Historic church set to welcome visitors as museum

TRABZON

St. Michael Church in a Black Sea coastal town in northeastern Turkey will become a museum that welcomes domestic and foreign tourists in 2021, according to officials.

The historical building in Akçaabat town of Trabzon province has been restored and will be used in social and cultural activities by Turkey’s Culture and Tourism Ministry.

After two years of restoration, the building contains archeological and ethnographic artifacts and will become the Ortamahalle Museum in coming months.

Akçaabat Mayor Osman Nuri Ekim said that the church survived from the 12th centuries to present day.

President of the Association for Preserving Natural and Historical Values, Coşkun Eruz, said the building has a special and attractive structure with original architecture of the Byzantine period with facade decorations and floor mosaics.

The church was built to celebrate the victory of King Manuel of Komnenon, who defea-ted the Seljuk army in 1332.

Repaired by Pontus Greeks in 1846, the church was used as a house by a family during the Republican era.

The church, which was neglected over time as a result of the death of the family members, was restored in 2019.