Monastery of Saint John the Theologian

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Historic Centre (Chorá) with the Monastery of Saint John "the Theologian" and the Cave of the Apocalypse on the Island of Pátmos
UNESCO World Heritage Site
CriteriaReligious and Cultural: iii, iv, vi
Reference942
Inscription1999 (23rd Session)
Coordinates37°18′33.08″N 26°32′52.99″E / 37.3091889°N 26.5480528°E / 37.3091889; 26.5480528

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]

See also

Footnotes

  1. ^ UNESCO, World Heritage Site #942, webpage:WHC-UNESCO-942.
  2. ^ "Monastery of St. John, Patmos". July 20, 2010. Retrieved 13 December 2010.
  3. ^ Manuscripts by place at the INTF.
  4. ^ http://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2010/10/skull-of-holy-apostle-thomas-in-patmos.html