The Holy Monastery of Patmos

 The Monastery of Saint John the Theologian began to be built in 1088 by Saint Christodoulos the Latrian, who had been granted the whole island of Patmos with a golden bull by the Emperor of Byzantium Alexis the First, Komninos.
 

 He was named Latrian, because before he went of Patmos he lived on the mountain of Latrous, but due to the Turks he asked the Emperor to grand him the small, desolate and arid island of Patmos, for him to settle there. Some monks and citizens came to live on the island with Saint Christodoulos, who were mainly from Crete and Asia Minor! The last ones according to the golden bull of Alexis the First, had to be without wives or children! Once the Monastery and the fortress were complete, the need for cultivation arose! However, as the Saint realized that it would be impossible to ensure permanent inhabitants without families he decided to agree to the settlement of families! In fact he obliged all folk to live away from the Monastery, in the north edge of the island, where monks would not be allowed to go! The borders of the folk area were from Saint Nicolas Evdilos to the area of Vagia! 

 These people worked and lived in the Monastery five days a week and for the rest of the days they went back to their families! Yet, this solution was also difficult, and in the 12^th century a.c., the abbot of the Monastery at the time, forced the farmers and soldiers to live in the Monastery in the summer months, in order to protect it from the pirate attacks, which were beginning during that period! As a result, in the 13^th century, the folk asked to live around the Monastery, so as to be able to be protected but also to protect it at dangerous times! The Monastery belongs to the Ecumenical Patriarchy; it is a Patriarchal exarchate with a Patriarchal exarch, its abbot had special benefits. The 15-meter tall walls of it gave the image of a fortress, in the middle of the island and during the pirates' attacks the inhabitants were protected behind them. 
 

 Above its two and only gates, there was what is called a killer, a type of balcony, from which the inhabitants were able to pour hot oil, to prevent the pirates from entering.