The birth of Patmos according to Greek mythology According to a
legend in
Greek mythology, the island's original name was "Letois", after the goddess and huntress of deer,
Artemis, daughter of
Leto. It was believed that Patmos came into existence thanks to her divine intervention. Artemis frequently paid visits to
Caria, the mainland across the shore from Patmos, where she had a shrine on
Mount Latmus. There she met the moon goddess
Selene, who cast her light on the ocean, revealing the sunken island of Patmos. Selene was always trying to get Artemis to bring the sunken island to the surface and hence to life. Selene finally convinced Artemis, who then gained her brother
Apollo's help to persuade
Zeus to allow the island to rise from the sea. Zeus agreed, and the island emerged from the water. The sun dried up the land and brought life to it. Gradually, inhabitants from the surrounding areas, including Mount Latmos, settled on the island and named it "Letois" in honour of Artemis..
History from the Classical period to the present Patmos is seldom mentioned by ancient writers. Therefore, very little is known about the earliest inhabitants. In the
Classical period, the Patmians prefer to identify themselves as
Dorians descending from the families of
Argos,
Sparta and
Epidaurus, further mingling with people of
Ionian ancestry. During the 3rd century BC, in the
Hellenistic period, the settlement of Patmos acquired the form of an
acropolis with an improved defence through a fortification wall and towers. Patmos is mentioned in the
Book of Revelation, the last book of the
Christian Bible. The book's introduction states that its author,
John, was on Patmos when he was given (and recorded) a vision from
Jesus. Early Christian tradition identified this writer
John of Patmos as
John the Apostle. For this reason, Patmos is a destination for Christian
pilgrimage. Visitors can see the cave where John is said to have received his Revelation (the
Cave of the Apocalypse), and several
monasteries on the island are dedicated to Saint John. After the death of
John of Patmos, possibly around 100 AD, a number of Early Christian
basilicas were erected on Patmos. Among these was a Grand Royal Basilica in honour of Saint John, built c. 300–350 AD at the location where the
Monastery of Saint John the Theologian stands today. Early Christian life on Patmos, however, barely survived Muslim raids from the 7th to the 9th century. During this period, the Grand Basilica was destroyed. In 1088, the
Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos gave Christodoulos Latrinos the complete authority over the island of Patmos, as well as the permission to build a monastery on the island. The construction of the monastery started in 1101. Population was expanded by infusions of
Byzantine immigrants fleeing the
Fall of Constantinople in 1453, and
Cretan immigrants fleeing the
fall of Candia in 1669. The island was controlled by the
Ottoman Empire for many years, but it enjoyed certain privileges, mostly related to tax-free trade by the monastery as certified by Ottoman imperial documents held in the Library. Ottoman rule in Patmos ("Batnaz" in Ottoman Turkish) was initially interrupted by Venetian occupation during the
Candian War between 1659 and 1669, then by
Russian occupation during the
Orlov Revolt between 1770 and 1774, and finally during the
Greek War of Independence. In 1912, in connection with the
Italo-Turkish War, the
Italians occupied all the islands of the
Dodecanese (except
Kastellorizo), including Patmos. The Italians remained there until 1943, when
Nazi Germany took over the island. In 1945, the Germans left and the island of Patmos remained autonomous until 1948, when, together with the rest of the Dodecanese Islands, it joined the independent Greece.
Forbes magazine, in 2009, named Patmos "Europe's most idyllic place to live", writing that "Patmos has evolved over the centuries but has not lost its air of quiet tranquility, which is one reason why people that know it return again and again". ==Geography==