Sumela Monastery
Μονή Παναγίας Σουμελά, Sümela Manastırı
Photograph of a large, multi-story monastery built into a cliff face.
View of Sumela monastery from across the valley
Sumela Monastery is located in Turkey
Sumela Monastery
Location within Turkey
Monastery information
Establishedc. 386 CE
Disestablished1923
Architecture
StatusRuins
Functional statusTourist attraction
Heritage designationTentative UNESCO World Heritage Site[1]
Site
LocationMaçka, Trabzon Province, Turkey
Coordinates40°41′24″N 39°39′30″E / 40.69000°N 39.65833°E / 40.69000; 39.65833
Public accessYes
Websitewww.sumela.gov.tr
The monastery is on a ledge in a steep cliff
Sumela Monastery as illustrated in a postcard addressed in 1903
The "back yard" of the monastery today

Sumela Monastery (Greek: Μονή Παναγίας Σουμελά, Moní Panagías Soumelá; Turkish: Sümela Manastırı) is a Greek Orthodox monastery dedicated to Mary located at Karadağ (Greek: Sou Melá, lit.'Black Mountain')[2] within the Pontic Mountains, in the Maçka district of Trabzon Province in modern Turkey.

Nestled in a steep cliff at an altitude of about 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) facing the Altındere valley, it is a site of great historical and cultural significance, as well as a major tourist attraction within Altındere National Park. Due to an increase in rock falls, on 22 September 2015 the monastery was closed to the public for safety reasons for the duration of one year to resolve the problem; this was later extended to three years. It reopened to tourists 25 May 2019.[3] The monastery is one of the most important historic and touristic venues in Trabzon.[4]

  1. ^ "Sümela Monastery (The Monastery of Virgin Mary)". UNESCO. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
  2. ^ William Miller, Trebizond: The last Greek Empire of the Byzantine Era: 1204-1461, 1926 (Chicago: Argonaut, 1969), p. 62
  3. ^ Yardimci, Tugba (31 Jul 2019). "Turkey's Sumela Monastery aims to host 500,000 tourists". Anadolu Agency. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
  4. ^ "Secret tunnel discovered in Sümela Monastery". Hürriyet Daily News. Trabzon, Turkey. Anadolu Agency. December 22, 2017. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
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