The chanting is mesmerising. Priests in richly-decorated gowns perform the liturgy before a crowd crammed onto a rock shelf, hundreds of meters above the valley floor. TV cameras transmit the ceremony live.
Since 2010, the Greek Orthodox divine liturgy has been taking place every 15 August at the Sumela Monastery, high in the Pontic mountains (Kuzey Anadolu Dağları) in the far east of Turkey. The ceremony is a welcome demonstration of religious tolerance and diversity.
I’ve blogged before about the ancient wonders which seem to cram every corner of Turkey. Even in this crowded field, the Sumela Monastery is something special. Founded in 386 AD, it clings to a cliff high in the mountains, reached by a steep path. Fallen into ruins and restored repeatedly over the centuries, it flourished under the Empire of Trebizond (1204-1461); was seized by Russia from 1916-18; and was abandoned after the population exchange between Greece and Turkey in 1923.
I was delighted to have the opportunity to attend the annual celebration of the Orthodox Divine Liturgy, led by Patriarch Bartholomew, at the Monastery this year. Participants were fulsome in their thanks to the Turkish authorities for supporting the event.
Today, the monastery has become a tourist attraction; and is undergoing restoration. Only some parts of the complex are open to visitors. But what is visible, including ancient frescoes, a rock church and some vertiginous views, offers a fascinating insight into an ancient – and, perhaps, continuing – way of life.
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