Sumela Monastery, A Cliffside Monastery Shrouded in Mist and Mystery
Gümüşhane, Gümüşhane center, Gümüşhane, Black Sea Region, Turkey
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Introduction
The Soumela Monastery is located on Mount Mela in Greece, built in 386 AD and originally named the "Panagia Soumela Monastery". The monastery is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, with a highly revered icon said to have been painted by the gospel writer Luke. The current layout of the monastery was formed in the 13th century and became famous in the 14th century. In 1923, Greece and Turkey carried out a population exchange, leading to the forced departure of most of the local Greeks, including all the monks. During the following 30-40 years, the monastery lacked management and was severely damaged. It was not until the 1960s that it was listed as an important monument and began to be maintained. The monastery is located in a narrow half-mountain area of Mount Mela, making construction difficult and giving it a grand appearance similar to the suspended temple of Hengshan in Shanxi. The main building of the monastery is still under repair, but many of the other buildings have been damaged. The monastery preserves a large number of frescoes, but they have also been damaged by graffiti. Address Gümüşhane, Gümüşhane center, Gümüşhane, Black Sea Region, Turkey
Transportation Sumela Monastery is about 46 kilometers away from Trabzon. Every day at around 10:00 a.m., two long-distance bus companies in the north of Ataturk Square in Trabzon city center have tourist special line buses to the monastery. They return at around 2:00 p.m., and the round-trip ticket price is 20 lira.
The natural scenery and monastery are both beautiful
