A piece of history from St. John monastery in Kapsali

St. John the theologian, before his last revelation in Patmos, spent a while with the monks of the monastery that later received his name in Kapsali, Kythera, and it is said that as a visitor enters the cave there is a small hole dug into the rock where he crushed his tobacco!
The monastery had land, the land that is now the camping site, most of the forest above Kapsali, as well as a tree-free plot where the monks grew the corn to make the bread that along with olive oil made up the better part of their everyday diet.
The monastery also had relations with two smaller churches, St. Katherine and St. Paul, and in the evenings the monks made long walks to light the lamp of St. Paul and after St. Katherine.
St. John (Agios Gioannis) in Kapsali is said to be one of the most beautiful monasteries of Kythera, it is to be found high above Kapsali, built into a cave in the rock, stalactites abound as do icons painted into the rock, and it is well worth a visit from any fan of the island.