This is the view from inside the Cave of the Apocalypse, through one of the windows thoughtfully provided by the people who built the walls around it.
Little seems to have changed in this landscape since the time of Saint John the Theologian (whoever he was, see gallery page 10), and the fields and coastlines may be more or less as he saw them during his sojourn on the island.
In our mind's eye we may to substitute the small, white chapel for a pagan temple, and the distant motorboat for a Roman galley. But apart from that...
If, as the traditional legends tells us, he was forced to live here as a prisoner under terrible conditions, and as the Book of Revelation intimates, he was burning with faith and with indignity at the injustices of the Roman Empire, he probably did not have much time for enjoying rural Aegean landscapes. Lucky for some of us that we do.
For opening times of the monastery, see gallery page 9.
Read the story of the Book of Revelation on gallery page 10. |
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photos and articles:
© David John |
