Greek NEWS

Secret tunnel leads to ancient chapel discovery at Panagia Soumela

An ancient chapel has been discovered during restoration work that has been ongoing since 2015 at Panagia Soumela in Trapezounta, one of the most important and historical monasteries of Christianity.

Panagia Soumela

According to reports, this great discovery emerged, as a secret tunnel was found in the northern part of the monastery under the roof, leading to a chapel.

In particular, the Director of Culture and Tourism of Trebizond, Ali Ayvazoglu, said that with the completion of the work scheduled for July or August 2018, “there will be some surprises for the visitors. They will now have access to the entire monastery and to the old library. At a point just discovered now, we also unveiled an unknown chapel.”

The chapel is on the right and above the northern roof and access is through a tunnel and a wooden staircase. On one wall, which is still intact, there are iconographic images painted that require maintenance work. The holy images are reported to depict Paradise and Hell, Life and Death.

Since the restoration work began, the services of the Ecumenical Patriarch have not been performed on the Feast of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary on August 15, which had resumed at the church in 2010.

Although the chapel is not in great condition, it is expected that repairs will be made to allow visitors in by Summer 2018.

Ads1

Ads1
GCT Team

This article was researched and written by a GCT team member.

Recent Posts

Archbishop of Australia Arrives in Cuba to Mark 20th Anniversary of Saint Nicholas Church Consecration

Archbishop Makarios of Australia arrived in Havana on January 22, 2025, to represent Ecumenical Patriarch…

4 hours ago

Maria Menounos: Visited Her Mother's Grave with Her Daughter – "It Hurts When You Need Her and She's Not There"

Maria Menounos shared an emotional moment on Instagram, visiting her late mother's grave with her…

4 hours ago

Commemorating Jews of Greece: International Holocaust Remembrance Day

Seventy-six years after the liberation of Auschwitz, Greece remembers the victims of the Nazi-perpetrated Holocaust,…

4 hours ago

Turkey-Greece Visa Program Sparks Tourism Boom, Strengthens Bilateral Ties

Since Greece introduced its visa-on-arrival program for Turkish citizens in April 2024, over 100,000 Turkish…

4 hours ago

Amidst Personal Challenges, Aryna Sabalenka and Georgios Frangulis Strengthen Their Bond

Aryna Sabalenka, the world No. 1, sought to make history with a third consecutive Australian…

7 hours ago

Israeli Airlines Reroute Flights from Paphos to Larnaca Due to Security Concerns

In response to undisclosed security concerns, the Israel General Security Service, Shin Bet, has instructed…

8 hours ago