Patmos
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A journey to the Holy Monasteries of the island
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A journey to the Holy Monasteries of the island
A
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| Editorial - Artistic editing
| Elias Koutoumanos Φωτογραφίσεις | Photography Λουκάς
| Loukas Hapsis, Elias Koutoumanos
| Proofreading
| Areti Breska
| Text translation
| Aphroditi Mavrogonatou
| Digital image processing
| Myrto Tzanopoulou
| Artistic editing
| Eleni Kourkounaki
| Cover Design
| Vicky Bora
ISBN: 978-618-87223-3-0
No part of this publication may be reproduced, registered, republished or stored partially or totally by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or other, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Welcoming address by the Kathegoumenos and Patriarchal Exarch of Patmos
Dear
Mr. Elias Koutoumanos, Athens
Your new publishing project, "Patmos: A Journey to the Holy Monasteries of the Island," is captivating and sensational!
After meticulously reviewing the texts and abundant photographic material, I congratulate you on your outstanding portrayal of the sacred institutions of our Holy Island.
Pilgrims and visitors to our home often testify that when they set foot on its sacred grounds, they experience a unique inner peace, a spiritual warmth, and they feel a certain breeze, an "aura,” as they call it.
This is nothing other than the "Grace" of the Sacred Cave of the Apocalypse that disseminates throughout the island. Let us not forget the words of Saint Christodoulos: "If I compare Patmos with Mount Sinai, I consider the island superior to it, and even more, I give it precedence, deeming grace preferable to the darkness of shadows.”
I am confident the project will meet the expectations of its readers. With warm wishes.
The Holy, Royal, Patriarchal, Stavropegic and Coenobiac Monastery of Saint John the Theologian on May, 21st 2024, Kathegoumenos and Patriarchal Exarch of Patmos
Contents
Welcoming address by the Kathegoumenos and Patriarchal Exarch of Patmos Εισαγωγή
Introduction
Holy Monastery of Saint John the Theologian
Holy Cave of the Apocalypse Ιερά
Holy Monastery “Annunciation of the Beloved Mother”
Holy Monastery of the Life-Giving Spring (Zoodochos Pigi)
Holy Monastery the "Holy of Holies”
(the Presentation of the Virgin Mary)
Pilgrimage Church of Virgin Mary "Diasozousa"
Holy Hermitage (Kathisma) of Virgin Mary "Koumana" (All Saints)
Holy Hermitage (Kathisma) of Saint Joseph the Mnistor, Kouvari
Holy Hermitage (Kathisma) of Parthenios, Livadi of Kalogiri
Hermitage (Kathisma) of the Virgin Mary of Grava
Holy Hermitage (Kathisma) of the Virgin Mary "Kykkos", Kipi
Holy Hermitage (Kathisma) of the Virgin Mary “Mandalakis”, Kipi
Church of Saint Paraskevi, Skala
Holy Hermitage (Kathisma) of Prophet Elias
Holy Hermitage (Kathisma) of Apollos
Holy Hermitage (Kathisma) of Holy Unmercenaries, Kipi
Holy Hermitage of Saint Nektarios, Loukakia
Holy Hermitage (Kathisma) of Saint Christodoulos, Alikes
Hermitage of Petra
The Dormition of Virgin Mary on August 15
Easter in Patmos
Holy Hermitage (Kathisma) of the Transfiguration of Christ and the Mother of God "Axion Esti", Kalamoti
We welcome you on a photographic journey to Patmos, the Lady of the Dodecanese, a sacred island of incomparalable natural beauty. Patmos, the preserver of Byzantine tradition and Orthodoxy, is designated by state law as a Holy Island for its significant religious centres, closely linked to Christian tradition.
Explore the Cave of the Apocalypse, where St John the Theologian wrote the Book of Revelation, the Holy Monastery of St John the Theologian, a landmark of faith and culture, and delve into the island's rich history and spirituality as you visit the various small and big monasteries, Hermitages (Kathismata), and retreats: nine centuries full of history, art, and devotion.
The following photographs capture the nobility of the monasteries and Hermitages of Patmos. They invite you to experience their pious essence and the natural serenity of this unique place, which aims to amaze, inspire, comfort, and educate.
Holy Monastery
“Annunciation of the Beloved Mother”
The Convent of the Annunciation of the Beloved Mother”is in the southwestern area of Chora, Kipi, and is built as a fortress on steep cliffs.
The existence of an old Hermitage (Kathisma) of the Church of Annunciation is attested as early as the late 16th century.
In 1613, the hieromonk, former Kathegoumenos of the Monastery of St John the Theologian and later Metropolitan of Laodicea, Nikiforos Hartofylakas of Crete, built an additional church
Holy Hermitage (Kathisma) of the Virgin Mary "Kykkos", Kipi
It is located in the Kipi area, beneath the Monastery of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary, the Holy Hermitage of the Virgin Mary ''Kykkos'' comprised of a single naved barrel-vaulted church with dimensions 4.20x2.80 meters, narthex, and cells. The miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary, the Merciful of ''Kykkos'', is a replica of the icon of the same name in the Kykkos Monastery in Cyprus.
The Dormition of Virgin Mary on August 15
On the eve of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, the Epitaph of the Church of the Great Virgin is carried around Chora by the clergy of the Holy Monastery of Saint John the Theologian, together with hundreds of devotees. The procession stops at every square, and the priests chant the Eulogies of the Dormition. The same evening, the pilgrimage church of the Virgin Mary "Diasozousa" is celebrated in Chora.