Monastery of Saint John the Theologian
UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
---|---|
Location | Patmos, Greece |
Part of | The Historic Centre (Chorá) with the Monastery of Saint-John the Theologian and the Cave of the Apocalypse on the Island of Pátmos |
Criteria | Cultural: (iii)(iv)(vi) |
Reference | 942 |
Inscription | 1999 (23rd Session) |
Coordinates | 37°18′33″N 26°32′53″E / 37.30917°N 26.54806°E |
The Monastery of Saint John the Theologian (also called Monastery of Saint John the Divine) is a Greek Orthodox monastery founded in 1088 in Chora on the island of Patmos. UNESCO has declared it a World Heritage Site.[1] It is named after St. John of Patmos.
History
In 1088, Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos gave the island of Patmos to the soldier-priest John Christodoulos. The greater part of the monastery was completed by Christodoulos three years later. He heavily fortified the exterior because of the threats of piracy and Seljuk Turks.[2]
330 manuscripts are housed in the library (267 on parchment), including 82 manuscripts of the New Testament. Minuscules: 1160–1181, 1385–1389, 1899, 1901, 1966, 2001–2002, 2080–2081, 2297, 2464–2468, 2639, 2758, 2504, 2639, and lectionaries.[3]
As of 2012, 40 monks reside here.[citation needed] The monastery has, amongst its relics, the skull of Saint Thomas the Apostle.[4]
Gallery
See also
Footnotes
- ^ UNESCO, World Heritage Site #942, webpage:WHC-UNESCO-942.
- ^ "Monastery of St. John, Patmos". July 20, 2010. Retrieved 13 December 2010.
- ^ Manuscripts by place at the INTF.
- ^ "The Skull of the Holy Apostle Thomas in Patmos". www.johnsanidopoulos.com.
External links
- Virtual tour of the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian provided by Google Arts & Culture
- Media related to Monastery of Saint John the Theologian at Wikimedia Commons
- Byzantine sacred architecture
- Greek Orthodox monasteries
- Christian monasteries in Greece
- World Heritage Sites in Greece
- Christian mysticism
- Christian monasteries established in the 11th century
- Patmos
- Buildings and structures in the South Aegean
- Byzantine architecture in Greece
- Byzantine monasteries in Greece
- Europe Eastern Orthodox church stubs
- Greek building and structure stubs
- Christian monastery stubs