Trabzon, whose known history dates back at least 4000 years, is one of the rare cities that has attracted the attention of the whole world in all stages of history due to its location. Due to its geographical importance and its location at a complete transition point, Trabzon; It has hosted many civilizations throughout its history. The existence of educational, cultural and trade centers that have been established in Trabzon as a commercial and administrative center for centuries has enabled the city to have a lively and ongoing cultural accumulation together with its surroundings. Therefore, Trabzon is a city rich in cultural assets. Today, these cultural assets are among the places frequented by many local and foreign tourists.
Sumela Monastery
Sumela Monastery, built on a steep rock on the outskirts of Karadağ overlooking the Altındere Valley, within the borders of Altındere Village of Maçka District of our province, is popularly known as “Virgin Mary”. Located approximately 300 meters above the valley, the building has continued the tradition of establishing monasteries outside the city, in forests, caves and watersides. It is said that the monastery founded in the name of Virgin Mary took its name “Sumela” from the word “melas” meaning “black”. Although it is thought that this name comes from the dark Montenegro Mountains where the monastery was founded, the word Sumela can be attributed to the black color of the Virgin Mary depiction here. According to the rumor; The monastery, which was founded by two priests named Barnabas and Sophranios from Athens during the time of Byzantine Emperor Theodosius I (375-395), was repaired by one of his generals, Belisarios, in the 6th century, when Emperor Justinianus requested that the monastery be repaired and expanded. It is known that Sumela Monastery has existed in its current state since the 13th century. During the reign of Alexios III (1349-1390), from the Principality of the Komnenos of Trabzon, founded in 1204, the importance of the monastery increased and income was provided through edicts. During the reign of Manuel III, son of Alexios III, and subsequent princes, Sumela was enriched with new edicts. Following the Turkish domination of the Eastern Black Sea coast, the Ottoman Sultans protected the rights of Sumela, as in many other monasteries, and granted some privileges. Many parts of the Sumela Monastery were renovated in the 18th century, and some walls were decorated with frescoes. With the addition of large buildings in the 19th century, the monastery gained a magnificent appearance and experienced its richest and brightest period. The monastery, which took its final form during this period, became a place visited by many foreign travelers and the subject of their writings. During the Russian occupation of Trabzon between 1916 and 1918, the monastery was confiscated and completely evacuated after 1923. The main parts of Sumela Monastery are; It is the main rock church, several chapels, kitchen, student rooms, guest house, library and holy spring. This group of buildings was built on a very large area. At the entrance of the monastery, the large aqueduct that apparently brings water is leaning on the hillside. Most of this multi-eyed arch has been demolished today. The main entrance of the monastery is reached by a long narrow staircase. There are guard rooms next to the entrance gate. From here, a staircase leads down to the inner courtyard. On the left, there are various monastery buildings in front of the cave, which forms the basis of the monastery and was converted into a church. There is a library on the right. Again, the section with a large balcony covering the front of the slope on the right was used as monk rooms and guest rooms and dates back to 1860. The influences of Turkish art can also be seen in the buildings around the courtyard, with the cabinets, cells and stoves in the rooms. The inner and outer walls of the rock church, which forms the main unit of the monastery, and the adjacent chapel are decorated with frescoes. Inside the rock church, on the wall overlooking the courtyard, there is III. The existence of frescoes from the Alexios period has been identified. The frescoes in the chapel date back to the early 18th century and show three layers made in three different periods. The frescoes of the lowest layer are of superior quality. The main subjects depicted in the frescoes in the Sumela Monastery, which have been dismantled in some places and have a very dilapidated appearance, are scenes from the Bible, Hz. These are depictions of the lives of Jesus and the Virgin Mary.
Vezalon (John) Monastery
It is located in pine forests, 7 km west of Kiremitli Village in Maçka district of our city. This monastery also has a cave and holy spring. The first monastery was established in front of the cave. The church and monks’ rooms in front of the cave, which remain standing today, date back to the 19th century. The chapel, 9 km north of the complex, dates back to the 15th century and contains valuable frescoes. Kuştul – Hızır İlyas Monastery (Gregorius Peristera) was founded in the mid-8th century near Şimşirli Village in Maçka district of our city and developed later. It is called Peristera. Only the foundations of the monastery have survived to the present day. Kaymaklı Monastery was established on the side of Boztepe overlooking the Değirmendere valley, within the borders of the central district of our city.
