the complex, was constructed. This building has along the entire height of its western facade a triangular ledge like a tower to remind us of the demolished towers.

Structure, Fortification & Buildings

The first thing you notice on Patmos is the monastery of St John the Divine or the Evangelist. It crowns the hill of Hora. It looks like a Byzantine castle and was built like a fortress. Its presence is overwhelming.

The monastery’s walls are over 15 meters high, its length from north to south is 53 meters and from east to west 70 meters. The perimeter is 220m and the enclosed area 3300 sq.m.

Above the entrance several meters high there is a small opening from which burning hot oil, water, even lead was poured over to attack pirates and other invaders trying to break the gate, this opening was called "the killer", and was considered the last resort for keeping the Monastery safe.

The monastery consists of interconnecting courtyards, chapels, stairways, arcades, galleries and roof terraces. Hidden in the walls are fragments of an ancient temple of Artemis that was destroyed in the 11th century. The main chapel is lovely, as is the adjoining Chapel of the Theotokos, whose frescoes date from the 12th century.

The Treasury has an impressive array of religious art and treasure, mainly consisting of icons of the Cretan school. The star exhibits are an unusual mosaic icon of Agios Nikolaos and the 11th-century parchment granting the island to Christodoulos.

About halfway up (or down) the cobbled path that leads here is the Cave of the Apocalypse, the very place where St. John is believed to have received his revelations.

Sources