St. John the Apostle on Patmos in The Acts of John, According to Prochorus and Frescoes in the Outer Narthex of the Monastery of St. John the Theologian in Chora, Patmos

Abstract

The outer narthex of the monastery of St. John the Theologian on Patmos is decorated with various frescoes from the Holy Scriptures and the Orthodox tradition. Among them, there are ten frescoes from the 18^th century depicting the life of St. John according to the apocryphal textThe Acts of John, According to Prochorus. The article describes three frescoes depicting John's stay on the island, which represent the method of illustration used in the Orthodox Church. Attention is drawn to the impact of the apocryphal writing as a specific source on the creation of frescos. The main idea they are to present is continuity of Christianity on the island through the existence of monastery and a particular way of life, following the example of St. John, represented by the life of the monks. The frescos also serve as an encouragement for monks to follow a monastic vocation.