Sumela Monastery (Monastery of the Virgin Mary) is the main attraction<\/a> for visitors along the Black Sea Coast, with its stunning, lonely setting built into a cliff face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wandering around this abandoned religious complex, with its church interiors crammed with dazzling and vibrant frescoes, is a must for anyone travelling to Turkey’s northeast region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The monastery was founded during the Byzantine era and only shut down as a functioning religious centre in 1923, when the monks were forced to leave as part of the Greek-Turkish Population Exchange.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s easy to imagine the isolated lives of the monks who once lived here as you wander through its empty cells today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Sumela Monastery is a museum that is open to the public. The Turkish government is funding the restoration work. [12] As of 2012, the Turkish government is funding reconstruction work, and pilgrims from Greece, Georgia, and Russia are returning to the monastery. The monastery’s primary purpose is to serve as a tourist attraction. It is popular for its aesthetics as well as its cultural and religious significance because it overlooks forests and streams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sumela Monastery is an excellent recommendation by the folks at https:\/\/www.tripadvisor.com\/<\/a>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sumela Monastery (Monastery of the Virgin Mary) is the main attraction for visitors along the Black Sea Coast, with its […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n