The Crusader Church — Attraction in Avanos

Awesome find. Look for "Haçli Klise" on the trail signs.

There's a "cafe", read juice shack, next to it. The guy that sells the fruit juices is a charlatan. We did not buy his juice and he pointed us in the wrong direction.

We later found the actual church cave. It's up the wooden steps . If you don't see the paintings on the wall you are not there. Keep looking.

There's a fake chain and lock on the door, but it's easily removed .

"Someone", maybe the cafe owner changed the signs on the road to point people to his cafe.

As you go up from the Rose Valley trail 2, passed the Hidden Cave Church, you encounter a fork in the road. If you take the left turn, you'll get to the crusader church faster, but it's a steep climb. However, if you go straight, you will hit the Direkli Klise, the column church first, then a more moderate climb to the Crusader church.

It's a good idea to download Google maps offline, since reception is poor thru...

Cross Church (Haçlı Kilise) also referred to as Crusader Church is located within Rose Valley along the main hiking trail which links to nearby Red Valley. This is one of a handful of ancient cave churches that you can enter and see within the two valleys and is known for its impressive carved ceiling cross and impressive Byzantine era wall frescos.

The church dates back to the 10th or 11th century and is accessible by way of a make-shift ladder up to the entrance carved in the cliff from which there are outstanding views of the valleys below. You will also find a juice stand setup just below the church with plenty of space and shaded seating for walkers to take a break to rest their feet and enjoy a freshly squeezed orange or pomegranate juice.

Well worth making a stop at Cross Church if planning to hike through Rose or Red Valleys or when combining the two for a full day exploring these two remarkable valleys just...

An amazing church carved into the rock, accessible up a wooden ladder but tragically the once-beautiful frescoes are being destroyed! There is no protection at all and anyone can walk up to the paintings and touch and destroy. If only someone had the foresight to protect what little is left - this is a tourist gem. Even restoration ( like the more famous places of worship in Istanbul) is...