If you are planning a holiday in Greece, and you are interested in making a unique stop over on a small island, then let the 'meltemi' - the cool Aegean wind - blow you away on a magical voyage through space and time, over sea lanes and through bygone eras, on a journey of colours and poetic communion with the sounds of the songs of Odysseus Elytis.
Let yourself be carried away to a destination that weds the transcendental with the earthly, where a pilgrimage to a place sacred to all Christendom may be combined with a peaceful holiday, spiritual meditation and worship of God with the waves breaking on the rocks, the solemn half - light of the churches with the blinding rays of the sun, the stark white of the buildings with the warm colours of the earth, the lustrous golden radiance of the Byzantine icons with the deep cobalt blue of the sea, spiritual peace with the welcoming, hospitable human environment, the Byzantine hymns wafted on the air with the island's earthy folk songs.
Let yourself be taken to the place where your soul and your body are calling you.
Follow the melodious chiming of the bells of the Monastery of St. John.
Let yourself be drawn in by Patmos' force of attraction.
The island of the Revelation is waiting for you
to discover it.
Geographical Position - Physical Features
Patmos is the northernmost island of the
Dodecanese, on the eastern frontier of the Aegean Sea (southwest of Samos).
Generously endowed by nature, its topography presents a landscape of outstanding natural beauty, with small stretches of flat land scattered among low, rocky hills.
Impressive crenellated coasts are made up of dozen of tongues of land reaching out into the sea, interspersed with picturesque inlets.
The island's microclimate is dry; with frequent northerly winds and exceptionally clear air, it is bathed in sunlight 3,000 hours a year.
Patmos has an area of only 34 square kilometers, and lies at a distance of 161 nautical miles from Piraeus.
History
The first settlers on Patmos were the Carians, followed by the Ionians.
Ruined 4th - century BC walls bear witness to the existence of a fortified town at the Kastelli site.
Preliminary excavations have revealed that Artemis and Apollo were worshipped there.
The temple of the goddess of the hunt, Artemis, is believed to have stood on the site where the great Monastery of Patmos was later built in the 11th century.
The temple of the god of music, Apollo, was near the port of Skala.
In the first century BC, Patmos, a dependency of Miletus on the coast of Asia Minor, boasted a large population and an remarkable civilization.
Ancient temples, a gymnasium, games, and an association of lampadists (torch - racers) indicate its economic well-being and high level of culture.
The Island Today
In recent decades, most of the island's 3000 permanent residents have worked in the tourist sector, which has grown to be its main economic resource.
Administratively, Patmos is part of the Dodecanese complex; it forms a municipality based in the island's historic capital, Hora.
Skala, built around the port of the same name, is the township where most of the islands social and economic life is concentrated.
The smaller village of kambos was in the past the centre of Patmos' farming community, whereas picturesque Grikos is a settlement that has only recently come into being as a result of construction of tourist accommodation.
In 1981 the Greek Parliament passed a special law designating Patmos as a Sacred Island.
It is part of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, which organised glorious celebrations in 1988 to commemorate the 900th anniversary of the founding of the Monastery of St. John, and in 1995 to commemorate the 1900th anniversary of the writing of the holy Book of Apocalypse.
