Pátmos

The passage from Míkonos to Pátmos on Wednesday 19 August started well. With a forecast 15kts from the north we flew at 7.5-8kt along the south coast of Míkonos with full sail up, revelling in the conditions. We spoke on the HF radio to some other cruisers who were anchored off Náoussa, Páros, just 20nm southwest of us and found that they were sitting in a flat calm! Accelerated by the shape of the island, the wind picked up a little at the southeast corner of Míkonos and when, after a couple more miles it was clear that it wasn’t going to reduce again, we dropped a reef into the main. And then suddenly, 4 hours later when we were south of Iráklia, the wind just died and we were left in a flat calm like our friends! So we motored. We had to motor the whole of the rest of the way to Pátmos, which was very disappointing given that the forecast had been for good winds all the way across, increasing even towards the east. But it was not to be.

As our pilot book says: ‘Pátmos belongs to the Christian age rather than to antiquity’. Tradition has it that St John the Theologian (as St John the Evangelist is known in Greek) was banished to Patmos by Emperor Domitian and here dictated the Apocalyse (from the Bible’s Book of Revelations) on Pátmos to his disciple Prochorus. The monastery, which was founded in St John’s name in 1088 and which crowns the top of the chora, stood out clearly as we approached the island from the west. Entering the harbour sound, we saw a cruise ship at anchor as well as a whole host of large and hugely expensive yachts, both motor and sail. There were also plenty of Turkish gulets; clearly Pátmos is very much on the circuit!

We entered the long harbour and manged to bag ourselves the final place on the yacht quay, aongside a large Turkish gulet with a chatty crew. It seemed odd to be back around gulets again. When we had left Turkey in late May it was too early in the season for there to have been many out and about so we really last saw large numbers of gulets at the end last season. In the evening we wandered out down the quay to Skála ‘proper’. Skála is the island’s ferry port and its largest settlement too. Unlike most ferry ports, it’s an attractive place with pleasant Italianate architecture from the time when the island was in Italian hands, colourful buildings, flowering plants and some lovely looking boutiques in small, winding alleys – further proof that Pátmos is on the ‘right’ tourism route.

The following morning, after paying our dues (a princely €6.92), we took the bus from outside the ferry terminal up to the chora to visit town and the monastery.

The views from the monastery northwards across Skála and the harbour are fabulous    

The monastery was founded in honour of St John the Theologian by Hristodoulos Latrenos (later St Christodoulos) in 1088. It rapidly became a centre for scholarship and pilgrimage and in Byzantine times was granted a charter giving the monks tax exemptions and a right to engage in sea-trade. These concessions were honoured in later times by Pátmos’ Venetian and Ottoman rulers.

The stone walls of the monastery, contrast with the white plaster walls of the civilian town. When St Christodoulos founded the monastery Patmos was, apparently, a hotbed of Saracen pirates and the monastery needed to be well fortified to keep them out. Now the walls seem to keep the hustle and bustle of daily life away – not, that is, that Patmos’ chora is a buzzing flurry of commotion!

The monastery’s main church has vibrant painted walls and ceilings and a huge gilded rood screen. There are no picture here though as photography is forbidden inside the church. Last year we visited a couple of frescoed chapels in Cyprus but the décor was fading and, in places, patched. The artwork in the monastery’s church gave us an impression of what the chapels must have looked like in their day.

We also visited the monastery’s Treasury which apparently houses the most impressive collection of monastic books, paintings and icons outside Mt Athos. Again, however, photography is forbidden in the Treasury, so there are no pictures of any of the collection. Amongst the exhibits is the edict of Emperor Komnenos, granting the island to Christodoulos and some beautiful illuminated Byzantine manuscripts.

Back out in the sunshine we wandered around the tortuously winding alleys of the chora, enjoying unexpected views of the surrounding islands......

.... and the island’s windmills which have been restored and one of which mills flour today.

Entrance to the cave

Then we headed down the ancient cobbled path back towards Skála, stopping part way down to visit the Cave of the Apolcalyse, which is where tradition has it that St John dictated his work. The entrance shown on the right leads into a chapel off which the cave now opens. All the important parts of the legend are there to see: the hollow in the wall (now surrounded by a silver band/halo) where John laid his head; his (silver outlined) handhold; and the cleft in the rock through which the divine Voice spoke to John.

Internet photo of the Cave of the Apocalypse (we couldn’t take photos in the cave)    

The path down to Skála

Having walked back down the hill we took BV north a couple of miles to an anchorage behind Nísos Ay Yeoryios.

This is a lovely spot, a shallow sandy bay, protected by a couple of islands (one complete with ubiquitous small chapel) with a quiet beach and an attractive looking taverna ashore. BV was one of about 8 yachts at anchor during the day but by nightfall she was just one of 2 and a wonderfully peaceful, starlit night we had there too.

Pátmos, Greece