High up on the side of a mountain, an ancient monastery clings to the side of a shear cliff. As early as 386 AD Greek monks built a monastery in a cave halfway up this mountain wall. Located in the Pontic Mountains of Turkey, Sumela Monastery makes a spectacular site.
Centuries ago, two Greek monks received a message from God telling them to find a relic of The Virgin Mary. They claim to have found the relic in an isolated cave in the Pontic Mountains in what is today northeastern Turkey. Upon finding it they built a church and two monastic cells in the cave. Over the centuries the monastery has had several remodels. It was expanded during the reign of Byzantianian Emperor Justinian in the 6th century. The largest expansion was in the 13th century when more monk cells were added. The cave church is built from rock, but the rest of the buildings were originally wooden. As a result, they suffered from decay and were almost uninhabitable for a while.
In the 14th century, the ruling Byzantine Emperor says he was saved from a violent storm by The Virgin Mary. After this scare he had a dream that she told him to rebuild Sumela monastery. Under his direction, the monastery was rebuilt with stone and brick walls instead of wood. These are the buildings that we see today.
Sumela Monastery continued to be used for the next few centuries by Greek Orthodox monks. It was a pilgrimage site for both Orthodox and Muslims because the relic of The Virgin Mary. In 1923 when the Turko-Greek War ended, there was a population exchange between Greece and Turkey. The Greek monks were sent to Greece and the monastery was abandoned.
Today, Sumela Monastery is a museum that showcases the wonders of architectural techniques that were used in this seemingly precarious spot. From the road below we stared up in awe at the sight of a stone building seemingly hanging off the side of the mountain. It looked like the most unlikely place to build a monastery, but after reading the legend, we understood why.
Once we reached the main entrance, we could see the ancient aqueduct that brought water to the monastery. A small staircase nearby lead up to a platform above the monastery. From this platform we could see the church walls emerging from the cave. In front of it, dozens of stone buildings were crowded together on the ledge.
We walked down a steep set of stone steps to reach the main monastery floor. Being surrounded by the tall exterior walls of the monastery made you forget that you’re standing on the edge of the cliff.
We walked along small hallways and up and down stone steps to get between different areas of the monastery. We visited the monks’ cells, a kitchen and library but most of the rooms were very bare with only stone walls and dirt floors. A few signs indicate how they were once used, but it would have been nice to have simple furniture set up to make the rooms more relatable.
The highlight of the cave is the main rock chapel that was built deep inside the cave. The rear of the church is made from the walls of the cave. Its outer walls were built of stone and bricks. Both outside and in, the church’s walls are decorated with beautiful 14th century frescos. We stood staring at them in awe, trying to imagine how it would have looked hundreds of years ago. Some have been worn by weather and unfortunately, many by vandalism. There were enough frescoes in good condition to understand their brilliance.
Below the cave is a small chapel Aya Vavara Kilisesi that offered another great view of this picturesque monastery.
Entry fee – In 2023 the fee was 450 TRY ($16 USD) for foreigners. In addition you can not drive up to the monastery, Shuttles run from the parking lot below and cost 40 TRY ($1.40 USD).
Getting to Sumela Monastery
The easiest way to see the monastery and other nearby sites is by car or with a tour. We used Sumela Tours located in Trabzon. You can reach it on your own by bus from Meydon (City Center) in Trabzon.
After visiting the monastery, we stopped at a few other sites of interest in the nearby mountains.
Karaca Cave
The mountains around the monastery are very lush with thick forests, but we hadn’t driven far away when the landscape dramatically changed. In the Zigana Mountains, the land is much more arid with only a few bushes scattered on the hills. We stopped at a lookout for a view and the California-like mountains.
Hidden in these arid mountains is an interesting cave. We’ve been to a lot of caves and although not overly large, we thought Karaca Cave was worth the trip. Once we stepped inside the cave it had the feeling of being crowded. But it wasn’t crowded with people, instead there were copious amounts of stalactites and stalagmites that gave it that feeling. It was the shear number of them that makes this cave an interesting site. A good metal pathway that takes you between the pillars as you walk through the different caverns.
A sign at the entrance said ‘If the power goes out, don’t panic, it will be stored in 30 minutes.’ That seems like an awfully long time to stand in the dark in a cave. Luckily for us there was no power failure.
Hamsikoy Village
On the way back to Trabzon we stopped in the adorable village of Hamsikoy. It is famous in the area for its rice pudding and most people on our tour had some. It didn’t look or sound at all appetizing to us so instead of eating pudding, we went for a walk to get a better glimpse of this idyllic little town.
Trabzon
The best city to access Sumela Monastery is Trabzon. It is a large city that climbs up and down small, steep hills on the edge of the Black Sea. There’s not a lot for the traveller to see, but we did happen to find a couple of sites of interest in town.
Hazelnuts
In every shop, market or street corner there were dozens of vendors selling hazelnuts. Many of the hazelnuts used to make products like Nutella come from Turkey.
Hagia Sophia
Same name, different location. Hagia Sophia in Trabzon is a lovely 13th century building on a small hill. It has a gorgeous location set right beside the Black Sea.
Built as a church by Byzantine rulers, its stone brick walls don’t give it the glamour of other historical churches, but it certainly has its own charm. The cross-shaped design under a single domed roof make it simple but pretty building. At its side is a bell tower also dates to the 13th century. In a region prone to earthquakes, it is one of the oldest towers still standing.
The stone ceilings and arches of the south nave are decorated with centuries old frescoes depicting scenes of Adam and Eve, heaven, saints and angels. A side naves has wonderful frescoes that have been left uncovered including one of Jesus.
On the ceiling of the main sanctuary are a few more Byzantine frescoes. The centre dome however has been covered and we were unable to find out what the paintings depict under them.
Something really special in this building is beneath your feet. The original floor has been covered in glass allowing you to see the detailed masonry that once covered it all.
The church was converted to a mosque in 1461 when the Ottomans conquered Trabzon. For a short period of time, Russian Czars ruled this area and used this beautiful building for different purposes. First they used it to store armoury and then as an army hospital. In the 1960s it was restored and opened as a museum. Later it was also re-allocated as a mosque as well as museum.
Kızlar Monastery
Up on the top of a steep hill in Trabzon is another historic Christian site. Also known as Panagia Theoskepastos Monastery, it is more commonly called Kizlar Monastery. The name translates in English to Girls’ Monastery.
Built during the 14th century by the Empire of Trebizond, the monastery is small with only a couple chapels and seven nun cells. Each cell has a large window that opens up to an amazing view of the Black Sea. Today, the views also include the city of Trabzon.
Trabzon Castle
In the middle of the hilly city, are the former defensive walls originally built by the Romans. There apparently never was an actual castle in Trabzon, but the walls are usually referred to as such. Part of the wall was in quite good condition, but a lot is in ruin.
Beaches
Situated along the Black Sea you would expect sandy beaches everywhere. There are a few beaches east of town, but most of them, including the one in town are pebble beaches with black sand.
Although there isn’t a lot to do, Trabzon is a pleasant place to stay when visiting Sumela Monastery.
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Coming Next – Seljuk Dynasty in Erzurum, Turkey
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