The Turkish government, with Russian Orthodox aid, has been restoring Sumela Monastery, a monastery established in 386 and abandoned a century ago.

Following the posting of a video with disco dancing at the monastery (Turkish media coverage), the Moscow Patriarchate stated, “We express strong protest against profanation of Orthodox holy sites in Turkey and hope that its state leadership would not turn a blind eye to this outrage, especially in light of strengthening the relationship between Russia and Turkey.”