Trabzon Province

An annual ritual held on every Aug. 15 in the Sümela Monastery in the northern province of Trabzon has stirred controversy this year as some political parties requested its postponement, saying that the date coincides with the newly determined conquest day of the city.

Istanbul's Fener Greek Patriarch Bartholomew led a mass at the historic Sümela Monastery in the Black Sea province of Trabzon on Aug. 15.

Every Aug. 15, Christians celebrate the Feast of Assumption, a holy day marking the occasion of the Virgin Mary's bodily ascent to heaven at the end of her life.

Visitors have flocked to Sümela Monastery in the Black Sea province of Trabzon which was reopened in May 1, after the 6-years of restoration work.

While chapels, monks' rooms and cellars draw attention in the monastery, which was fully opened to visitors for the first time in its history, efforts to reach the secret chapel discovered during the restoration continue.

Following 6-months of work to secure some 360 tons of rock mass to the hillside, the Sümela Monastery in the Black Sea province of Trabzon has been opened on May 1.

The monastery, which has been on UNESCO's World Heritage Tentative List since 2000, stands carved into the steep cliffside of the mountain 300 meters above the picturesque Altındere Valley.

A large-scale investigation has been initiated after the emergence of footage showing a band dancing to electronic music at a former Orthodox monastery in Turkey's northeast.

The inquiry includes officials of the Trabzon Governor's Office and the Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism, who reportedly allowed the video clip shooting at the Sümela Monastery.

Experts, including professional industrial climbers, are conducting a difficult and painstaking work in a new round of renovation at the Sümela Monastery in the Black Sea province of Trabzon.

The Sümela Monastery stands carved into the steep cliffside of the mountain 300 meters above the picturesque Altındere Valley and is one of the most important tourist attractions in Trabzon.

The Sümela Monastery, the country's one of the most important religious tourism centers, has been closed once again due to the risk of falling rocks from the nearby hill during an ongoing renovation process.

Located in the Black Sea province of Trabzon's Akçaabat district, the Hıdırnebi Highland offers breathtaking scenes with its enchanting nature. (AA Photo)

An Orthodox monastery in Turkey's Black Sea province of Trabzon has reopened after restoration works, welcoming visitors once again.

Panagia Keramesta, also known as Kızlar (Girls) Monastery in Turkey, is believed to be constructed during the reign of then-Byzantine Emperor Alexios III. It took its final shape in the 19th century after several renovations over the centuries.

An archaeological excavation that will last for five years has been initiated in the northern province of Trabzon. The aim of the work is to unearth the structures and finds belonging to the Roman, Byzantine, Komnenos and Ottoman Empires that ruled in the region throughout history.