Sumela Monastery
A Turkish monestary tucked into a cliff wall
Category Intriguing Environs, Architectural Oddities, Curious Places of Worship, Outsider Architecture
Founded in 386 AD, the Sumela Monastery or the "Virgin Mary" as it is popularly known, is a large complex situated in a cliff 1200 meters above the surrounding Turkish forest. Ruined and repaired numerous times over its 1800 years, the monastery, despite being an Athenian Christian order, was protected by the Ottoman emperor Mehmed II and his successors. Today the monastery is little used by monks, but is a popular attraction and is undergoing restoration by the Turkish government.
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- Address Alt?ndere National Park, Trabzon Province, Maçka, Turkey
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