ISLAND OF PATMOS

Waipa Post, Volume 37, Issue 2235, 15 November 1928, Page 2

ISLAND OF PATMOS

SPARSE POPULATION AND MANY CHURCHES. Midway between Greece and Egypt is a group of twelve islands called the Dodecanese, and since the Treaty of Lausanne, Italy has exercised a sovereignity over them. A book about the group and the political problem they present has been written by C. D Booth and Isabelle Booth. Two of the group, Rhodes and Patmos have names known to everybody, and of the latter they say: "With a population of less than 3000 Patmos supports 250 churches. Some of these are nothing more than stone huts with a cross surmounting the dome. Others are convental and degenerate examples of Byzantine architecture. But all contain something worthy of study. There is no hotel in Patmos, for which the trute pilgrim may be thankful. The weekly Greek steamer from Rhodes to Piraeus dumps the visitor on the quay among strange people speaking a difficult and, to most Europeans, an unknown tongue. But there are carabinieri who speak Italian, retired ship captains who rpeak French, and one or two islanders who, having made their fortunes in America, speak English in purest New York accents. Any of these will tell the traveller of the hospitality of the monks, who are ready to receive all who visit the Holy Island. And so with a donkey to carry the luggage and a frair to act as guide the monastery is reached on foot. To the layman, apart from the life of the inmates, the most interesting feature of the monastery is the library. Here are to be found a large collection of richly- illuminated parchments, manuscripts, and books. Among the most famous of these is the Porphyrios Codex, a fragment consisting of thirty-three leaves and containing the greater part of the Gospel of St. Mark. This is said to have been discovered in Asia Minor during the fourth century, and its interest is increased by the fact that other fragments of the same MS. exist in the Vatican, in the British Museum and in Vienna."