Sümela Monastery, one of Türkiye's crucial religious tourism sites, has attracted visitors' attention at night with its glittering appearance on its steep slope.
The monastery, which was built by carving rocks at a height of 300 meters (985 feet) in Karadağ's Altındere Valley in the Maçka district of Trabzon, is popularly known as the "Virgin Mary." It offers its guests a scenic experience mixed with nature, history and culture in all seasons and is also on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List.
The site was closed to visitors in September 2015 due to the risk of landslides and in February 2016, restoration was started by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The restoration included landscaping, geological and geotechnical research, and strengthening of the rock formations. Upon 65% completion of the project, the monastery partially reopened for the public on July 28, 2020. The third stage of the restoration, which includes the inner courtyard, was completed later and the section was reopened to visitors on July 1, 2021. It hosted 340,000 visitors during this time.
Excavations and cleaning were carried out in both the "cemetery chapel," which had not been researched before, and the "hidden chapel," with new wall paintings in the monastery.
Teams are also working on erasing the graffiti scrawled on the frescoes in the sanctuary. While the work inside the monastery continues, the landscaping was accelerated. In this context, the exterior illumination of the monastery was also completed.
Sümela, which has interior, exterior, aqueducts and environmental lighting, will offer a different beauty at night with its glittering facade on the steep slope. Provincial Culture and Tourism Director Tamer Erdoğan told Anadolu Agency (AA) that Sümela Monastery has a unique beauty due to its location.
Drawing attention to the monastery's importance in religious tourism, Erdoğan stated that in this context, Sümela Monastery contributes to tourism in the region and the country.
Pointing out that the illumination installation was completed in about eight months, Erdoğan said, "As a result of very careful and meticulous work by the technical team of the ministry, the technical infrastructure of the lighting work has been completed. Now to add another beauty to the monastery, we hope 2023 will host more visitors."
According to sources, many parts of Sümela Monastery were renovated in the 18th century, and some of its walls were decorated with frescoes. With the addition of large buildings in the 19th century, the monastery gained a magnificent appearance.
Sümela Monastery consists of the main rock church, several chapels, a kitchen, student rooms, a guesthouse, a library and a holy spring. The frescoes on the walls of caves and chapels are thought to belong to different periods, spanning from the 12th to the 19th centuries.
