In my previous article, I told about our Sumela Monastery trip and all the details about the monastery.. Now it’s our turn to explore the Vazelon Monastery. Our Vazelon Monastery trip was a great experience and adventure for us. This adventure has become one of our unforgettable. If you ask why, even finding this place is an adventure in itself.. After finding it, it is a great excitement and a bit of fear to visit it when no one is there. :). Let’s explore the Vazelon Monastery together.
VAZELOON MONASTERY
One of the first monasteries of Anatolia Vazelon Monastery, a Greek monastery. Estimated construction date of Vazelon Monastery AD. 270 years. Vazelon Monastery is not a prominent monastery like Sümela. This place has not seen much renovation. Stop seeing the monastery nature is about to swallow it. You know, since the humidity is high in the Black Sea, it doesn’t take long for a plant or tree to grow from anywhere.. Well, when no one touches the Vazelon Monastery, it seems like nature has officially surrounded it.
You may think that Vazelon Monastery is far away or not worth visiting, but let me state this; push the conditions and I think you can see this mysterious monastery. In this article, I will try to help you find the monastery by giving the most detailed answer to the questions Where is Vazelon Monastery and How to go to Vazelon Monastery..
WHERE IS THE VAZELOON MONASTERY ?
Vazelon Monastery Where ? Vazelon Monastery, It is located within the borders of the Kremitli Village of the Maçka district of Trabzon.. Vazelon Monastery is located 40 km from Trabzon city center and 10 km from Macka district center. The important thing here is not where Vazelon Monastery is, but how to get here.. Location of Vazelon Monastery on Google map here. Do not ignore this location! It would be better if you use the road I will mention below.
NOTE: If you have Sumela Monastery in your Trabzon itinerary and you will spend 1 day here, go to Sümela early and then Vazelon Monastery. It would be logical to go to. We did that and spent 1 day very well.
HOW TO GET TO THE VASELOON MONASTERY?
Yes, the most important part of the job How to go to Vazelon Monastery.
We fit the Vazelon Monastery trip to the day we visited the Sumela Monastery.. Right after Sümela, we came directly to the Vazelon Monastery.. After leaving Sümela, we heard a lot of sentences like who we asked about Vazelon on the road, you can’t go there, the road is bad, the place is in ruins.. But the Master had set his mind to it and was going to go, there was no escape.. We really felt like we were going a little crazy after all that negative rhetoric.. And we were going in the low season when there was no one in the fall.. The superior said “everyone’s point of view is different, let’s see for ourselves” and we set off..
How to go to Vazelon Monastery, the only way is to go with your own vehicle.. Apart from this, any transportation means, minibus, etc. to Vazelon.. none . So how do you get here with your car?.
WAYS TO GET TO VASELON MONASTERY
There are 2 village roads to reach Vazelon Monastery. One of these villages is Köprüyani Village and the other is Kiremitli Village. The road you should choose here is The road to Kiremitli Village. If you are going to use the Trabzon – Gümüşhane road after Sümela like us, the location on the Google map will take you through Köprüyani Village.. What you need to do here is to turn to Vazelon from the Kremitli Village road after about 3 km (there is a turn sign) after turning from the main road in the direction of Köprüyani Village.. After you turn on the Kiremitli Village road, you pass through the village.. It is useful to ask the way to whomever you saw here..
After we drove through the village, we saw a car in front of a house and went to the house to ask for directions.. Fortunately, an uncle said “You can go this road easily. 1 week ago the roadwork was done, the road got better” and gave us a lot of morale.. Here is the difference in perspective! After following the same path, we went a long way. The road was dirt but not too troublesome. There is a slight chance of scratching the car only due to the vegetation on the roadside.. After about 3-4 km, you see the Vazelon Monastery is Closed sign. Here park your car and there is a path that slopes to the left between the two trees with this sign.. You walk for 1-2 minutes on this pathway and you are in front of the uniquely beautiful Vazelon Monastery.
PATH TO THE VAZELOON MONASTERY
This path is due to my foot having surgery. I couldn’t get out. When the situation was like this, I had no choice but to say you go see it and you will tell me when you return.. Imagine a monastery hidden in nature, abandoned to its fate. It takes good courage to visit this place alone. And, mashallah, my husband has plenty. 🙂
For the live answer to the question of How to Get to the Vazelon Monastery, it would be useful to take a look at my Trabzon stories that I pinned to Instagram.. I would be glad if you follow along while you’re looking 🙂
HISTORY OF VAZELOON MONASTERY
The history of Vazelon Monastery goes back a long way. Namely, this place is much older than the history of Sümela.. It is even thought that it was made from the revenues obtained from the Vazelon Monastery of Sumela.. Vazelon, which was built in 270, has suffered from many destructions and attacks throughout history.. According to some sources, Sassanid soldiers killed 400 monks here.. The superior learned this later; I asked if you knew this, would you go, he said yes, I would go.
The exact date of construction of Vazelon Monastery and by whom it was built is unknown. The name Vazelon was thought to come from Mount Zabulon, the name of the slope on which it was founded.. While this place used to be called Zouvalon, it was later called Vazelon.. The most important feature of the Vazelon Monastery is that it is the Baptist Hz.. It was dedicated to the prophet John.
The Vazelon Monastery was first established as a church in front of the cave, just like Sümela. The church and monk rooms in front of the cave, which are still standing today, are from the 19th century.. There were valuable frescoes inside, but it was so damaged that almost no trace of the frescoes remained.. Today’s vandals have painted all over and engraved their names.. He was very upset to see this state of the superior.. There is a church built in front of a cave at the top of the Vazelon Monastery, which consists of 4 floors.. On the outer walls of this church are frescoes depicting heaven, hell and the day of judgment. The only remnant of the monastery’s archive is in the Leningrad Museum. Following its final destruction in 1922, the last priest of the monastery, Dionysios Amarantidis saved the icon of John and moved the icon to Agia Triada Monastery in Serres, Greece. Vazelon Monastery was abandoned after the deportation of the Greek population from Turkey as a result of the Turkey-Greece population exchange in 1922. From this date on, the Monastery is waiting to come to light again.
VAZELOON MONASTERY ENTRANCE FEE
Any entrance in Vazelon Monastery no fee. The Monastery is already waiting to be unearthed.. Few people come here. You can visit the Vazelon Monastery whenever you want without time restrictions.
We have come to the end of our vazelon adventure.. Both Sümela and Vazelon have been a great experience for us.. Anyone can go to Sümela, but not everyone can go to Vazelon.. If you ask me, you should definitely explore the Vazelon Monastery if you are looking for adventure and mystery, if there is no technical problem with your car, if the weather conditions are suitable.. For all my Trabzon adventures, I invite you to Trabzon stories that I pinned on Instagram.
