Day 41 was rather boring. After sleeping in a parking place south of Samsun, we drove along the southern coast of the Black Sea, where dozens of small-to-medium sized towns merge into each other. Stopped for lunch at a place where a hen was clucking over her chicks. Part of the coast was quite nice as shown in the pic. Nearly got done for speeding again: a policeman waved me over then noticed the foreign number plates and waved me on with a cheery smile and giving the “keep your speed down” sign. There was a famous and very beautiful mosque on the western outskirts of Trabzon with four minarets (very unusual) but the only place I could take a picture from has one hidden behind another. A Syrian bloke came up to us when we stopped for a coffee and demanded money but we convinced him we couldn’t understand him so he got back into his posh car and buggered off.
We slept in a parking place on the side road leading to the Sumela monastery and had a good night’s sleep. On 14th May we drove to a tourist cafe and parked the van. Walked a 6-km round trip to the monastery which was closed for restoration. However an info board outside shows the glorious frescoes. Two Saudi men gave us cups of coffee from their flask when we stopped to take pics of the waterfall.
Situated in a very beautiful and natural setting on the slopes of the Zigana Mountains, Sumela Monastery was built in the 14th century. It is nestled into the side of rocks in a famous valley in Maçka district, only 50 kms from Trabzon. The setting is 1200 meters above the sea level.
Two Greek monks, Barnaby and Sophronios, started to build the original building in the 4th century. The 7th century Icon of Virgin Mary apparently painted by an anonymous Trabizond (Trabzon) artist became the symbol of the monastery. The monastery fell into ruin several times and was restored by Byzantine emperors. After the 15th century the area was ruled by Ottoman Empire but it preserved its rights and privileges until today, now becoming a popular tourist destination in Eastern Black Sea region.
Some say that the name “Sumela” comes from the Greek word “melas” which means “black” and it refers to the characteristic dark color of this icon. But others say that “Melas is the name of the mountain above the monastery, “sou” in the Pontian Greek dialect means “at the”, so Sumela (Sou + Mela) means “at the Melas (mountain).
The Greek Orthodox church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary (Panagia)and the large monastery complex had 5 floors and a total of 72 rooms. The upper floor was used as a gallery and a lookout post. The whole building was full of frescoes and the wall paintings. The large part of the building was hewn out of the rock. It stands in front of a beautiful valley scenery and sharp rocky mountains behind.
Today there is a tiny road to the Monastery which you can walk uphill or take a van, after which you have to walk a steep path and climb some steps to reach the building. Due to restorations and geological studies, the monastery might be closed to visitors for some time.
