Karelia and the north of Russia have always aroused great interest among pilgrims, tourists and painters, poets and prose writers. Therefore, first of all, we will figure out where Solovki, Valaam and Kizhi are. They are scattered at a fairly large distance from each other and are located in different parts and expanses of water. Karelia includes the islands of Valaam and Kizhi. Solovki is an island already in the White Sea in the Arkhangelsk region. Now let's take a closer look at each of these objects. Below you see the water surface of Karelia. In the photo, Balaam whitens the dome of the church. All objects are unique and possess not only beautiful views, but also a very interesting history.
History of Valaam Island
In the northern part of Lake Ladoga, the largest in Europe, the rocky Valaam rises. Karelia with the peoples inhabiting it since time immemorial gave it a name that translates as “high, mountainous land”.
According to legend, the first appeared here the Apostle Andrew the First-Called as an enlightener and distributor of Christianity. He erected a stone cross, on the site of which now stands a monastery.
Nine hundred years have passed. The missionaries from Greece arrived in Karelia on Valaam: German and Sergius. Thanks to them, a brotherhood of monks appeared on the island. It was they who built the Valaam Monastery at the beginning of the 15th century. Monks from other places slowly reached here. They put out farm buildings and other structures made of wood. After a hundred years, the monastic brotherhood has grown to a thousand people. By the standards of the time, it was rich. The Swedes regularly robbed him, killed monks, burned temples, manuscripts and books. The place is empty.
Recovery
By decree of Peter the Great, the monastery was restored. In 1720, the wooden Transfiguration Cathedral was built, which was consecrated in the name of St. Andrew and the Theologian. Household buildings and buildings for cells grew. The Assumption Church was built ten years later. The fire of 1754 destroyed everything. The monastery began to be restored with the help of Elizabeth Petrovna eleven monks. A new construction began: they put the Church of the Transfiguration, St. Nicholas, the Assumption and Gate Church, new cells. So the difficult history of Balaam flowed in Karelia.
Acts of the Rector
Rapid stone construction began during the abbess Damascene, who came out of the peasants.
This new abbot, a strong and extraordinary personality, invited experienced architects from St. Petersburg. Valaam literally blossomed in Karelia: gardens and vegetable gardens were planted, livestock was raised, monks were engaged in fishing and
handicrafts. They had bakeries, a pharmacy, a hospital, a bathhouse. Surplus went on sale. For more than forty years, the monastery was run by father Damascene. The rules under him were strict: in the care of the elders were young monks and novices. All church services were required to attend, as were many hours of labor obedience. No one could voluntarily leave the island, which since the XVI century was at the same time the place of exile of the guilty monks.
Development from mid-19th century to mid-20th century
For over a hundred years, the archipelago was part of the Principality of Finland. It, in turn, was part of the Russian Empire. The next abbot was Jonathan II (Ivan Dmitriev). He completed the construction of a majestic stone two-story light five-domed Transfiguration Cathedral with a belfry.
His efforts put in order the huge library of the monastery. Water was laid on the island. After the revolution, Finland became an independent state, where most of the churches are Lutheran. The monasteries of Balaam turned out to be a "national minority." To attract the flock, the monks began to serve in Finnish. Their number has decreased. The remaining brethren accepted Finnish citizenship. During the Finnish War, the island was bombed, and the monks, taking all the valuables, moved to the continent. In the town of High-balance, they created a monastery called "New Valaam". He became the center of Orthodoxy in Finland.
On Soviet Valaam in Karelia, a mundane life was going on. The monastery formed a school of young and boatswain. In 1940, Finland again occupied the island, but in 1945, after the war, he again moved to the USSR. Five years later, the monastery housed a house for the disabled of World War II and labor, which closed in 1984.
New life of the old monastery
Due to the beauty of the nature of Karelia, the island of Valaam from the 60s on the boat began to visit tourists. In autumn 1989, the monastery was transferred to the Leningrad diocese, in December, on the day of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called, six monks arrived on the monastery ground. They had a lot of work to put in order not only the monastery in Karelia (Valaam), but also to re-develop the lands that were transferred to them, the restoration of fifteen hermitages. This requires an amount of approximately 370 million rubles. In total, 15 million were received.
The lands that were given to the monastery are not suitable for agricultural purposes, while the good ones are empty. The monastery contains 23 cows, and could even be one hundred and forty, as it was in the XVIII century. Monks donate milk free of charge to school and kindergarten, and at cost to the hospital. There is not enough food for dairy cows; they have to be purchased on the mainland. The monastery has a lot of problems.
We give four examples. The question of the transfer of old bakeries, which made delicious bread on wood, was not resolved. He did not get stale for several days. Tourists filled the forest with trash. If they were rented to monks, and no one wants to solve this issue, then everything would be cleared.
There is also no decision to create a National Park on the island, which can fully preserve nature. And plants and animals are unique here: relict coniferous forests, oaks, ash, larch, chestnuts, arborvitae, cedar groves. On the shores you can see colonies of terns and gulls, as well as rookery of the Ladoga seal. Nobody wants to build a plant for processing solid waste (glass containers, bags, polyethylene) and engage in their removal from the island, as well as a system for treating fecal effluents that cause hepatitis and dysentery.
Monastery complex
Valaam Monastery in Karelia was completely formed in 1862. Bricks were made on the island, from which everything was built. From the bay along the granite staircase that passes through the larch alley, tourists and pilgrims approach the monastery. Before them open the gate with the church of Peter and Paul above them. Several rows of cells and churches make up two quadrangles.
