Rock-carved church opens in Giresun

GİRESUN – Anadolu Agency

The Virgin Mary Church, estimated to date back to the 4th century in the Black Sea province of Giresun, has been opened to visitors after a restoration process. 

“The rock-carved church is a very rare one in the region. The Culture and Tourism Ministry planned to restore the church and open it to tourism. In 2013, the restoration inside the church was completed but the environmental work has not been completed yet,” provincial Tourism and Culture Director Hulusi Güleç said. 

The church is currently open to visits twice a week, and Güleç said it would host tourists every day once all work is completed as a “must-see cultural heritage.”

He said the church used to be on the shore as recently as the 1960s. “Sailors used to come to front to the church in their boats and meet their need for water from its fountain. It is known that they also worshipped in the church,” Güleç added. 

“Archaeological work has been carried out in the church too. It is a very rare church,” he said.