We are now onboard the Seabourn Encore, having boarded at Pireaus the port for Athens. We are going to be sailing for a luxurious 21 days touring the Greek Islands, The Turkish Coast, Cyprus and then up the Adriatic and ending in Venice.

Today we are on Patmos, a small Greek Island that looks so inviting. Unfortunately we are only here for a day and there is no time for the beach and the wonderful Mediterranean. We are here to see the famous Cave of the Apocalypse and the Monastery of St John The Divine.

As we sail into the harbor the view is dominated by the Monastery on top of the hill of Hora.

A more unlikely looking monastery is hard to imagine. Dating back to 1088, it looks like a Byzantine castle and was built like a fortress. Apparently the monks built it so they could protect the local villagers from the pirates that frequently pillaged the island. Above the entrance several meters high there is a small opening from which the monks could pour burning hot oil, boiling water, even lead over any attacking pirates or marauders. Clearly, these were not your common or garden monks.

We drive our rental car up the narrow winding road towards the Monastery. Halfway up the hill there is a cave which was once the home of St John and his disciple and scribe Prochorus. St John had been exiled to the rocky island of Patmos because, as one of Jesus Christ’s disciples, he was deemed a member of a cult and therefore a troublesome individual.
Once on the island, St John and his trusty sidekick made this cave their not so cozy home. Harsh treatment for being troublesome and definitely not suitable for a Saint-to-be.
It is in this cave that St John received his visions of the end of the world. He dictated these to Prochorus and they became the Book of Revelations. Hence the cave became known as the Cave of the Apocalypse.

Back in the car, we continue up the hill to Chora and the Monastery. Much to our chagrin we find the village of Chora is pedestrian only.

We have to leave our car some considerable way down the hill and walk up through the narrow winding streets. It is quite a walk, but absolutely beautiful. The streets are narrow and steep. Then suddenly you walk through an arch and you are in a little square

So, in we go to the Monastery, through the main gate, moving quickly to avoid any boiling oil that might be poured down on us.
We enter a wonderful courtyard.

In the centre of the courtyard there is a round covered structure that looks like a well. It is in fact a very large jar that was once used to store wine. My kind of monks! But if you lived the life of a monk on top of a rock, fending off pirates, you would definitely need alcohol

To the left is the main chapel, the outside walls of which are covered in paintings dating back to the 17th century which depict the different miracles performed by St John

Inside it is even more spectacular

To the right of the main chapel is the smaller chapel of the Holy Christodoulos.

Inside there is a rather gruesome display case proudly displaying 5 partial skulls, one of which is the skull of St Thomas.

I am not sure why these skulls were “harvested” or what sort of divine enlightenment we are supposed to get from looking at them. And even more importantly, what happened to the rest of the bodies? Did they really bury St Thomas without a head?

Next to it another case displays a piece of the True Cross. I might mention that in our travels we have seen enough pieces of the True Cross to build a small house.

The Monastery has been a place of learning ever since its foundation and houses thousands of historic documents, manuscripts and books. Some of these historic documents are on display in the museum. A fascinating collection of sacred relics, icons, vestments plus what is described as the world’s oldest book dating back to the 11th century. For some it is a wonderful experience.

For others, not so much

It is time to leave and wend our way back down the charming streets of Cora. There are a few shops, some selling local crafts which are well worth a look. Others selling the usual tourist stuff which we hurry on by – until we spot some small carvings of people being blessed by the priest

Maybe it is time for a little divine intervention.