PATMOS

island, the smallest and most northerly of the original 12, or Dodecanese, Greek islands. It is only 11 square miles (28 square km) in area. The barren, arc-shaped island consists of three deeply indented headlands joined by two narrow isthmuses; its maximum elevation is near the centre in Mount yios Ilas (883 feet ). Several islets belonging to Ptmos form a semicircle on the east, strongly suggesting that in prehistoric times Ptmos was shattered by the explosion of a giant volcano and is now partially submerged. An ancient acropolis lies on the northern isthmus. Most of the island's inhabitants live in the elevated town of Khra (Ptmos) in the south and in the harbour village of Skla on the east coast at the island's centre. Successively settled by Dorians and Ionians, Ptmos received scant mention by ancient writers. Under the Romans it was a place for exiles, the most noted of whom was Saint John the Apostle, author of the Fourth Gospel, who according to tradition was sent there about AD 95. During the Middle Ages, Ptmos appears to have been deserted, probably because of Saracen raids. In 1088 the Byzantine emperor Alexius I Comnenus granted the island to an abbot, who founded the massive monastery dedicated to St. John at Khra. Its library contains a celebrated collection of manuscripts and printed books begun by St. Christodoulos. The autonomy of the monastery was confirmed under Venetian rule (12071537); during the Turkish occupation (15371912) annual tribute was required from the monks. The island yields grapes, cereals, and vegetables, though not enough for domestic needs. Tourism is the main economic activity. Midway between Skla and Khra is a theological college, near which is a cave wherein St. John is said to have written or dictated the Book of Revelation. Ptmos' bare, rocky setting frequently appears in paintings of the saint. Pop. (1981) 2,534.