Monastery of the Seven
In ancient times, Latmos Bay, a natural extension of the Aegean Sea, lost its importance in the 50s BC and its connection to the sea in the 10th century AD. From this period onwards, Christians from the Arabian Peninsula and Yemen began to settle in the region and established various monasteries there. The Monastery of the Seven Saints is located in Kapıkırı Village at the foot of the Latmos (Beşparmaklar) Mountains, northeast of Lake Bafa in the Milas district of Muğla. It consists of two churches, a chapel, monks' cells, and a cistern. The monastery, believed to have been built in the 10th century, is notable for being carved into the rock in the shape of an umbrella. Also in the area, there is a church carved into the rocks and named Pandokrator, dedicated to Jesus Christ, as well as the Stilyos Monastery northeast of Lake Bafa and the Pavlus Kaya Church, also known as the Arab Courtyard, on the north side of the monastery. The Monastery of the Seven Saints, the largest monastery in Latmos, has two churches and a chapel built within its walled section. It is believed that defensive structures were added to the monastery in the 12th and 13th centuries.
The monastery features an iconographic cycle that allows scenes from the life of Jesus Christ to be presented as independent icons. On the wall surface, there are two rows of paintings, one above the other, from the vault to the floor, with three cycles in each row running east to west.
