Patmos
HISTORY
Based on mythology the island of Patmos got its name from the word Patnos, which comes from the incident when Poseidon stepped foot on the island. The historian and researcher Vahar, believes that the name Patmos originates from part of a Phoenician or Karik word, which means place with conifer trees. Many believe that the name Patmos or Patnos comes from the mountain of Latmos that is located in Minor Asia where Goddess Artemis was worshipped, while others believe that it is due to the corruption of the word Fatni.
During the mythology the island was named Litois-in honor of Goddess Artemis which they called Litoida, because she was the daughter of Litos. Based on inscriptions of the 5 B.C. that were found at the Temple of Apostle John (Theologos), the island of Patmos sank under the sea. Based on Isiodos, Artemis used to visit the mountain of Latnos that was situated across - at Minor Asia; there she would meet Selini who was in love with someone named Evdimiona- who lived at the temple of the Goddess.
Selini pushed the goddess to raise the island from the bottom of the sea. The goddess with the help of her twin brother Apollo managed to persuade Zeus and brought the island to the surface. Many believers of Artemis as a sign of their belief and devotion went and lived on the island and gave it the name Litois to honor it.
Based on the above inscription, the marricide Orestis, fled to the island, hynted by the Erinies together with the Argians after murdering his mother Klitemnistra. The ancient writers refer to the island of Patmos for the first time around the 5th century specifically we have citations from Thoukididis, Stravonas and Efstathios. Findings of archaic vessels of the Miceanean period, shells, and geometric ornaments testify traces of the Miceanean civilization long before the 13th century B.C.
The identity of the first inhabitants of the island is a mystery despite the studies and researches of many historians and archeologists, the opinions contradict. The majority believe that the island was inhabited since 3.000 B.C. by the Kares, Leleges and the Pelasgous ancient nations of Greek origin that had inhabited all the islands of the Dodecanese and it was only natural to have gone the same to the island of Patmos.
The German archeologist Ludwig Ross (1806-1859) professor at the Athens University in the year 1837, wrote in his "Island Excursions" that the initial inhabitants of the island were the Dorians and later it became a Ionian colony. The island was part of the Ionian island cities of Asia Minor what was named "Panionion" having both a holy and warfare character. Patmos was under the protection of the town situated the nearest to it, which at the time was Militos. It played a major role in its flourishing of the arts and letters but also of commerce. Let us not forget that Militos was one of the largest commercial and export centers, especially for pottery, furniture and textiles
Findings of ancient ruins, buildings, cemeteries, fortresses at the area of Kambos and Itia testify the presence of a densely populated area in the past. Based on the findings at the hill of Kastelli, there is evidence of an ancient acropole from the 4th century B.C. and that of a city that flourished in the greater area during the period of (6th to 4th century B.C.) During the years of the Peloponesesian war and specifically in 428 B.C. the Lakedemonians fled to the island , hunted by the Athenianst under the command of general Pachi. Ruins in the area of Kastelli and testimonies from the ancient writings of Prohoros , state a substantial flourishing of the island during the 4th century B.C.
After that the 2nd Roman Empire conquered the island, having as a result its decline and its use by the Romans as a place of exile for convicts.
The teachings of Jesus from Nazaret, Judia , is conveyed as a message of love and at the same time hope for the thousands of slaves of the Romans. The message of love was conveyed to the island by one of his disciples, Apostle John, whom the Roman emperor Titus Flavius Domitianus, exiled to the island in 95 A.C. During the time of his exile that lasted 18 months Apostle John , conveyed to the residents of the island the teachings of Jesus Christ and of Christianity. Living in the cave of Agia Anna as a hermit and under the influence of his visions, he wrote the magnificent religious work of the "Apocalypse"
Thanks to Apostle John, the island of Patmos became known to all the Christians, who up to this day call it the Island of the Apocalypse and it is a holly place of worshipping. A year later Domitianus is murdered and his heir Emperor Cocceius Nerva recalled the exiled and in 97 A.C. Apostle John returns to Ephesus.
