The Monastery of Soumela

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The Monastery of Soumela is a Greek Orthodox monastery which was dedicated to Theotokos. The monastic complex is located at Karadag (Black Mountain, Sou Mela) which is a part of Pontic Mountains and today in Maçka, Trabzon. Soumela is nestled in a steep cliff at an altitude of about 1200 meters, facing the Altindere Valley. The monastery is accepted one of the most important historical sites of great significance in Trabzon.

Etymologically, there are two explanations of the name. The first one argues that Soumela (Σουμελά) is a Greek word which basically means that Sou (Mountain) and Mela (Dark/Black) while the second one claims that Soumela (სუმელა ) means Trinity in the language of Laz.

According to the tradition, the monastery was founded founded in 386 by two Athenian monks, Barnabas and Sophronios and it had gradually become famous due to an icon of Theotokos (Panagia Gorgoepikoos) which was allegedly painted by Apostle Luke. (William Miller, Trebizond: The last Greek Empire of the Byzantine Era: 1204-1461, Chicago: Argonaut, 1969, 61) Soumela reached its present form during the years of the Empire of Trebizond. Basileus (Megas Kommenos) and Ioannes II had endowed monastery richly, however, the most important largesse which Soumela received were made by Alexios III and his son Manuel III as Soumela was provided with autonomy, hereditary lands, and annual funds. After the Ottoman conquest of Trebizond, Soumela was granted with privileges and protection as the monastery continued to be a popular place to visit amongst monks and pilgrims. In the beginning of 20th century, Soumela was abandoned by its inhabitants because of first the condition of war and later, due to the exchange of population between Greece and Turkey which took place in 1923. The monastic complex was seriously damaged by treasure hunters, or pillagers. The Turkish authorities started restorations and Soumela was reopened to the visitors in 2019.

FORMAL ANALYSIS

Soumela is built in a trapeze-shaped enclosure. The main components of the complex the Rock Church, several chapels, kitchens, student rooms, guesthouse, library, and sacred spring. The large aqueduct supplies water to the monastery and the entrance leads up to the stairways where the visitors can continue towards the inner courtyard. On the left side, there are several monastic buildings including the cave which was converted into a church and constituted the center of monastery. On the right side, there are monks’ cells and housing for guests. (Antonio Sagona, The Heritage of Eastern Turkey from Earliest Settlements to Islam, Macmillan, 2016, 172-174)

The inner and outer walls of the Rock Church and the walls of adjacent chapes are decorated with high quality frescoes. In the inner walls of the Rock Church, the frescoes are safely dated back to the reign of Alexios III, while the frescoes of the chapel are painted in three different periods, therefore, the earliest example of chapel’s frescoes are dated back to the beginning of 18th century. The apse is a cyclic depiction of the life of Virgin Mary, while the narthex and elsewhere are devoted to Christ and a dominating scene of the Last Judgment. Today, unfortunately the frescoes are in heavily damaged condition although the restoration works. During the restorations between 2015-2017, a sacred tunnel was discovered which lead to a place that is regarded as a chapel with the frescoes depicting scenes of heaven and hell as well as life and death.

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The Monastery of Soumela

Other monuments and places to visit	The Bridge of Maçka, the Monastery of Vazelon and the Monastery o Peristera (Kustul).
Natural Heritage	Altindere Valley, National Park
Historical Recreations
Festivals of Tourist Interest
Fairs
Tourist Office
Specialized Guides
Guided visits
Accommodations	No hostel in the monastery. Hotel or bed and breakfast in the town of Altindere (20 min by car), Maçka (30 min by car) or Trabzon (1 h 4 min by car).
Restaurants	Dereiçi Doga Restaurant (Cosandere Mah. Dere Sok. Küme Evleri No: D:104, 61750 Maçka/Trabzon), Lames Restaurant (Cosandere, 61750, Maçka/Trabzon).
Craft
Bibliography
Videos
Website

Monument or place to visit	Monastery of Soumela (Μονή Παναγίας Σουμελά)
Style	Remains of Late Antique fourth century local masonry structures, later medieval as well as modern addictions.
Type	Enclosured monastic complex.
Epoch	4th century – present.
State of conservation	Good condition (repeated restorations).
Degree of legal protection
Mailing address	Altindere, 61750 Maçka/Trabzon
Coordinates GPS	40°41′24″N 39°39′30″E
Property, dependency
Possibility of visits by the general public or only specialists	Accessible to public visitors.
Conservation needs	No current conservation need.
Visiting hours and conditions	Generally open from 8:00 a.m. to 6 p.m, closed on Sunday.
Ticket amount	100 TL.
Research work in progress	There is no current restoration going on the site.
Accessibility	Good. To reach the entrance of the complex visitors will have to take a vehicle for transportation from Maçka (121, 133A, 203C, 376) or registering for the tours for approximately sixteen kilometers: cars are rarely admitted to the monastery entrance and this part of the route is not accessible by large tourist bus.
Signaling if it is registered on the route	Not yet registered.
Bibliography	- William Miller, Trebizond: The last Greek Empire of the Byzantine Era: 1204-1461, Chicago: Argonaut, 1969. - Antonio Sagona, The Heritage of Eastern Turkey from Earliest Settlements to Islam, Macmillan, 2016 - Anthony M. Bryer, The Byzantine Monuments and Topography of the Pontos, ACLS Humanities, 2009.
Videos	Youtube
Information websites	sumela.tr sumela.com wikipedia.org pontosworld.com
Location	Located on the steep cliffs of Karadag, facing the Altindere Valley. (Trabzon, Turkey)

The Monastery of Soumela

Turkey, Trabzon