The Monastery Hidden Above The Clouds SOUMELA İSMAİL KÖSE

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2 The Monastery Hidden Above The Clouds SOUMELA İSMAİL KÖSE

3 Special Thanks to Mrs. Julia & Mr. Steve PRAYORS for their invaluable contributions... Evaluation of Sources

4 Contents CHAPTER I I. Evaluation of Sources...11 CHAPTER II I. Monasteries...29 A- Why Monasteries Were Built?...29 II. How to Get to the Monastery of Soumela?...39 III. How to Look Round Monastery of Soumela?...42 IV. The Monastery of Soumela and Ancient Trade Routes Connected to It...60 V. Construction of the Monastery of Soumela...87 VI. Witness to History, the Monastery of Soumela...95 VII. The Monastery of Soumela after Population Exchange (1923) CHAPTER III The Paintings of Soumela I. History of Fresco Painting II. The Frescoes of Soumela III.Fresco Inventory of the Soumela Monastery A- Cave Temple Front (Eastern) Wall Exterior I. Cave Temple Eastern Wall Outer Surface Southern Side B- The Sanctuary Nouthern Side The Sanctuary Southern Side C- Northern Rock Face of The Cave Tenple D- The Interior of the Cave Temple Northern Wall E- The Cave Temple Eastern Interior Wall F- The Ceiling of The Cave Temple G- The Cave Temple Southern and Western Walls H- True Cross Chapel And The Chapels Next To The Monks Cells İ- The Hidden Chapel BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX...332

5 I EvALuATION OF SOuRCES 9

6 he Monastery Hidden Above he Clouds-Soumela İsmail Köse tory after conquest of Trabzon. However Fettahoğlu s work does not include any information regarding Soumela. 16 Although Mahmut Goloğlu s study called Trabzon Tarihi, Fetihten Kurtuluşa Kadar does not include any information regarding Soumela, it is an important source enlightening the subject era. Goloğlu at his work evaluates orientalists imaginary thesis and gives his antithesis refuting them and guide historians after his time. 17 Throughout recent decades Governorate of Trabzon, Tourism and Culture Directorate published several leaflets on Soumela but non at the quality of being an academic source. Other noteworthy Turkish sources regarding Trabzon are Şakir Sevket s Trabzon Tarihi, Mahmut Goloğlu s Anadolu nun Milli Devleti Pontus and Ömer Akbulut s Trabzon Tarihi, do not include noteworthy information regarding Soumela. Although it has not been published, Archeologist Murat Arslan and his team s surface survey report in Trabzon and its districts, done in 2008, includes vital information about Soumela and ancient trade routes at the vicinity. It is the first comprehensive surface survey. The study gives information on region s topography, Silk Road, Caravan Routes and ancient routes. The report also gives information about several historical ruins located within the borders of city of Trabzon. 18 An important chronicle, telling about Trabzon s conquest, ancient roads, Bulgar Mountains or at present usage Zigana Montains is 16 See; İsmail Hacıfettahoğlu, Öncesi ve Sonrasıyla Trabzon un Fethi, (Trabzon: Trabzon Belediyesi Kültür Yayınları, 2001). 17 See; Mahmut Goloğlu, Trabzon Tarihi, Fetihten Kurtuluşa Kadar, (Trabzon: Serander Yayınları, 2000). 18 See; Doç. Dr. Murat Arslan başkanlığında Ağustos 2008 tarihleri arasında Gerçekleştirilen, Yayınlanmamış Trabzon İli ve On yedi İlçesi Yüzey Araştırması Raporu. 18

7 Monasteries be expected to suffer, they had been trained in difficult conditions. They were not allowed to marry and any of them who succeeded to advance in the canonical structure could become diocesan which was a lower post before becoming a priest. Diocesans were two sorts, one allowed to get married and the other not. They had the right to have a determined parish and they also had the chance to become a priest in time. The post after diocese was episcope. In line with their merits, episcopes had the right to become archbishops. As bishops were assumed representatives and successors of apostles, as apostles had associates, bishops also were acting as faith witnesses of their parishes. 3 In this canonical hierarchy, after some pre-determined steps bishops had the chance to become metropolitan. Metropolitans were domiciled at the centre of their metropolitanates and they were representatives of the Christian parishes in their area. They were solving problems of their parish and controlling duties of all ecclesiastics. Christian schools, church buildings or rebuilding works were under the authority of metropolitans. They were under the patriarchate and relevant to their parish and works, had been obliged to submit periodical reports. Metropolitans were assigned by Patriarchate and their authorization area was determined by charters given to them. They were strengthening and encouraging continuous cooperation between churches and monasteries, they also had been authorized to inspect monasteries under their governance. Metropolitans were authorized to control monastery foundations and after approval of monks they could purchase estates on behalf of monasteries. Annual revenue of monastery foundations also was under the authorization and responsibility of metropolitans and they had preserved all afore- 3 Mehmet Aydın, Hıristiyan Konsüllerine Genel Bir Bakış, Belleten, LIV/24, (Ankara: Türk Tarih Kurumu Yayınları, Nisan 1966),

8 he Monastery Hidden Above he Clouds-Soumela İsmail Köse broad participation meetings, because Fallmerayer reported that clergies and monks lived separately and didn t dine collectively. 33 However, contrary to Fallmerayer s report, according to tradition institutionalized after the 12 th century, abbot, clergies and monks dined in a standard procedure and silence during dining was a rule. Pilgrims and guests of the Monastery were not allowed to dine with monks and they were required to dine in a separate place. 34 The situation in the Monastery of Soumela in which Byzantine tradition applied was as explained above. During Fallmerayer s visit in 1840s, Monastery clergies abandoned a lot of ancient traditions and so they abandoned the tradition of dining collectively. As Fallmerayer said, they preferred to be busy with earthworks rather than follow a religious life. Although Soumela was built on difficult ground as a monastery, inner sides were designed for a living space and the fields under the boulder were curiously reinforced by walls and in danger of falling rocks. If you follow the way in front of the chapel on the left side of the dining hall, you can go to the monks cells and belfry which did not survive to the present day. Selina Balance reported that; the belfry of a church in Trabzon was built in a similar way to the belfry of the Monastery in 1838 and the architecture of Monastery of Soumela was a model for other churches and monasteries around. 35 Even though most of the monks cells were demolished, they give us some clues about the life here. The late Özkan Tüfek had reported that there were three small chapels situated in the place of monks cells, 36 but there are five chapels; one is small and the others are large. The number of the chapels were underreported as there was probably debris in front 33 Fallmerayer, op. cit., Brubaker and Linardou, op. cit., Ballance and others, op. cit., Tüfek, op. cit.,

9 he Monastery Hidden Above he Clouds-Soumela İsmail Köse IV. THE MONASTERY OF SOUMELA AND ANCIENT TRADE ROUTES CONNECTED TO IT There are Zigana and Soğanlı mountains following the Kackar- Vercenik mountain range between Trabzon and Gümüşhane. Zigana Mountains also functioned as a route of return of ten thousands in the 4 th century BC. While passing over peaks of the Zigana, ten thousands had seen the Black Sea and arrived at Trabzon after a hard journey. 44 There are still some stone masonary remainings from the ten thousands. Soğanlı Mountains are south of Zigana Mountains and both mountain chains were convenient for the establishment of several settlements, so numerous monasteries, churches and chapels were built in these areas. Even today many villages where people all year round can be seen up to an altitude of 1800 meters, and also many 44 Ksenophon Anabasis, Onbinlerin Dönüşü, Çeviren; Tanju Gökçöl, İkinci Baskı, (Ankara: Sosyal Yayınlar, 1998),