Sumela Monastery - Türkiye

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29 Jan 2024

Where is Sumela Monastery (Mother Mary) Monastery?

Sumela Monastery, built on a steep rock on the outskirts of Karadağ overlooking the Altındere valley, within the borders of Altındere Village of Trabzon's Maçka District, is popularly known as "Virgin Mary". Located approximately 300 meters above the valley, the building has continued the tradition of establishing monasteries outside the city, in forests, caves and watersides.

It is said that the monastery founded in the name of Virgin Mary took its name "Sümela" from the word "melas" meaning "black". Although this name is thought to come from the dark Montenegro Mountains where the monastery was founded, the word Sumela can be attributed to the black color of the Virgin Mary depiction there.

History of Sumela Monastery

According to legend, the monastery, which was founded by two priests named Barnabas and Sophranios from Athens during the time of Byzantine Emperor Theodosius I (375-395), was repaired by one of his generals, Belisarios, in the 6th century, when Emperor Justinianus requested that the monastery be repaired and expanded.

It is known that Sumela Monastery has existed in its current state since the 13th century. III from the Principality of the Komnenos of Trebizond, founded in 1204. During the reign of Alexios (1349-1390), the importance of the monastery increased and income was provided through edicts. III. Alexios' son III. During the reign of Manuel and subsequent princes, Sumela was enriched with new edicts.

Following the Turkish domination of the Eastern Black Sea coast, the Ottoman Sultans protected the rights of Sumela, as in many other monasteries, and granted some privileges.

Many parts of the Sumela Monastery were renovated in the 18th century, and some walls were decorated with frescoes. With the addition of large buildings in the 19th century, the monastery gained a magnificent appearance and experienced its richest and brightest period.

The monastery, which took its final form during this period, became a place visited by many foreign travelers and the subject of their writings. During the Russian occupation of Trabzon between 1916 and 1918, the monastery was confiscated and completely evacuated after 1923.

The main parts of Sumela Monastery are; It is the main rock church, several chapels, kitchen, student rooms, guest house, library and holy spring. This group of buildings was built on a very large area. At the entrance of the monastery, the large aqueduct that apparently brings water is leaning on the hillside. Most of this multi-eyed arch has been demolished today.

The main entrance of the monastery is reached by a long narrow staircase. There are guard rooms next to the entrance gate. From here, a staircase leads down to the inner courtyard. On the left, there are various monastery buildings in front of the cave, which forms the basis of the monastery and was converted into a church. There is a library on the right. Again, the section with a large balcony covering the front of the slope on the right was used as monk rooms and guest rooms and dates back to 1860. The influences of Turkish art can also be seen in the buildings around the courtyard, with the cabinets, cells and stoves in the rooms.

The inner and outer walls of the rock church, which forms the main unit of the monastery, and the adjacent chapel are decorated with frescoes. Inside the rock church, on the wall overlooking the courtyard, there is III. The existence of frescoes from the Alexios period has been identified. The frescoes in the chapel date back to the early 18th century and show three layers made in three different periods. The frescoes of the lowest layer are of superior quality.

The main subjects depicted in the frescoes in the Sumela Monastery, which have been dismantled in some places and have a very dilapidated appearance, are scenes from the Bible, Hz. These are depictions of the lives of Jesus and the Virgin Mary.