It was built in 424. The group of buildings consists of a single apse church in the middle, a bell tower in the northwest, a small chapel and monastery cells in the southeast, in a rectangular area. The monastery buildings have been repaired many times. The oldest part is the pentagonal apse of the church. The frescoes inside the church date back to the 18th century.
Girls (Panagia Theokephastros) Monastery
It was established on the slopes of Boztepe within the borders of the central district of our city, in a location overlooking the city. The monastery complex, built on two terraces, is surrounded by a high protection wall. Monastery III. It was founded during the reign of Alexios (1349-1390) and was repaired several times, and took its final form in the 19th century. Firstly, it consists of the rock church with holy water in the south, the chapel at its entrance and a few cells. Inside the rock church, there are inscriptions and portraits of Alexios III’s wife Theodora and his mother Eirene.
Girls’ Monastery (Panagia Keramesta)
This monastery is located on the valley of Kiremitli Village in Maçka district of our city. The meaning of the name of the place has not been understood until now. There is no inscription stating who came here for the first time. This structure, which is a miniature of the Sumela or Vazelon monasteries, is completed with a sacred cave. Although the stone sections that have survived to this day give the impression that this monastery was built in the Middle Ages, the building was built in 1858.
Trabzon castle
The castle, located in the highest part of the city in the city center of Trabzon, is one of the works that have survived to the present day in the best condition in Trabzon. Trabzon Castle, which starts from the seashore and extends to the hills behind the city, was built on old foundations from the Byzantine Age. The castle, which consists of three separate parts: Upper Hisar, Middle Hisar and Lower Hisar, was made of stones collected from old monuments. However, at the beginning of our century, the stones of the same castle were used in the construction of new buildings. 300 m from Yukarı Hisar. No remains have survived from the theater in the north.
Atatürk pavilion
The mansion was built by Konstantin Kabayanidis as a summer house on the Soğuksu Ridge overlooking Trabzon in the early 19th century. Large and flamboyant European symbols were used in the building, which bears the influence of European and Western Renaissance architecture. In addition, stone masonry was used on the exterior of the mansion and its garden is surrounded by pine trees. Brick is used on the interior, the stairs are wooden and have railings. Tiles are used on the floors and the ceilings are decorated with plaster in the imperial style. The water and heat installations were furnished with the advanced technology of the time. On the ground floor there is a living room, recreation room, dining room and guest room. The first floor has a study, master bedroom, waiting room and meeting room. There are two small rooms on the second floor. Atatürk made his first visit to Trabzon in September 1924. After visiting Trabzon Municipality and the 3rd General Inspectorate on September 15, he was taken to Soğuksu for sightseeing and stopped here to rest. When Atatürk honored Trabzon for the second time in November 1930, he was hosted at the Mansion and was very pleased. He stayed for two nights in the Mansion organized for him in June 1937, and on the night of June 11, he decided to donate all his property in this Mansion to the Turkish Nation, which he loved more than his life, and prepared a list of his assets and sent it to the Prime Minister for necessary action. While dedicating his wealth to his nation from the Mansion in Trabzon, Atatürk said: “A person’s wealth should be in his spiritual personality. Property and property weigh on me. I feel relieved to give these to my nation.” For an unknown reason, the Mansion in Soğuksu was not on the list of assets gifted to the Turkish Nation and after his death, it was left to his sister, Makbule BOYSAN. In 1942, the Mansion was purchased from Makbule BOYSAN and opened as a museum in the same year. Atatürk Mansion is a historical place visited by the majority of visitors to Trabzon.