The island remained in oblivion after the death of Apostle John during 100 A.C. and around the 2nd century A.C. it population starts declining significantly. Major role in this played the continuous raids and plunderings from the pirates of those times
During the 3rd century A.C. almost all the area of the Mediterranean was under turmoil and intense fluctuations due to the Pax Romana, up until the dividing of the Roman Empire in 284 A.C. to the Eastern and Western area. Christianity was officially acknowledged in 313 A.C., the city of Constantinople is proclaimed as its capitol and in 330 A.C. the magnificent course of the Byzantine Empire begins. During the years of the Byzantine Empire the island begins to regain its lost glamour and its inhabitants build the grand basilica temple to honor Apostle John (Theologos) in the location of the ancient temple of Artemis. Inscriptions of the 4th century A.C. that are kept in the Monastery are a testimony of the building of the Grand royal Basilica.
During the period of the 4th to 6th century A.C., many churches were built under the basilica architectural rhythm and this is concluded from the various portions that architecturally composite the Basilica and originate from the older Christian churches. The island was basically desolated from the raids of Arab tribes during the period of the 6th to 9th century A.C. and the Grand Basilica of John was destroyed during the years of the reign of the Halifat of Avasidon (750-935 A.C.)
In the year 904 after the fall and the plundering of Thessalonica from Leonidas of Tripolis and his corsairs, many people from Thessalonica are taken over to the island as prisoners.
Between those prisoners was the Byzantine historian John Kameniatis who recorded the chronicles of that tragedy. He specifically noted that when the prisoners set eyes on the island they suffered and for 6 days they could not find drinking water due to its desolation.
The Reverent Father Christodoulos was forced by the Turks in 1085 A.C. to abandon the temple at mount Latmos of Asia Minor and to flee to the island of Kos, where he founded the monastery of Theotokos of the Kastrinians or of the Pyleion. At monastery located at mount Dikaios the Reverent Father Christodoulos met with monk Arsenios Skinouris who had at his possession many properties and asked him to help build a monastery in Patmos. Skinouris gladly accepted to give over his property to materialize his idea.
After taking in his possession the properties of Skinouris, Christodoulos went to Constantinople and met with the Byzantine Emperor Alexios Komninos the 1st (1801-1118) to ask for his permission to establish the temple of Apostle John on the island of Patmos. Thanks to the intervention of the mother of the Emperor, his request was accepted, thus the emperor gave full and complete control of the island to Christodoulos, the permission to build the temple and yielded to the island complete tax exemption with the only thing in return the estates of Skinouris. The exchange took place with the help of the judge from the islands of Cyclades, Nikolaos Tzantzis, who had recorded the island of Patmos and had put together the Record of the Concession of rights to Christodoulos
The monastery of Apostle John started getting built in 1901 and together with the constructions of the walls and fortress for its protection. The monastery became known very fast, having as a result for the deserted island of Patmos to slowly become inhabited and a settlement to be created around the monastery.
But in 1903 Christodoulos left the island and took refuge at the island of Evoia due to the raids of the pirates and specifically the pirate Emir Tzaha. He died in Evoia without managing to complete what he had started. In 1100 the number of the monks residing at the Monastery of Apostle John were estimated approximately 150 people.
In 1127 the island became a target for the attacks of the Siracussians, something that was repeated on the island in 1157 and 1158 with no result since the resistance of the monks and the inhabitants of the settlement was heroic. The monastery came under the Patriarchate and became Stavropigiaki in 1132, while in 1186 the raids of the pirates of Normandy destroy it. The destruction will take place again by the Crusaders in 1191 and specifically from king Philip of France.
During the end of the 12th century A.C. the efforts of the inhabitants of the island, the support of the Byzantine, the rendering of various privileges and loans had as a result for the island to obtain property, at the island of Lipsi, the island of Leros in the area of Partheni and in Crete. The island was transformed to a large commercial center and the monastery acquired its second commercial vessel.
