DODECANESE. — Group of 14 islands (some excluded 2 of them, namely Rhodes and Castelrosso, thus having 12 islands according to the strictest definition) in the Aegean Sea, Rhodes (v.), Chalki, Kalymnos, Kasos, Castelrosso, Kos, Leros, Lipsi, Nisyros, Patmos (v.), Tilos, Karpathos, Symi, and Astypalaia. These passed to Italy in 1912 (Castelrosso in 1921); they now belong to Greece. Their inhabitants are largely Greek Orthodox, under 4 metropolitans belonging to the patriarchate of Constantinople. For Rhodes and Patmos V. the respective entries. The Catholic Church restored the ancient residential see of Rhodes in 1928; since 1897 it had already established the Apostolic Prefecture of Rhodes (
V. also GREECE)
See plate CV.BIBL.: GM, pp. 355-56.