The Sumela Monastery is a Greek Orthodox monastery dedicated to the Virgin Mary (Panagia, meaning "All Holy" in Greek) at Melá Mountain near Trabzon, Turkey. The monastery was founded in 386 AD during the reign of the Emperor Theodosius I (375 - 395), Legend has it that two priests undertook its creation after discovering a miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary in a cave on the mountain.
Today the monastery's primary function is as a tourist attraction. It overlooks forests and streams, making it extremely popular for its aesthetic attraction, as well as for its cultural and religious significance. Conducted by Greek Orthodox Patriarch Dimitri Bartholomew I, a recent celebration of the Divine Liturgy attracted Orthodox Christians from Greece, Russia, Georgia, the US and Turkey to the monastery that sits on a ledge high in a cliff inland from the Turkish Black Sea port of Trabzon.
Sumela Orthodox Monastery, Trabzon, welcomes visitors - Hürriyet Daily News | PHOTO Gallery
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