Rock-Carved Turkey’s Çakırkaya Monastery Dated To 13th Century Will Be Restored

Conny Waters - AncientPages.com - Carved out of a 65-meter-high (213 feet) rock mass in the 13th century in the Black Sea region's Gümüşhane province – the Çakırkaya Monastery will be soon admired by tourists.

Çakirkaya Monastery, which was built by carving a 65-meter-high rock, estimated to be built between the 13th and 15th centuries. Image source

The structure - built between 13th and 15th centuries, by carving rocks at a height of 65 meters from the ground - is without a doubt an important cultural and historical landmark of the country.

Only the chapel and a few smaller spaces are still standing. Eight of the church's carved columns have been destroyed by treasure hunters and the ravages of time. However, the damaged columns will be repaired and the monastery restored, reports Daily Sabah.

The damaged columns will be repaired and the monastery restored.  Çakırkaya Monastery is similar to the world-famous Suomela (Sümela) Monastery in the Maçka district of Trabzon province as it was built through carving into a massive rock.

Şiran District Gov. Osman Oğuz Ekşi told Anadolu Agency (AA) that Gümüşhane and Şiran have hosted various faiths since the ancient periods, and the monastery's distinctive architecture makes it an important tourism attraction for the region.

Some parts like this rock-carved dome are still standing in the Çakırkaya Monastery. AA Photo

The monastery is also a regional heritage treasure and needs to be protected and open to tourism so others can learn about it. In addition to repairing columns, excavation work will be carried out to unearth the service rooms of the monastery, said Ekşi.

Touching on the similarity of the monastery with Sümela Monastery, Ekşi said that “Çakırkaya Monastery resembles Sümela Monastery because of its rock-carved structure and nature. We want to open these areas to tourism and get our share of religious tourism in our district, which has been home to various faiths in the past.”

The monastery will be restored as part of the project by the Gümüşhane Governorate and the Eastern Black Sea Development Agency (DOKA).

Written by Conny Waters - AncientPages.com Staff Writer