I t is called “The Holy Island.” The reason? Because on this remote Greek island—the northern-most of the Dodeconese Group—the apostle John, the disciple of Jesus, spent some of his final years as a prisoner, receiving visions, which he recorded as the apocalyptic book of Revelation.

Today tourist ships anchor in the deep blue waters of the harbour of Skala. Like other Greek isles, it has dazzling white buildings, often cube or block-like in style. Houses cling to the rocky hills that radiate outwards from the village of Hora, the highest of which point like fingers of a bony hand. Its 34-squarekilometres include sandy beaches where the azure water seems to indicate heaven came close to this part of the world.

The Monastery of St John at Hora has been a pilgrimage site for many years.

Ancient circular windmills were built near the monastery, but today are without their sails or even arms. Tourists are reminded of the atmosphere of the island when visiting beaches by notices declaring that nude or topless bathing is not permitted on the island.

While Patmos is around 250 km in a direct line from Piraeus, the main port of Athens, it’s less than 100 km from Turkey. The 3000 or so inhabitants who live on this island are reliant on Greek shipping and ferries for contact with the outside world.

Just how did this remote island acquire its the “holy island” tag? The story is almost 2000 years old.

When Jesus was dying on the cross, He charged John, the youngest of the disciples, with the care of Mary, His mother.

So when the disciples in Jerusalem were dispersed by persecution, John possibly took Mary with him to Ephesus, in modern- day Turkey. It is a short distance east from Patmos, on the mainland.

John became the leader of the church in Ephesus. Today, the throngs of visitors and tourists visit this beautifully restored, ancient city. Nearby was one of the wonders of the ancient world, the great Temple of Artemis. Once four times the size of the Parthenon in Athens, today only one of its former 117 columns stands.

Goths destroyed it in 260 AD. Just above this fantastic historical site, near the village of Sel