In 1204 the Crusaders took over the city of Constantinople having as the result the fall of the Byzantine Empire. The island was seized in 1207 by the Venetians and the reign was given to the Duke of Naxos, who supported the religious tolerance and gave complete independence to the whole island, the monks though strived after the support of the Pope.
The Genouates Knights of Rhodes seized Rhodes in 1309 and in 1340 having under their domination all the islands, Patmos inclusive. The pressures from the Turkish fleet and the army, obliged the inhabitants to pay luxury tax and the monastery acquired some privileges. With the fall of Constantinople in 1453 by the Turks, many banished Christians fled to Patmos. The Knights of Rhodes striked again in 1480, won the Turks and influenced to some point the life of the people of Patmos. In 1522 the Turks conquered and seized the island of Rhodes, the Knights negotiated with the Sultan Souleiman and left the island of Patmos.
A year later the Turks appointed representatives to the island of Patmos, but afterwards they departed and the inhabitants were only obliged to pay taxes. During the years of the Turkish reign many aspiring conquerors tried to take away some the Monastery's privileges, but through many struggles and revolts not only from the Monastery but also from all the island managed to preserve the autonomy and independence of the island.
After the end of the Turkish-Venetian wars peace and tranquility will return to the island having as a result the flourishing and inhabitance until the end of the 16th century. The island was transformed again to a center of commerce and handled transactions even with pirates, the island of Scala became more safe, while the inhabitants lived at Chora during the nighttime and at the castle of the Monastery which they protected with a fantastic system of fortification. In 1655 the island was governed by the monastery, the Turks had left and mansions started to get built at the town of Chora, samples of exquisite traditional architecture and beauty. Some that stand out between them are those of Natali in 1599, of Pangosta in 1606, of Simantiri in 1625 and of Stefanos in 1636.
The leader of the Venetians, Francesco Morozinis in 1659 conquered, plundered and destroyed the island. The inhabitants of the island tried and to some degree managed to reconstruct the city, the buildings of the fortress and restored its lost beauty, nobility and glamour. It did not take long for prosperity to come over the island due to shipping and commerce. In 1669, 50 Cretan families took refuge on the island after been sent away by the Turks during the capturing of Chandakas.
The few kapoukinoi monks that had come to the island in 1630 managed after 50 years to establish their own Monastery. The inhabitants were friendly towards them and the monks managed to become loved, mainly for the learning of the Italian language and the promotion of the medical knowledge. The city of Chora started to expand with the inflow of people and this contributed to even further flourishing and refinement of its residents. Thus, in 1713 the National Greek Workshop or otherwise known as the Patmiada School was established by Reverend Kalogeras.
In 1720 the properties of the island are separated between the residents of the island and Monastery and it reaches its most eminent period. The 18th century will signal its gradual decline and isolation. During the period of the Turkish-Venetian war and especially in 1770 the Russians conquered the island and during that time the founder of the Filiki Etaireia, Emmanuel Xanthos was born (1772-1852), and a bit later on the Patriarch of Alexandria Theofilos was also born, both of which were very active during the revolution of 1821.
Sardeon Nektarios joined the town of Chora with the harbor of Skala with the construction of the road in 1794, while a few years later they established the Filiki Etairia with its sole goal the liberation of the area of Greece from the Turkish yoke. Emmanuel Xanthos was one of the founders of the Filiki Etairia, while other members from the island that constituted it was Dimitris Themelis and Pangalos. The island gained its independence with the heroic Greek revolution from 1821 until 1832, were the Constantinople treaty did not include the islands of the Dodecanese as part of the Greek government.
In 1912 the island of Patmos fell under the Italian occupation like all the islands of the Dodecanese. The residents of the island will believe in liberation of the Italians but as it was proven in the future that the Italians were no liberators since they did not allow for the Patmian to join with the rest of Greece. During the 2nd World War in 1943 the Germans take over the island up until 1945 when they depart. The island will belong to the islands for the next few years up until 1948 when all the Dodecanese islands will join with motherland Greece.