Trabzon Museum
The mansion, which was organized as a Trabzon museum, was built as a large-scale residence on Olivelik Street in the early 1900s (1889-1913) by the banker Kostaki Thopylaktos. The names of the architects of the mansion could not be determined. However, it is known that many of the materials used in the building, whose architects were determined to be Italian, were brought from Italy. When Kostaki Teopylaktos went bankrupt in 1917, this building and all its assets were seized and the mansion was purchased by the Nemlioğlu family. During the time of Trabzon Governor Ali Galip Bey, it was expropriated for 25,000 TL in 1927-1931 and was used as the Government Mansion between 1927-1931 and the General Inspectorate Building between 1931-1937. The building, which was allocated to the Ministry of National Education in 1937, served as a Vocational High School for Girls for 50 years, and was allocated to the Ministry of Culture to be turned into a museum in 1987. The mansion, which is among the few examples of civil architecture in our country, has floors other than the basement.
They are entirely decorated with pen work. The Mansion, whose restoration was completed by the Ministry of Culture between 1988 and 2001, was opened to visitors as the Trabzon Museum on April 22, 2001. Basement floor of the mansion; Archaeological Works Section, ground floor; Konak Exhibition, first floor; The Ethnographic Works Section and the mezzanine floor are organized as the Administrative Section.
Hagia Sophia Museum
Trabzon Hagia Sophia Church, which is used as a museum today, was built during the time of Manuel Komnenos I (1238-1263), one of the kings of the Trabzon Empire. It is located to the west of the Bell Tower church, dated to 1427 by the English traveler and researcher G. Finlay. Following the conquest of Trabzon by Mehmet the Conqueror, the building was converted into a mosque and became a foundation work. Hagia Sophia has attracted the attention of travelers and researchers who have come to visit the city for centuries. Evliya Çelebi (1648), Pitton Tournefort (1701), Hamilton (1836), Texier (18649), Trabzon Şakir Şevket (1878) and Lynch (1893), famous for their stories about Trabzon, are among the people who gave importance to the structure. It is known that the mosque, which was in ruins in 1868, was repaired from scratch with the encouragement of Rıza Efendi from Bursa. The building, which is a good example of a late Byzantine church, has a square-cross plan and a high central dome. The building, which has an entrance hall called Nartex, has three naves. The middle one ends with a five-cornered apse, while the side ones end with a round apse. There is a chapel above Nartex. There are three porticoed entrances to the north, west and south of the building. The dome and drum are dodecagonal. The dome is carried by four monoblock marble columns, arches and pendentives. The building is covered with different vaults around the main dome, and the roof is covered with tiles at different heights. In addition to Christian art, the influences of Islamic art of the Seljuk Period can also be seen in the stone plastics, where superior workmanship is seen. The medallions containing geometric interlocking decorations seen on the northern and western portico facades and the muqarnas niches seen on the western façade bear the characteristics of Seljuk stone carvings. The most magnificent façade of the building is the south. Here, the creation of Adam and Eve is depicted in relief as a frieze. There is a single-headed eagle motif, the symbol of the Komnenos, who reigned in Trabzon for 257 years, on the keystone of the arch on the south façade. A similar eagle depiction is located on the east side outside the main apse. On this façade, there are complex creatures such as centaur griffins, pigeons, square panels with stars and crescents in their centers, and medallions with floral motifs inside. There is a floor mosaic made of multi-colored marble in opus-sectile style in the part of the building located under the main dome. In the frescoes that constitute a significant part of the decorations of Hagia Sophia, themes taken from the Bible are portrayed. The main depiction in the dome is Hz. Pantacrator Jesus is the one who reflects the divine aspect of Jesus. There is an inscription belt below this, and a frieze of angels below. Twelve apostles are depicted between the windows. There are different compositions in the pendants. Scenes such as the birth of Jesus, his baptism, his crucifixion, and the day of judgment are depicted. Portraits are included in the circular medallions on the rear arches of the building. Religious scenes from the Bible are depicted on the vaults of the building. During World War I, it was used as a warehouse, a hospital, and then a mosque. It was restored between 1958 and 1962 with the cooperation of the General Directorate of Foundations and the University of Edinburgh and was opened to visitors as a museum after 1964.