It stunned those who saw the destruction in the Sumela Monastery in Trabzon, which is on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Tentative List. While the faces of the many frescoes were shattered in the historical monastery, many of them are no longer visible due to the names written on them.
The historical Sumela Monastery, located in the Maçka district of Trabzon, on the outskirts of Karadag, was closed to visitors in 2015 due to restoration works. It was stated that the monastery would be temporarily closed to visitors for a period of 1 year, but because restoration and fortification works were carried out, the monastery was not opened for about 5 years. After a long restoration process, the Sümela Monastery, which was reopened on July 28, 2020, started to be visited by people. Visitors to the monastery photographed the destruction they saw and shared them on social media. The monastery dates back to the 13th century.
Visitors saw that almost all the frescoes within reach were shattered in the Sumela Monastery, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List. In addition, some frescoes are completely engraved, while others have names written on them.
In the historical monastery, it was seen that only the frescoes on the ceiling remained intact. However, it is not known how new the damage was. Visitors visiting the monastery say that many frescoes were destroyed.
This Greek Orthodox monastery and church complex, 1150 meters from the sea and 300 meters from the valley, has been in existence since the 13th century. During the time of Alexios III (1349-1390) of the Trabzon Komnenos Principality which was founded in 1204, the importance of the monastery increased and income was obtained with edicts.
Today, Sumela, which is the most important pilgrimage place of the Black Sea Greeks and famous for its healing springs, hosts hundreds of thousands of visitors every year.
