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Patmos: The Greek island where the end of the world began

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'Sacred' island: Positioned in the north of Greece's Dodecanese island group, Patmos is a major Christian pilgrimage site.

Here is the island where the Apostle John wrote the Book of Revelation which forms the closing pages of the New Testament and gives the Bible some of its most portentous descriptions. The cave where John wrote Revelation is actually lost to history, but tradition holds to a particular cave, where a church now exists. lf it wasn't for the sign reading "Cave of the Apocalypse" you wouldn't know you were entering the sacred grotto. The chapel, it's north side sealed by a rocky alcove, lies at the end of a series of corridors.  Inside, a silver miter rises over a fenced-off cleft where the biblical figure apparently laid his head to rest. A silver bracket surrounds the crack where he's said to have placed his hands to get up.

"This is where Prochorus the scribe took down John's reams of words as the saint was having the vision," the chapel's warden says, pointing to an open Bible sitting where the rock forms a natural pedestal.
"And this is where God's voice came through and spoke to the saint," he adds, pointing to a fissure on the rock above.
 

'Sacred island'

The island is dominated by the fortress-like Monastery of St. John.
The island is dominated by the fortress-like Monastery of St. John.--photo:John Malathronas
 
Two monks still live in cells above the cave today, but the main focus of religious activity in Patmos -- known as the "sacred island" -- is the monastery of St. John, an imposing citadel that looms over the island.
Established in 1088 by St. Christodoulos, a Greek monk, the monastery still contains original structures dating to the 11th century -- parts of the fortifications, the kitchen, some cells, the cistern and, most importantly, the church of St. John, which boasts some superb frescoes.
 
While the church is impressive, the monastery's museum and library are several notches more formidable.

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