Small is located inside the large, and it houses the main cathedral - Spaso-Preobrazhensky. Its five domes are a symbol of Jesus Christ and the four apostles. On the ground floor is the church of Sergius and German. Their relics are buried deep below. The bell tower consists of three tiers. It has 13 bells. The largest of them - "Apostle Andrew" - weighs fourteen tons.
During the night services, you can hear the ancient chants of the choir, which are not performed anywhere else.
Active Monasteries
There are only 10 left:
- Nikolsky.
- All Saints.
- John the Baptist.
- Konevsky.
- Resurrection.
- Gethsemane.
- Smolensky.
- St. Vladimir.
- Alexandro-Svirsky.
- Ilyinsky.
The rest are being restored and built.
Travel to Karelia
Tour to Karelia from Moscow to Valaam will be gladly offered by numerous travel agencies. At your request, you can choose the duration of the trip from two to eighteen days. Tours to Karelia on Valaam are carried out year-round. In summer, in addition to the sights, you can enjoy the romance of white nights. If you add fishing and walks surrounded by pristine nature, then a vacation will undoubtedly be memorable and successful. Rest in Karelia on Valaam, in the country of forests and lakes, will allow you to completely disconnect from the busy life of the metropolis, enjoy peace and quiet.
In winter, especially during the New Year holidays, it is pleasant to pamper the child with an introduction to Chukchi sled dogs: Siberian Husky with blue eyes, Alaskan Malamutes, and Taimyr sled dogs. Drivers will learn to harness dogs in sledges. And how interesting it is to ride along the two-kilometer track on the dogs of the famous traveler Fedor Konyukhov! It’s easy for them. After all, they traveled with him the most difficult way from the North Pole to Canada along the Arctic ice. Then you will be invited to drink hot tea in the plague, eat red fish soup. The next day, funny gnomes will surround you, divide the group into teams and start the competition. And this is not all that you will be offered! Santa Claus will appear.
Karelia, Valaam island: how to get
You can fly to Valaam, which is all surrounded by water, but the waterway is most often used. Meteor, a hydrofoil speedboat, will deliver a tourist or a pilgrim from St. Petersburg in four hours.
A boat trip is much more expensive and longer. Most people prefer to choose the road from Sortavala. The ship takes two and a half hours, and the Meteor takes fifty minutes. But they do not have a clear schedule. It is most convenient to board a speedboat with a guided tour. Only the remaining free places suit loners. And if there are not enough places, then you have to spend time on the pier. The pilgrimage service of the monastery will also provide a similar service.
Lake Ladoga can be stormy and stormy. Then all flights are canceled. In this case, the tourist will either be refunded or offered to wait 2-3 days. This must be remembered and have in stock a few days.
Wooden architecture on Lake Onega
Kizhi is the 8th wonder of the world, which Russian craftsmen created from the most short-lived material. The entire architectural ensemble is under the auspices of UNESCO. And not in vain. Such beauty as the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord or the Intercession of the Holy Virgin, next to which there is a restored tented bell tower, can not be found anywhere else. The Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord is a true wonder.
His pine log house consists of eight faces, on which two more octagonal churches are placed. The construction is crowned by twenty-two chapters. In the four-tier iconostasis there are one hundred and two icons dating from different centuries. This temple is summer, and in winter services are held in the Church of the Intercession of the Virgin. If a tourist does not have much time, then the usual route in Karelia is Kizhi, Valaam.
Another unusual place in Russia
At the beginning of the 15th century, two hermits arrived at the Solovetsky Islands, which are located far, far in the north, in the White Sea: German and Savvaty. The place was swampy, with many lakes, and covered with birch forest. They apparently had to live hard. Trusting only in the mercy and help of the Lord, they put up a cross and a cell. After the death of Savvaty, monks began to sail here. We know the date of foundation of the monastery - 1436. He was rich and built of huge stones and bricks.
So far, no one has even figured out who was the builder of the monastery, since some stones of the Kremlin and the walls of the fence weigh about eight tons. The lichen that covers them is about two to three thousand years old.
One hundred years after the foundation of the monastery, the monks connected all the lakes with canals. Traveling on them will take at least ten hours.
There is also a ground track in it, the length of which is 1.5 km.
At the end of the 19th century, a botanical garden was created on the grounds of the monastery, in the greenhouses of which watermelons, melons, and peaches were grown.
Link Place and Prison
This has been the custom since the 16th century. In the XX century, there is no longer a monastery, and only the Special Purpose Camp for intelligent political exiles remains, and later the Special Purpose Thousand, which was closed in 1939.
Nowadays
In 1990, monastic life was resumed. Shrines reappear in it, before which the Orthodox person wants to kneel. About twenty thousand tourists and pilgrims arrive at the monastery annually.
Karelia, Kizhi, Valaam, Solovki: tour, reviews
If you visit all three places at once, it will take nine to ten days. But impressions will remain for life. But this is a surface inspection. For a leisurely time it takes about three times as much. Tourists recall a wonderful time and excellent guides. On Solovki, some celebrate sunsets of fantastic beauty. Some travelers can hardly endure the pitching and remember it with horror. In general, local residents reproach tourists for the dirt that they leave behind. The opinions of the travelers themselves were divided into two parts. The first notes that the domestic service is very bad, the second has no complaints about it.