Since 1080 AD.....

Since 1080 AD.....

Aegean Sea, sacred island of Patmos.
Patmos is a tiny spot in the middle of Aegean Sea belonging to Dodecanese complex of islands. But apart from fine shores it's loaded with sacred history. It is in a cave in this island that St John the Evangelist(St John Divine) had visions and wrote the Apocalypse. In the place of the cave, Byzantine emperor, Alexius Comnenus, built in 1080 an imposing monastery(St John's Monastery)that has become an emblem for Greek Orthodoxy and was declared by Unesco as World Heritage.The monastery is located on the highest point of the island and it is heavily fortified because of threads of piracy and Seltzuk Turks. It is also loaded with mosaics and frescoes.
The photo shows a small corner of the church,particularly apealing to me that aparently has remained unchanged all these centuries...You can see also the typical basin in which Greek Orthodox are baptized few months after their birth.