Church of Three Crosses

The Church of Three Crosses is carved into a sandstone cliff in Rose Valley outside of the town of Goreme. The name comes from three crosses carved onto the ceiling, one of which can be seen in this view. You can also see remnants of painting on the walls. There is a great hiking trail that goes through Rose Valley past other churches carved into the cliffs. One of the churches farther back has a caretaker that sells cold drinks and will have you sample his wine he makes from the ancient vines growing in the canyon. At one point a narrow Roman arch crosses a wash going from a cave with a pool of water to the terraces where grape vines are growing.When I asked the caretaker how old the arch was he figured that it was over 1500 years old.