Sumela Macka · TURKEY

Sümela Monastery is an ancient Greek Orthodox monastery located on a steep cliff in the Pontic Mountains near Trabzon, Turkey. It is believed to have been founded in the 4th century AD during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Theodosius I. Dedicated to the Virgin Mary, the monastery became an important religious center over the centuries.

Sümela was expanded and restored during the Byzantine and Ottoman periods. After the population exchange between Greece and Turkey in 1923, the monastery was abandoned. Today, it is one of Turkey’s most famous historical landmarks, admired for its dramatic location and well-preserved frescoes.