Güzelyurt Monastery Valley

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Caves in the Klostertal
Güzelyurt and other places of interest in Cappadocia

The monastery valley of Güzelyurt (Manastır Vadisi) is located about two kilometers from the center of the village Güzelyurt in western Cappadocia in the Turkish province of Aksaray . It is a cluster of churches and cave monasteries carved into the tufa of the Cappadocian countryside.

history

The first monastery communities settled here in the 3rd century, in the 4th century the Cappadocian church father Gregor von Nazianz , who was born in nearby Arianzos , grew up here . The place was then called Karballa and was inhabited by Greeks until the beginning of the 20th century. Until they were resettled, he was called Gelveri. Over a hundred churches have sprung up here.

buildings

At the entrance to the valley, a few hundred meters from the village, is the St. Gregorius Church, one of the few brick structures in the valley, dedicated to Gregory of Nazianz. The church from the end of the 4th century was expanded and rebuilt several times, including in 1896 as Hagios Gregorios to the main church of the monastery center. Today it is a mosque and bears the name Büyük Kilise Camii (Great Church Mosque ) , the previously existing frescoes are painted over in white. Next to it is the entrance to one of four underground cities in Güzelyurt. Two more can be found in Klostertal, one in the center of the village. They are all largely undeveloped, but parts of them are accessible.

Nearby are the Seviçli Kilise, a partly bricked, partly carved cross-domed church from 1887, in whose apse a representation of the Trinity and in the dome a pantocrator , a representation of Christ as ruler of the world, and the Cafarlar Kilise from the 9th century. Century. In the small church there are frescos with New Testament scenes such as the Annunciation, the birth, the imprisonment and the crucifixion of Jesus.

In the area of ​​the actual monastery valley, which only consists of rock- hewn churches and cave structures, there are also the Fırıntaş Kilise with a façade of blind niches and the similarly designed Kalburlu Kilise. Both are without paintings, but with relief ornamentation . In addition, there are numerous monastery buildings in the valley, which also have relief decorations and imposing facades.

See also

literature

Web links

Commons : Güzelyurt  - collection of images, videos and audio files


Coordinates: 38 ° 16 ′ 2 ″  N , 34 ° 22 ′ 10 ″  E