Sumela Monastery - Turkey

Tags:: Sumela Trabzon.turkey Ayasofia Ayairini

Edit Video Details

By: yakamoz01
Subscribers: 0
Updated: 08-Sep-07
Videos: 1

International
Comments: 0
Views: 6,163
Added: 12-Sep-07

The Sumela Monastery stands at the foot of a steep cliff facing the Altindere valley in the region of Macka in Trabzon Province, Turkey. It is a major tourist attraction located in the Altindere National Park. It lies at an altitude of about 1200 metres overlooking much of the alpine scenery below.

The monastery was founded in the year 386 (during the reign of the Emperor Theodosius I, AD 375 - 395) by two Athenian priests - Barnabas and Sophronius according to the Turkish Ministry of Culture [1]. Legend states that they found an icon of the Virgin Mary in a cave on the mountain and decided to remain in order to establish the monastery.

During its long history, the monastery has fallen into ruin several times and been restored by successive Emperors; During the 6th Century AD, it was restored and enlarged by General Belisarius at the behest of Justinian