Fener Greek patriarch to lead religious service in Sumela Monastery

TRABZON (A.A) - August 11, 2011 – Fener Greek Patriarch Bartholomew will lead a religious service at Sumela Monastery in Turkey's northern province of Trabzon on August 15.
The service will take place at the garden of the monastery between 10:00 a.m. and noon on August 15, Monday with participation of 500 people.
Sumela Monastery takes place in Macka town of Trabzon. For the first time in 2010, the government allowed religious ceremonies to be held in the monastery after 88 years.
The monastery will be open to visitors before and after the religious service hours on August 15.
Last year's service was also conducted by Bartholomew.
Nine guides will be assigned to help Turkish and foreign tourists who will arrive in Trabzon for the ceremony.
Founded in the year 386 AD during the reign of the Emperor Theodosius I, Sumela is a Greek Orthodox monastery, standing at the foot of a steep cliff facing the Altindere valley in Macka. Lying at an altitude of approximately 1,200 metres, it is a major tourist attraction.