UNESCO World Heritage Monument

The unspoiled beauty of Patmos throughout the centuries was the one that led Unesco in 1999 to proclaim the historical site comprising Chora (Patmos Town), the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian and the Cave of the Apocalypse as UNESCO World Heritage Monument.

Its inscription in the World Heritage List was justified according to three criteria:

• Criterion (iii): The town of Chora on the island of Patmos is one of the few settlements in Greece that have evolved uninterruptedly since the 12th century. There are few other places in the world where religious ceremonies that date back to the early Christian times are still being practiced unchanged.
• Criterion (iv): The Monastery of Hagios Ioannis Theologos (Saint John the Theologian) and the Cave of the Apocalypse on the island of Patmos, together with the associated medieval settlement of Chora, constitute an exceptional example of a traditional Greek Orthodox pilgrimage centre of outstanding architectural interest.
• Criterion (vi): The Monastery of Hagios Ioannis Theologos and the Cave of the Apocalypse commemorate the site where St John the Theologian (Divine), the ‛Beloved Disciple’, composed two of the most sacred Christian texts, his Gospel and the Apocalypse.

All of the above and even more can be discovered by every visitor of Patmos and those are the elements that distinguish it and make it one of the most special destinations in the world.

For the full text of UNESCO’s decision, please click here