Patmos: The island of Apocalypse

Patmos is one of the most known places in the Christian world as this is where St John the Theologian was dictated the holy text, the Apocalypse. It is located in the Aegean Sea in Greece.

I visited this island for a few hours during my summer vacation in Lipsi, as it is a close-by destination. It is one of the Dodecanese islands and has c.3,000 inhabitants. But it has a lot of tourists! Especially during the summer you can see a lot of cruise ships arriving for some hours. You see, it is one of the most popular destinations in Greece.

It almost has everything: spirituality, nice beaches, sun, and magnificent landscape. What else can someone ask for? Well, I’d say that I would prefer less people and less domination by priests. You see, priests are everywhere and they have a say in the present and future of the island, which, sort of, puts some borders to the evolution of this island. For instance, no loud music, no free residential development is allowed, but basically everything is dependent on peculiar rules; not the rules of the State though. I am not sure if I make myself clear: I am a true believer of God, but I am kind of resistant to this kind of authority. And this is a personal view, therefore if you decide to visit Patmos, it is preferable to do some reading first. Another spiritual island is Tinos, but you will not see the priests affecting everyday life there that much. They are more discreet. Not invisible, but to the lower end of loudness.

In Patmos, you see commerce hand in hand with spirituality. This is what I dislike – people taking advantage of my belief and putting a price label on it. You want to take a picture in the church or in the Cave of The Apocalypse but it is not allowed; nevertheless, they allow large groups of tourists and a tourist guide speaking out loud to dominate the place. Why?

Therefore, I recommend visiting this island, as it is a beauty, but not during the summer months. Try to pay a visit in the spring or in the fall.

Apart from the above phenomenon, wealthy people have decided to buy houses in Patmos as it is considered a quiet and chic destination. Moreover, since it doesn’t have an airport and it is located c.8hrs from the port of Piraeus (if you take the regular boat), the tourists are not that many, compared to other popular islands.

I cannot say much about the food, as my stay lasted 7 hours and I didn’t take a good taste of it. I am sure they have good restaurants since, as I said, a lot of wealthy people have houses on the island, but that means that good food might be overpriced.

Beaches are beautiful. Below you may see a few pictures.

I enjoyed mostly walking around the capital of the island, that is built around the Castle, which protects the Monastery of St John the Theologian:

Views of the Monastery:

Views of the Castle:

Views of the Cave of the Apocalypse:

An exhibition we happened to visit:

Overall a must see, or should I say a must feel, destination once in your life. This spirituality is real. You will feel the vibes once you step your foot on Patmos. Just let yourselves be carried away!