11th century
Venerable Christodoulos the Wonderworker of Patmos
A monk from Bithynia (c. 1020–1093) who, after living as an ascetic on Mount Latros and in the Dodecanese, founded the Monastery of St John the Theologian on Patmos in 1088.
Biography
Christodoulos, born John, was born around 1020 near Nicaea in Bithynia. He became a monk while young and passed through many centers of ascetic life - the monastery of Mar Saba in the Holy Land, Mount Latros, Strobilos, Leros and Kos - often forced to move on by Arab and Turkish raids.
Drawn to the stillness of Patmos, he sought and received permission from Emperor Alexios I Komnenos, who granted him the island; there he founded the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian in 1088, on a site tradition linked to the writing of the Book of Revelation.
Fresh Turkish raids forced him to withdraw to Euboea, where he drew up his testament and died in 1093.