Metropolitan Kallistos and Patmos
Above: Deacon Kallistos with Fr Amphilochios at the Monastery of the Cave of the Apocalypse.
Metropolitan Kallistos of Diokleia loved the island of Patmos.
Himself a Brother of the Monastery of St John the Theologian on Patmos, where he became a monk in 1966, receiving the name ‘Kallistos’, he was a regular visitor to the island for well over 50 years.
While on the island, he became very close to Father Amphilochios, now Saint Amphilochios, and was moved by the latter’s particular love for trees, and the world of nature.
Much work together and many meetings in connection with the project followed – in Oxford, London, Istanbul, and, of course, during all of his stays on Patmos.
Very committed and keen for an ecological centre on Patmos, the project became very important to him.
“I have always thought there should be an Educational Centre on Patmos, a place where people can come and learn more formally, not just about the island, but also about their faith, the monastic tradition and about ecology.”
Above: Metropolitan Kallistos in the Courtyard of the Monastery of St John the Theologian
An Island Speaks to the World
To honour the second anniversary of his passing, we are pleased to publish this previously unseen interview with Metropolitan Kallistos, filmed on a visit to the island in 2015.
The Metropolitan speaks in both Greek and in English, and the film is available in both languages with relevant subtitles.
Please help us advance
the Metropolitan’s vision
and build his legacy
Together, we can carry on the work of Metropolitan Kallistos.
The Learning Centre of Gardens of Discovery on Patmos is very close to completion.
The cost of the work required to open the Study Centre in 2026 – landscaping, furnishing, utilities etc. – is €145K.
If you’d like to support his vision of, in his words,
‘An ecology centre open to the spiritual meaning of a right relationship with the world of nature’,
please consider making a donation now.
Above: View from the Metropolitan Kallistos of Diokleia Library looking towards the Aegean Sea
Metropolitan Kallistos of Diokleia
Central to the Learning Centre will be the Metropolitan Kallistos of Diokleia Library which will home his collected works, including facsimiles of his hand-written notebooks, which he entrusted to Charis, the registered charity behind Gardens of Discovery, in 2018.
Our plans include memorial lectures, study days and pilgrimages in his honour, to explore our faith in a sustainable ecological context.
If you have been touched by the life and work of Metropolitan Kallistos, for more information about Gardens of Discovery and how we are working to fulfil the Metropolitan’s vision, please complete the form below.
Above: The Metropolitan Kallistos of Diokleia Library, which will include the Complete Collected Works of Metropolitan Kallistos, requires just €22,000.
Above: Metropolitan Kallistos on one of his many planning visits to Gardens of Discovery on Patmos
