The capital, Patmos or Chora, is 3km southeast of the port of Skala.
It is a picturesque, traditional settlement, built beneath the austere walls of the fortress-monastery of Agios Ioannis. It has dazzling white houses, narrow streets, small squares and a few mansions originally owned by sea captains.
The main attraction of Chora is the fortress-monastery of Agios Ioannis Theologos thanks to which Patmos became a major religious and spiritual center of Orthodoxy.
It forms an imposing monastery complex surrounded by a fortified enceinte with battlements. The monastery church is in the domed cross-in-square type and has a superb wooden iconostasis. Many architectural parts from the ancient temple of Artemis whose ruins can be seen here, were used in the church. One of the chapels houses the relic of St. Christodoulos. The monastery also has an important library containing many books and codices, and an Ecclesiastical museum.
Halfway between Chora and Skala is the cave of the Apocalypse which is enclosed by the complex of the monastery of the same name. In the mouth of the cave is the church of Agia Anna. A short distance away is the Patmos School.
On the Kastelli hill, above the harbour of Skala, are the preserved remains of the acropolis Phora, the ancient capital of the island.
The seaside settlement of Grigos lies in a sheltered bay with a sandy beach. Other small settlements include Pano and Kato Kambos, Vayia, Livadi, Lefkes and Diakophti. Other sites of interest are the monastery of the Panayia Apollou, the little church of Panayia Yeranou and the church of Ayios Nikolaos Evdimos or Avdelos, one of the earliest churches on the island.
On the Thursday of Easter week, there is a re-enactment of the Washing of the Disiple’s Feet in Chora during which twelve monks play the parts of Christ’s disciples and the Priest washes their feet, as Jesus did during the Last Supper.
In the afternoon of Good Friday, there is also a re-enactment of the Descent from the Cross in the monastery of Ayios Ioannis o Theologos.
During the whole Easter week, there is an atmosphere of penitence on the island and many visitors come to the island from Greece and abroad to experience it. There is a number of festivals throughout the year which are celebrated with dancing and song.
How to get there:
There are regular ferries to Skala on Patmos from Piraeus and Rafina. The island is also linked by ferry and hydrofoil with islands in the Dodecanese, the Cyclades and with East Aegean as well as with Kavala.