Modern development has left almost untouched the architectural tradition of the two main settlements of Patmos, Chora and Skala (port).
Skala:
The Italian administrative buildings (today's Port Authority and Police) follow the aesthetic dictates of the comparative International Style that the Italians imposed on all the Dodecanese.
Chora:
Capital of the island, administrative and cultural center, place of spirituality and unspoiled aesthetics and history. After the fall of Constantinople, 100 Byzantine families took refuge there and built the second district west of the Monastery, Allotina. The fortified zone that encloses the Byzantine settlement ("inner castle" or "pentapyli") is considered an excellent example of fortification art. The architecture and especially the interior arrangement of the houses is remarkable. Simple and charming in their geometric self-sufficiency and functionality, "folk" houses - white with impressive mantomata and arches - meet with two-story neoclassical mansions. The streetscape with the historic cobblestones of 1819 standing out is labyrinthine but also charming. The City Hall building is the most important example of neoclassicism.
Editor: Fotini Anastasopoulou
POPULAR CULTUREThe most prominent religious event is the majestic religious ceremony of the Holy Washbasin on Maundy Thursday morning based on the Empty Testament. It refers to corresponding Byzantine customs and was established, according to tradition, at the beginning of the 17th century (period of Turkish rule) as a representation of the Last Supper.
Other Easter customs:
On Good Friday: Representation of the Decapitation at the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian.
On Easter Sunday: In the service of the Second Resurrection or Vespers of Love, the Gospel is read in many knowledges.
On Epiphany Tuesday: In the square of Agia Levia in Chora, the Abbot of the Monastery conducts a consecration and the faithful worship the holy relics and icons that have been brought from the monastery and the parishes of the island and are held by gilded monks. A litany follows that ends at the monastery.
Other important festivals of Patmos are Panagia Geranou (14/8) with vespers on the eve and liturgy with an overnight folk festival and Stavros (13/9) with music and songs.
Editor: Fotini Anastasopoulou
CULTURAL EVENTSThe Patmos Religious Music Festival is an event of global scope, which brings together artists and groups that serve religious music.
Editor: Fotini Anastasopoulou