Monasteries are important building of this landscape because their existence prove that this landscape is the junction point of all cultures in the world. There is a monastery that is older than Sümela Monastery in Trabzon (Eastern Black Sea region). Its name is Vazelon Monastery. Despite of its age, it isn’t very well known by public. This is the story;
We are going back to 270 AD. A Greek community immigrated to this part of peninsula. They built a magnificent monastery in the wild nature of Black Sea. According to traditional belief, monasteries were mostly built in a silent and far points of settlement areas. The priests were secluded themselves and they were spending their whole life for praying god. Vazelon was a this sort of facility. It had been used till 1920. It means that monasteries were built for a long lifetime. It had been restored for several times in history.
It is one of the worth visiting sight seeing places of Turkey. Although it is a ruin, it is still standing against time and nature. The archeological and architectural works will be done in the monastery.