Sumela Monastery
This is a 1600-year-old rock spectacular rock monastery. The monastery was founded in 3 AD by two Athenian priests – Barnabas and Sophronius who, according to legend, found a miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary in a cave. Sumela Monastery is among the most impressive sights of Turkey.
Sit at an altitude of approximately 1200 metres, the ruins of a monastery are perched dramatically on the narrow ledge of a steep cliff of the Zigana Mountains in Trabzon Province. Sumela Monastery Complex includes the Rock Church, several chapels, kitchens, student rooms, a guesthouse, a library, and a sacred spring revered by Orthodox Greeks.
Walls of church are full of great frescoes depicts the birth of Virgin Mary, birth of Jesus Christ, their lives. These frescoes are the elements making monastery such important and beautiful. However, unfortunately the beautiful frescoes today suffer from decades of heart-wrenchingly pointless vandalism by travelers. Many times it was restored, but there are still parts that are not in good conditions. The Turkish government has stepped in to protect the monastery and to turn it into a museum. For more additional information please click here.
