shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileTurkey

in the Pontic Mountains, above the Altındere valley

Sümela Monastery

Name: Sümela Monastery — on ceramic tile, by WenderVista
Brand: WenderVista

— — a monastery the cliff agreed to hold.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.

— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand

— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines

— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall

— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround

— a note from the studio

“Sümela hangs on the face of a cliff in the Pontic Mountains, an hour inland from Trabzon on the Black Sea coast. The buildings are carved into the rock about three hundred metres above the valley floor, reached by a path that climbs through beech and fir. The frescoes inside read in faded blues and ochres, the rock above weeps in slow seeps, and the air through the doors is ten degrees cooler than the road below. from the studio

from the studio

— bring it home

Sümela Monastery, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?

One tile — square or rectangle.

How big?

the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand

6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb

Surface finish

A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.

How it sits

A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.

$58

Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.

— size

6 × 6 in

15 cm

— weighs

1.6 lb

solid in the hand

— surface

ceramic, hand-finished

art rests beneath a thin glossy finish

— from

Knoxville, TN

our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies

— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Sümela Monastery

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.

— the place

Sümela is a former Greek Orthodox monastery built into a steep cliff face in the Pontic Mountains of northeastern Turkey, in the Maçka district of Trabzon Province. It sits at roughly 1,200 metres elevation inside Altındere Valley National Park, about 45 kilometres south of the Black Sea coast at Trabzon. The complex is anchored by a rock-cut church carved directly into the cliff and surrounded by guest cells, kitchens, and chapels added in successive centuries. The valley floor drops about 300 metres below the monastery walls.

— informed by Wikipedia — Sümela Monastery

— the stone

Tradition dates the founding of Sümela to around AD 386, when two Athenian monks, Barnabas and Sophronius, are said to have found an icon of the Virgin Mary attributed to the Apostle Luke in a cave on this cliff. The rock-cut chapel preserves layered frescoes from the 14th through the 18th century, painted directly onto the cave walls and exterior facades. The monastery was abandoned in 1923 during the population exchange between Greece and Turkey and reopened to visitors after a long restoration completed in 2020.

— informed by Ministry of Culture — Sümela

— the visit

The monastery is reached by a steep path that climbs from a parking area inside Altındere Valley National Park, about a thirty-minute walk on stone steps with a roughly 250-metre elevation gain. The site is generally open from late spring through autumn; winter closures depend on snow and rockfall risk along the path. A park entrance fee and a separate monastery entry fee apply. The road from Trabzon is paved the whole way and takes about an hour and a quarter by car.

— informed by Wikipedia — Altındere Valley National Park

— where

Turkey · Maçka, Trabzon Province

— within

Altındere Valley National Park

— elevation

1,200 m · 3,937 ft

— position

40.6906° N · 39.6586° E

— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.

1 km C

Altındere Valley National Park

national park

17 km N

Maçka

town

45 km N

Trabzon

Black Sea city

Sümela Monastery

Altındere Valley National Park

Maçka

Trabzon

— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Sümela Monastery — and about bringing the piece home.

— about the place

Sümela sits in the Pontic Mountains of northeastern Turkey, in the Maçka district of Trabzon Province. It is built into a cliff at about 1,200 metres elevation, 45 kilometres south of the Black Sea coast.

Tradition dates the founding to roughly AD 386. The surviving buildings and frescoes are mostly later, ranging from the 14th through 18th centuries, with successive Byzantine, Comnenian, and Ottoman-era additions.

The name comes from the Greek word for black, melas, a reference to either the dark cliff face or the dark complexion of the icon of the Virgin Mary that tradition says was found in the cave on this site.

No. Sümela was abandoned in 1923 during the population exchange between Greece and Turkey. It is now a museum site managed by Türkiye's Ministry of Culture, with occasional permitted liturgies.

By road from Trabzon, about 45 kilometres south through the town of Maçka, then up the Altındere valley. The last stretch is a paved mountain road that ends at a park car park below the cliff.

Yes. A stone path climbs from the car park to the monastery in about thirty minutes, with roughly 250 metres of elevation gain. Sturdy shoes are recommended; the steps are uneven and often damp.

— about the piece in your home

Yes. Sümela carries deep meaning for Pontic Greek and Trabzon families. The cliff and the rock-cut church are recognised by anyone with roots in the region. A Medium or Large carries the scene at the scale people remember.

The piece sits well in old-world, Byzantine-influenced, and warm-monastic rooms. The fresco ochres and forest greens pair with aged plaster, walnut, and brass without crowding the space.

Yes. Warm-traditional and old-world revival rooms have leaned into faded fresco palettes, sacred-architecture references, and patinated metals. Sümela sits cleanly inside that direction.

A single Large fits most standard sofas. A 4-tile Mural carries the cliff face at scale; a 9-tile Mural gives a feature wall the full valley and the monastery in one view.

Yes, in our Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and built for the steam, splash, and wipe-down of bathrooms and kitchens.

A soft microfibre cloth and water. No abrasives or ammonia. The colour lives in the surface and will not scuff off with normal cleaning.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is original to our studio in Knoxville, Tennessee. We do not licence outside imagery and we do not resell stock art.

— if this one stayed with you