Saint Thomas the Apostle is commemorated with honor and splendor by our Church today (October 6th). We in Patmos have the blessing of hosting his honorable and miraculous skull in the Sacred Monastery of Saint John the Theologian. It came to Patmos from the Metochion of Patmos in Chios, dedicated to the Apostle Thomas to protect it from the Genoese who eventually occupied the island (1346-1566) and since then it has been established as a symbol of our homeland.
As is known, when the Apostle Thomas traveled to the region of India as a missionary, he baptized into the faith of Christ the wife and children of the king, and the king, enraged, gave the order for him to be killed by being speared. His sacred relic remained there until the son of Constantine the Great transferred it to Constantinople. In 1204 the relic was transferred to Rome along with other Saints stolen as spoils from the Fourth Crusade. Ephraim the Syrian reports that the relics of the Apostle Thomas were first transferred to Edessa or Antioch in Mesopotamia.
Portions of his relics are in various monasteries.
The miraculous skull of the Apostle Thomas is used, as was recently done in Symi, to protect crops from the infestation of locusts. In the past, it also traveled to Anatoli, invited by Christians for this purpose.
Even the Muslims during the tour of the sacred skull in Anatoli invoked the grace and help of the Apostle Thomas. The Apostle responded to the pain of every human soul who invoked his help.
As is known, when the Apostle Thomas traveled to the region of India as a missionary, he baptized into the faith of Christ the wife and children of the king, and the king, enraged, gave the order for him to be killed by being speared. His sacred relic remained there until the son of Constantine the Great transferred it to Constantinople. In 1204 the relic was transferred to Rome along with other Saints stolen as spoils from the Fourth Crusade. Ephraim the Syrian reports that the relics of the Apostle Thomas were first transferred to Edessa or Antioch in Mesopotamia.
Portions of his relics are in various monasteries.
The miraculous skull of the Apostle Thomas is used, as was recently done in Symi, to protect crops from the infestation of locusts. In the past, it also traveled to Anatoli, invited by Christians for this purpose.
Even the Muslims during the tour of the sacred skull in Anatoli invoked the grace and help of the Apostle Thomas. The Apostle responded to the pain of every human soul who invoked his help.
The sacred skull, which is kept in a silver-gold case donated by the noble serdaris Savvas Fokianos or Binbashi in January 1817, is crowned with silver blades in a cross shape and at the top shines a cross made of diamonds and other precious stones that sparkle. This is a tribute from a Muslim woman from Smyrna who, during a tour of the sacred skull in Anatoli and while passing through this great city with her escort, invoked the help of the Apostle for her seriously ill only daughter. After the daughter recovered, as a sign of piety and gratitude to the Saint, the girl's mother hung this gold-diamond cross on the sacred skull.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
