The Mysterious Monastery of the Black Virgin Mary

During my recent visit to Trabzon, Turkey, I had a chance to explore the Sumela Monastery. As I entered the dark corridors of the monastery, I was fascinated by the intricate carvings on the walls and the ceiling, and the stories they held. The frescoes that adorned the walls of the main chapel were awe-inspiring. As I learned more about the history of this place, I discovered that it was founded in the year 386 AD by two Greek monks who discovered a miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary in a nearby cave. The icon was believed to be painted by St. Luke himself, and soon pilgrims from all over the world started flocking here to pay homage to it. The monastery endured many hardships over the centuries, but it was eventually abandoned in 1923 during the population exchange between Greece and Turkey. In 2010, after decades of restoration work, it was reopened to visitors, and now thousands of tourists come here every year to admire its beauty and learn about its fascinating history.