Sümela Monastery -- Turkey

Situated in a very beautiful and natural setting, Sumela Monastery was built in the 14th century is nestled into the side of rocks in a famous valley in Maçka, only 50 kilometers away from Trabzon. The setting is 1,200 meters above the sea level.
According to the legend, this monastery was built by two priests, Barnabas and Sophranius, who came from Athens during the reign of Eastern Roman Emperor Theodosius I (375-395). At the request of Emperor Justinian, it was restored and enlarged upon the request of Emperor Justinian by one of his generals, Belisarius, one of his generals, in the 6th century. In the 18th century, many parts of the Sumela Ruins were renovated, and some walls were decorated with frescoes. In the 19th century, with the addition of large buildings, the monastery attained a magnificent appearance, and passed through its most prosperous and bright era.
During the Russian occupation in of Trabzon between 1916 and 1918, the monastery was seized, and then it was completely abandoned after 1923. The principal elements of the monastery complex are the Rock Church, several chapels, kitchens, student rooms, a guesthouse, a library, and a sacred spring revered by Orthodox Greeks.