AmStramGram
Devoted Cultist
- Joined
- Mar 17, 2022
- Messages
- 236
I did not see any specific thread for Greece so I create this one.
Mysterious offering at Kalikatsou Rock (Grikos, Patmos island) :
I recently visited the island of Patmos, where John "the Theologian" supposedly had his dream about the "Revelation" (Apocalypse).
In the south-eastern part of the island stands a gigantic rock called the "Rock of the Cormorant", or "Kallikatsou rock". It is said that in ancient times, there stood a temple dedicated to Artemis (on the top of the rock). Later on, when the island of Patmos became a Christian hotspot, hermits came to live in the caves of the rock.
Nowadays, only tourists come there to bathe in the warm Aegean sea.
Yet, climbing the rock, I found something strange up there : when you reach the top of Kallikatsou rock, you can fathom the remains of antique structures like stairs cut into the rock surface. It is difficult to assess how old are these artefacts without proper tools, so I don't know if they bear testimony to the existence of the Artemis temple or to a later church or chapel.
The most remarkable sight, on the summit of the rock, is this obviously hand cut well :
Here is a view of the bottom of the well :
As you can see, there are some fresh flowers and apples (or another local fruit ?) floating at the surface of the well.
The only vegetal on top of the rock is a small mediterranean shrub, so I suspect these flowers were purposedly deposited here by someone, like a kind of offering. So it could be part of some folk or New Age ritual (I have no idea). Unfortunately, I haven't managed to find any explanation form the local English litterature, and I did not read Greek well enough to browse the local folkloric books. So I cannot determine whether this is evidence of the survival of an antique tradition or the result of the random initiatives of an inspired passer-by.
If anyone has any idea of what might have been going on there, I am interested.
Please note that the picture was taken around August 27th, so it was close to the great Panagia feasts of August 15th.
Nowadays, there are no chapels on the rock, which stand in a rural environment. There are only beaches in the vicinity. One to the North, and one to the south.
About Patmos : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patmos
Mysterious offering at Kalikatsou Rock (Grikos, Patmos island) :
I recently visited the island of Patmos, where John "the Theologian" supposedly had his dream about the "Revelation" (Apocalypse).
In the south-eastern part of the island stands a gigantic rock called the "Rock of the Cormorant", or "Kallikatsou rock". It is said that in ancient times, there stood a temple dedicated to Artemis (on the top of the rock). Later on, when the island of Patmos became a Christian hotspot, hermits came to live in the caves of the rock.
Nowadays, only tourists come there to bathe in the warm Aegean sea.
Yet, climbing the rock, I found something strange up there : when you reach the top of Kallikatsou rock, you can fathom the remains of antique structures like stairs cut into the rock surface. It is difficult to assess how old are these artefacts without proper tools, so I don't know if they bear testimony to the existence of the Artemis temple or to a later church or chapel.
The most remarkable sight, on the summit of the rock, is this obviously hand cut well :
Here is a view of the bottom of the well :
As you can see, there are some fresh flowers and apples (or another local fruit ?) floating at the surface of the well.
The only vegetal on top of the rock is a small mediterranean shrub, so I suspect these flowers were purposedly deposited here by someone, like a kind of offering. So it could be part of some folk or New Age ritual (I have no idea). Unfortunately, I haven't managed to find any explanation form the local English litterature, and I did not read Greek well enough to browse the local folkloric books. So I cannot determine whether this is evidence of the survival of an antique tradition or the result of the random initiatives of an inspired passer-by.
If anyone has any idea of what might have been going on there, I am interested.
Please note that the picture was taken around August 27th, so it was close to the great Panagia feasts of August 15th.
Nowadays, there are no chapels on the rock, which stand in a rural environment. There are only beaches in the vicinity. One to the North, and one to the south.
About Patmos : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patmos