Travel journals

Amazon. Black Sea by Neal Ascherson. Acherson's account of Sumela turned me on to visiting this place. Black Sea ranges over the regions that touch the Euxine, bringing out historical commonalities and probing conflicts.

Around the World with Wes and Masami, with some description and two good photographs, interior and exterior.

Sean Connolly's travel journal , with photo.

Vasilis E. Riginos' journal, with some appropriate comments:

"What a shock! What we were seeing from afar is only a shell of the outer wall. All of the monastery is actually a terrible ruin. The magnificent Byzantine frescoes are totally exposed to the elements, not even a canvas canopy to protect them. Most of them are brutally vandalized, many eyes have been gouged. Crude graffiti, both in Greek and Turkish, mars most of their surfaces. ... This crude wall reconstruction is going on while the precious and irreplaceable frescoes remain unprotected. It is madness! While we were elated to have been able to see this Byzantine marvel we were also depressed by its condition, active destruction in the not-too-distant past, present lack of protection, and misguided reconstruction."

Advice on Sumela and Trabzon from "Maykal," a British student of Arabic and Turkish.

"Sumela was just too crowded for me to enjoy."

Web Archive: Birding at the monastery from Eurobirding.com.

More information on birdwatching at the Sumela monastery.