Virgin Mary Rock Temple
Located in Sultanselim Neighborhood of Giresun Province, the church is in the form of a small cave carved into the rock 2-3 meters above the road on the west side of Giresun Castle, facing the harbor. It is estimated that this structure, which was previously a small cave, was expanded and converted into a church in the 4th or 5th century AD. This cave, which was used as a church, is reached by a small one-eyed stone arch bridge built during the Ottoman Period. The building is surrounded by an atrium. On the side of the church facing the courtyard, there is a fountain, which is considered sacred, where sailors get water and is used by those who come to the church. This building, popularly known as the Church of the Virgin Mary, is a small rectangular church with a single nave. In the church, which was generally built with simple materials, smooth cut stones were also used in places, and the spaces between the stones were plastered with white mortar. The building is entered through a small opening added to the northwest corner. Three crenellated rectangular windows on the northwest wall illuminate the space. The church was covered with a barrel vault from inside the cave and a half-round apse was added to the east façade. There are many niches in the church and some of them are broken. The water coming from the cave, which continues forward from the apse of the church, was carried to the cistern through a barrel vaulted channel under the church and connected to the fountain from here.
