Vazelon Monastery

Vazelon Monastery is a former Greek Orthodox cliff monastery founded in the 6th century, perched above the Degirmendere river in the dense forests of the Maçka district, roughly 50 kilometres south of Trabzon. Dedicated to St. John of Vazelon, it was one of the principal monastic centres of the Pontic region, sharing that role with the better-known Sümela Monastery and serving the Byzantine Christian communities of the Black Sea hinterland for centuries. Today the complex is largely abandoned and ruined — remnants of the church, monk cells, and rock-cut niches survive deep in the forest, reachable only by foot trail. Visitors who make the hike encounter an intimate piece of early Byzantine religious history in near-total woodland solitude, with virtually no tourist infrastructure on site.