Just outside of Göreme village is the UNESCO-protected site of Göreme Open-Air Museum, a monastery cluster of rock-cut churches and monk-cells that hold fabulous frescoes. The complex dates from the 10th to 12th centuries, when Cappadocia was an important Byzantine religious center.
There are several churches and chapels within the complex, but the most important are the Elmali Kilise (Apple Church), with its Ascension fresco above the door; the Azize Barbara Sapeli (Chapel of St. Barbara), with its red-ochre interior decoration; Yilanli Kilise (Snake Church), with its wall-paintings of St. George and interesting fresco of the hermetic hermaphrodite St.
