Pontos gave us the philosopher Diogenes, an influencer of Stoicism which influenced Christian philosophy and its element of Virtue.

Panagia Soumela (Pana-yee-a Soo-mela), means...

Pan = All
Agia = Holy, as in Hagia/Saint (e.g., hagiography)
Sou = Of
Mela = Dark, as in the root word for 'melanin'. The term 'dark' refers to the deep-colored rock of the mountain.

Jason and the Argonauts plays a major role with Pontos, en route to the Golden Fleece.

St. Andrew preaching in Pontos in the first century converted the Pontian Greeks, who then helped cement and spread Christianity.

Trapezounda, located along the Silk Road, was a significant Greek city situated at the far eastern boundary of Greco-Roman civilization.

The genocide of the Pontian Greeks, along with the subsequent population exchange, led to the total disappearance of the Pontian Greek community in Asia Minor. Today, the government actively works to suppress the history of Pontos by prohibiting literature that discusses it.

The Monastery of Panagia Soumela built in 386 AD, perched high in the mountains with its cave church carved inside the mountain is a world-class monument deserving to be revived as a monastery, alive again with monks, prayer, chants, icons, flowers and incense.

Pontian Greek is the among the closest dialects there is to Ancient Greek.

For over 1,600 years, the monastery of Panagia Soumela hosted a vibrant pilgrimage and festival that united the Church, families, prayer, and joyous celebrations of feasting and dancing. This tradition came to a violent end in 1922.

Advocate for the recognition of the Greek Genocides (Pontian, Ionian, Thracian), alongside the Armenian, Assyrian, and other genocides targeting ethnic minorities in Anatolia.