The Holy island

The Holy island

Greece
Aegean Sea
Dodecanese
Patmos island

Patmos is a tiny little island, just a..smallish rock, of the Dodecanese complex in the Aegean Sea most famous for being the locaton of both the vision and the writting of the Book of Revelation(Apocalypse) by St Joan residing in a cave saved till present when he was given the vision from Jesus. The island is also famous for its cstle-monastery of St John the Evangelist built in the highest site of the island and for its capital Hora, a unique architectural complex of Byzantine, western medieval and modern structures with dense narrow streets and churches with peculiarities in shape and fortified with high stony walls for protection. The island resisted to many invasions and occupations through its long history since the ancient Greek times. It thrived during Venetian occupation, met with a short Russian capture, was controlled by the Ottomans for a considerable period enjoying certain privileges mostly related to tax-free trade by the historic castle-monastery of St John, passed to Italian domination in 1912 until eventually joined,together with the rest of Dodecanesian islands, independent Greece in 1948.

In the photo a rather.."penible" way to mount to the monastery through narrow paved streets.Very notable are the strong white and high walls of the houses that characterize the island.