CC BY-SA 4.0, Thanasis Christodoulou, Wikimedia CommonsLandmark· Patmos· Greece — Dodecanese, Sporades & North Aegean
Monastery of St John the Theologian (Patmos)
37° 18.6′ N · 26° 32.9′ E
A fortress-monastery crowning Chora, founded in 1088 by the monk Christodoulos on land granted by Emperor Alexios I Komnenos. Its battlemented walls, 11th-century frescoes, library and treasury make it the pilgrimage heart of the Dodecanese.
Practical
UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999, together with Chora and the Cave of the Apocalypse. The library holds about 2,000 volumes, 13,000 documents and 900 manuscripts; the Ecclesiastical Museum and Treasury opened in 1988 (Greeka). Feast of St John: May 8 and September 26. Monastery tel 22470 20800. Modest dress (covered shoulders and knees) is customary at Orthodox monasteries; check opening hours locally because they change with the season and the cruise-ship schedule. From Skala: bus about hourly to Chora, taxi, or the old footpath via the Cave (about 4 km).
Best for
The must-see sight of the northern Dodecanese
Nearby
- Chora Walk & Viewpoint (Patmos)Right here
- Feast of St John the Theologian (Patmos)Right here
- Chora Tavernas (Patmos)0.1 NM away
- Chora Windmills (Patmos)0.1 NM away
- Simantiris Mansion Folklore Museum (Chora)0.2 NM away
- Zoodochos Pigi Convent (Chora)0.2 NM away
- Patmos Religious Music Festival0.3 NM away
- Cave of the Apocalypse (Patmos)0.4 NM away