The Konevets Monastery on Lake Ladoga is one of the main centers of Orthodoxy in the North-West of our country. Therefore, today, like many centuries ago, thousands of pilgrims from all over Russia agree to overcome any difficulties in order to be able to worship the shrines of this ancient monastery.
Konevets Monastery: how to get there
If you intend to go to Konevets Island by your own motor transport, then it is better to leave St. Petersburg on Priozerskoye Shosse, turn towards the village of Plodovoye, then follow the main road along the route "Uralskoye - Solnechnoe - Zaostrovye". In the village of Zaostrovye, you should turn right onto a dirt road and drive about 5 km along a ribbed dirt road to Vladimirovka, where the pier is located. Tourists and pilgrims who have already visited Konevets more than once recommend leaving St. Petersburg in such a way as to be on the pier no later than 10.00 - 12.00. If the trip is supposed to be carried out by train, then you need to choose an electric train, heading towards Kuznechnoye, get off at the Gromovo station, from where at 10.00 a bus leaves for the berth in Vladimirskaya Bay.
The history of the Konevets Monastery from the moment of its foundation until 1917
The monastery was founded at the end of the 14th century by the Monk Arseniy, who arrived in his homeland - in Veliky Novgorod - after several years spent in the Serbian Hilandar monastery on Mount Athos. Having received a blessing from the Bishop of Novgorod, in 1393 the monk went to Lake Ladoga to find a secluded place for the foundation of the monastery. The Lord brought the monk to an uninhabited island, which the inhabitants of the Ladoga coast called Konevets. For three years the Monk Arseny lived there in perfect solitude. During this time, the fame of the asceticism of the Konevets hermit spread throughout Russia, and disciples began to come to him. With the blessing of the Archbishop of Novgorod in 1396, a monastery was founded on the island , the first abbot of which was the Monk Arseny. He continued to serve the Lord until his death in 1447. He was buried under the porch of the main temple of the monastery. 130 years after the death of the Monk Arseny, the Konevets Monastery was devastated by the Swedes, but the brethren were able to quickly restore the monastery. After another 30 years, the troops of the Swedish kingdom expelled the monks from the island, and for almost a century the monastery was empty and was in ruins. The monks returned to Konevets only after the victory of Russia in the Northern War. The heyday of the monastery came in the 19th century, when several temples and office buildings were built here, and the number of monks exceeded one hundred.
History of the Konevets Monastery after 1917
In 1917, the Konevets Monastery was under the jurisdiction of Finland, which allowed him to avoid the bitter fate of many Russian monasteries. However, the Finnish authorities organized a military base on the island, thereby violating the privacy of the monks. But the most difficult trials hit the fraternity after the defeat of Finland in the Winter War, when Valaam and Konevets were transferred to the USSR. To avoid death, the monks from both cloisters were evacuated to Finland, and the Konevets Monastery was devastated by Soviet troops. As for the island, it was turned into a testing ground at a secret military base. Only in 1991, the monastery began to recover. Moreover, the restoration of monastery buildings and temples continues to this day.
Konevets Monastery: excursions
In addition to pilgrims, the Konevets Monastery is often visited by tourists. Typically, such excursions begin with travelers boarding a comfortable bus in St. Petersburg.
Then they are taken to Vladimirovskaya Bay, from where the tourist group leaves for Konevets by boat. A tour of the island begins directly from the monastery pier, near which is the chapel of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker - the patron saint of all travelers traveling by water. Then the tourists who arrived at the Konevets Monastery are led to the territory of the main estate through the gate above which the bell tower rises. There, travelers will visit the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary and, having walked about 2 km to the Holy Mountain, will visit the Kazan Monastery. Finally, guests of the island will be shown one of its most famous sights - Stone Horse - a huge granite boulder that served the Finnish tribes as an altar for pagan rites. At the end of the 19th century, a chapel was built on it, in which tourists can climb a wooden ladder.
Rules for visiting the monastery
Since the monastery on Konevets is active, visitors should be dressed appropriately. In particular, women and girls should not be dressed in miniskirts, trousers, shorts, shoulders and chest should be covered, a shawl or scarf should be tied to the head. As for men, they should not attend the monastery in shorts.