Churches in the Western Black Sea Region and Evaluation of Their Tourism Potential

Abstract

There is a considerable number of religious buildings in the Western Black Sea region in Turkey inherited from the Roman period. Today some of these buildings have been devastated, some partially destroyed, some abandoned, and some have lost their authenticity because of restoration activities or conversion into mosques. In Safranbolu, Ereğli, Amasra, Bartın, Sinop, and Bolu the ruins of these churches can still be seen. The Western Black Sea region, consisting of two cultural tourism destinations, Safranbolu and Kastamonu, is a touristic area with attractive cultural, religious, and rural tourism destinations visited by 5 million visitors annually. This study aims to identify the churches and chapels in the Western Black Sea region, to determine their current situation, to evaluate their tourism potential in the context of cultural/heritage/religious tourism, and to consider the reuse of religious buildings while adapting them.

Keywords

• Churches
• Religious Tourism
• Cultural Tourism
• Reuse ff Churches
• Western Black Sea Region