Chemal Patmos Island

The island is a rock standing in the Katun below Chemal, named after Patmos in the Aegean by a bishop who visited in the nineteenth century. A wooden church was built on it in 1855, destroyed in the Soviet period, and rebuilt in 2000 using a church moved from elsewhere in the region. It is now a small convent skete, and the reason people come is the crossing: a narrow suspension footbridge slung high above the river, which moves noticeably as you walk and takes people one at a time in busy periods. On the rock face below the church a figure of the Virgin has been carved in relief into the stone. The Katun runs green and fast underneath. This is one of the most visited spots on the Chuysky tract corridor, and in July and August the queue for the bridge can be long.

What you actually see

• The footbridge - a narrow suspension crossing high over the Katun, moving as you walk.
• The island church - a wooden church on a rock, rebuilt in 2000.
• The carved relief - a figure cut into the rock face below the church.
• The Katun - fast green water running under the bridge.

When to go

May to September. One to two hours. Early morning avoids the worst of the summer queue.

Honest expectations

The bridge takes limited numbers and queues in July and August are long. It is a working convent - dress rules apply, photography inside is prohibited and the church is small. Those uneasy with heights or movement underfoot will find the crossing hard. Parking and the approach are crowded with stalls.

Nearby

The Chemal hydro station is downstream; the Chuysky tract runs south through the Altai.