Patmos (or: the Genesis of the Apocalypse)

A lovely little island, with occasional touches of the surreal and the spooky


This photo, taken as we are about to land on Patmos, shows the first indication that the island will present a sublime mixture of opposites. The names of two adjacent moored boats are in Greek script.

On the left is ΑΠΟΚΑΛΥΨΗ and to its right is ΑΦΡΟΔΙΤΗ.

Transliterate the two names into English and you will discover that Apocalypse is lying side by side with Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love. What a delightful introduction to the island: anything is possible!


The island is dominated by the monastery of St John the Divine (or was he the Evangelist?). It crowns the hill of Patmos' capital, Hora; it was built to function as a fortress as well as a monastery. Well worth a visit, a large 11th century monks' bread-making trough being one of the more practical and least ornate items to be admired in its museum.

Our other visit in the town is to a beautiful private house; its owner - a delightful octagenarian - replies to me in perfect Italian when I do my poor best to greet her in Greek. Surreal.


Not far from Hora is the cave of the Apocalypse. Here St John is said to have had the apocalyptic dream which was then recorded and became the Book of Revelations. The cave is a little spooky, but comfortable enough for sleeping: there is even a special niche in the rock wall to accommodate the Saint's head. Naturally, this holy site has for many centuries been incorporated within another monastery, but a small one this time.


In the afternoon I decide to undertake a walk from the island's port up to the ruined ancient acropolis on one of the high points of the island. I earlier acquired a map of the island and its paths - just as well! The path is only tagged in a few places, so the map and a lot of guesswork need to be applied.

I make a wrong guess as to the route of the final climb, and find myself on a very steep hill having to negotiate large rocks which once belonged to the fortress above. This terrain is risky: I am on my own, there is nobody else about, I have no mobile phone - so if I slip on one of the rocks and injure myself, I could be in trouble, I might even miss the ship's departure.

The route and perhaps the acropolis itself are visible on the photo, on the horizon at top right.

I descend and then find the correct route upwards. Just before the entrance to the fortress is a tiny white Orthodox chapel with a tiny garden, and beautiful views of the island and one of its neighbours. The fortress itself I decide to miss, as there are too many more of those large rocks to negotiate. The route back leads through several smallholdings with a variety of animals.

Patmos is a delightful, unpretentious island.



APPENDICES

Volcanic caves and the gift of prophesy.

Pythia was the title of the priestess of the temple of Apollo at Delphi, on the Greek mainland. This temple served as from the 8th century BC to the end of the 4th century AD. The divine inspiration of the Pythia arose from intoxication (possibly induced by vapours arising through the volcanic rock in caves beneath the temple).

The rock of the island of Patmos is also volcanic. A coincidence?


Greeks speaking Italian

Why would an elderly lady on Patmos speak Italian? I find the answer after this visit. Patmos was under Italian adminstration between 1912 and 1943, so the school teachers would have been Italians. Perhaps during that period Italian was the island's official language.


Viewing the Apocalypse

A late 14th century French tapestry of the Apocalypse can be seen at the castle of Angers, in the western part of the Loire valley. This was created during the Hundred Years War, a period in which the people could equate the imagery of the apocalypse with their own sufferings.