The damaged frescoes of the Mother Rock Church in Sumela Monastery, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List, are being restored in accordance with the original.
The Sumela Monastery, carved into a steep cliff and therefore also known as the “Eagle’s Nest”, is located in Trabzon’s Maçka district, within the boundaries of the Altındere Valley National Park. The history of the monastery dates back to the 4th century.
According to legend, Kalophades, a monk from Trabzon, found an icon of the Virgin Mary in a cave and decided to build a monastery here. The construction of the monastery began in 392 and was completed in the 6th century.
Since 2000, the monastery has been undergoing restoration work and many of the frescoes have been destroyed and many of them have become invisible because of the names written on them.
The Ministry of Culture is restoring the damaged frescoes depicting biblical scenes and saints.
Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy stated that they are carrying the frescoes to the future and that they are working in this context.
Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said on his social media account: “We are restoring the frescoes of the Mother Rock Church in the Sumela Monastery, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List, in accordance with the original. We are restoring important frescoes, especially the ‘Last Supper’ scene, to their former glory with special techniques. We continue to protect our cultural assets and historical values, which we see as great values that we will entrust to future generations, and to carry them to the future.”
