The Byzantine Archive of the Monastery of St. John the Theologian of Patmos

The Byzantine archive of the Monastery of St. John the Theologian of Patmos is one of the richest Byzantine archives. It includes a wealth of documents, most of which are originals or old copies, dating from the 11th to the 14th century. The archive contains many different types of documents, some of which are unique. Depending on the issuing authority, the documents are classified as imperial, patriarchal, public officials, and private. The aim of the program is the diplomatic edition and analytical commentary of the documents. The Department (formerly Institute) of Byzantine Research of the Institute of Historical Research has published the imperial documents (Era Vranousi), the documents issued by public officials (Maria Nystazopoulou-Pelekidou), the patriarchal documents (Maria Gerolymatou), while the fourth and final volume is being prepared, which will contain the private documents of the archive (Maria Gerolymatou). Among the private documents are the Typikon of the Monastery of Patmos, compiled by its founder, Saint Christodoulos, wills of abbots, legal documents (transfer of real estate either in the form of sales or donations), and catalogues of manuscripts and valuable objects belonging to the Monastery. Of particular importance is the fact that the Byzantine documents provide valuable material not only for the history of the Monastery of Patmos, but also for the opposite coast of Asia Minor in Ionia and Caria, as well as Crete, where the monastery had real estate. The documents complement each other, but also other source evidence, and with appropriate combined study they contribute to creating a picture of a geographical area that was lost early on to the Byzantines and came under the direct or indirect control of foreign rulers.