Sumela Monastery

About

A Byzantine monastery set on a rocky cliff about 300 m above the floor of the Altındere Valley in Maçka. Tradition dates its founding to the reign of Theodosius I; it took its present form from the 13th century onward. The complex includes a rock-cut church, chapels, a kitchen, a library and a holy spring; the frescoes in the rock church date to the 18th century. Restoration in 2015–2018 uncovered previously hidden spaces. It is on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List.