Many people call Kiy Island the second pearl of the White Sea (after the Solovetsky archipelago). It is located in the White Sea, only 8 kilometers from the mouth of the Onega River (Onega Bay). 15 kilometers from it is the city of Onega, Arkhangelsk region.
Kiy Island (White Sea)
The island has an elongated shape from north to south and is small in size: 1.5 kilometers long, 800 meters wide. Next to it is Faresov Island, separated from Kia by a bridge (bridging), which is filled with water at high tide. During the period of rising water level, the only opportunity appears to get on the cue. Other islands, such as, for example, Krestovy, are also adjacent to it. All together they are called the Kiy archipelago. The name of the island of Kiy, most likely, comes from a word that occurs among the northern peoples and means “stone”.
Nature
The island is a ledge of a large stone slab overlooking the sea. It is composed of granites - the bedrock of the Baltic Shield. This is a continuation of the Karelo-Vyborg ridge. The island is experiencing a constant rise above sea level - by several millimeters per year.
On its territory you can see cliffs 25 meters high. They are polished by an ancient glacier, one can also meet the characteristic glacial relief forms - "ram's foreheads".
Although the island is small, its shores are very diverse: steep rocky, gently sloping rocky and yellow sandy beaches. In the depths there are ponds and swamps.
For the most part, the island is covered with forest, mainly pine, but junipers and mountain ash are found. Here you can find about 300 species of plants. Among them there is white Icelandic moss, strewn with stones, similar in the distance to snow, pink flowers of Ivan-tea (narrow-leaved fireweed). In summer, mushrooms and berries are harvested here, such as cloudberries, blueberries, blueberries, crowberries. Various seaweeds can be seen in sea water, and transparent jellyfish are sometimes thrown out on the banks with a wave. Pine trees that grow directly in the water on stones show dangerous places for boats to pass.
Holidays on the island
The beauty of this place creates the feeling of a fairy tale. Sitting on a rocky seashore covered with pine trees, you can retire and hide from the bustling city. Nature here is very disposed to this, since it is almost untouched by civilization, while the island of Kiy is still wild and impregnable. The rest here will be remembered for a long time, and the memories will surely remain in the heart of every traveler: fresh sea air with a subtle smell of algae, the sun, smooth boulders similar to sleeping seals, unique sunsets that amaze with their beauty.
In general, the island of Kiy is a very colorful corner of our country. Therefore, at one time a holiday house was built here, which seats 180 people. In addition, the island is notable for its ancient buildings of the 17th century, petroglyphs and an indescribable feeling of being at the edge of the world.
And of course, many will be interested in the secrets of the island of Kiy in the White Sea, associated with its curious history.
The foundation of the Onega Orthodox Monastery
In 1639, Hieromonk Nikon fled from Ansera Island (a group of Solovetsky Islands). The reason for the escape is a quarrel with the abbot of the monastery, Eleazar. He intended to get by sea to the Kozheozersky monastery. But since Nikon set off on an ordinary fishing boat, he suffered a disaster due to a raging storm at the cliffs of Onega Bay. However, the hieromonk managed to escape in the bay of the island of Kiy. In honor of this event, he establishes the famous Kia worship cross - as a tribute to tradition and thanks to God for salvation.
In 1652, Nikon sent again to the Solovetsky Island - to transfer the relics of St. Philip to Moscow. On the way back, he decides to visit Kiy Island again and put up a chapel here.
Hieromonk could not later forget this wonderful place that saved him and sheltered. In 1656, when Nikon had already become a patriarch, he asked Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich for permission to build a monastery on the island of Kiy. He proposed to found it in honor of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. The king supported this idea, and construction began on the island under the patronage of the patriarch. In 1660, Nikon consecrated a cathedral on the island of Kiy. The monastery itself was called Stavros, which in Greek means “cross”.
Decline and rebirth
Northern lands began to interest foreigners. In 1856, the English merchant Gom built a forest exchange here. The island has become a repository of wooden building materials.
In the 19th century, the monastery was empty, it was connected with the beginning of the Crimean War and the British attack on the island. In 1854, enemy troops landed on Cue. The monastery was looted and ruined. The fire that occurred the following summer caused even greater damage. Some buildings were preserved, as they were made of stone.
In 1870, the monks requested funds from the Synod for the restoration of the monastery. 9 thousand rubles were allocated. In these years, a revival of monastic life takes place. Although then only 10-15 people lived in the monastery. Here, among other things, a wooden wall appeared with towers and guns - protection against possible subsequent attacks.
When Soviet power was established, the monastery was abolished in 1922. Churches plundered and destroyed.
Monastery on the island now
In the center of the island stands an old monastery founded by Nikon. It is assumed that the patriarch wanted to create a kind of counterbalance to monasticism on the Solovetsky Islands, which was a kind of republic ruling in the White Sea.
Currently, the monastery is practically no longer here. Rather, he is, but now no spiritual life is being conducted here. The monastery existed for two and a half centuries, its buildings have survived to this day. This is a small complex in the center of which stands the Holy Cross Exaltation Cathedral.
For few comers and pilgrims, services are sometimes performed in it, baptisms take place and a church choir performs.
Once this temple was five-domed, its architecture is the same as on the Solovetsky Islands, characteristic of late Novgorod architecture, but adapted to the conditions of the Far North. For the construction used dark gray granite and limestone.
The temple once housed the oldest cross, the size of which corresponds to the one on which Christ was crucified. In it were holy relics, stones from various biblical places. He could well have died in the 19th and 20th centuries, but was transferred to Moscow and is now kept by the church of St. Sergius of Radonezh. The cross itself is a true work of art.
Other attractions
In addition to the cathedral, there is also the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin, dating from 1689. Attached to it: the bell tower, the tomb of the abbots of the monastery, the refectory, the Kelar chamber. A little lower is the Church of the Origin of the Honest Trees of the Holy Cross. Otherwise, it is called: "Church over the fount." On the wall you can see a cross on which there are written letters telling about the foundation of the monastery.
The chamber, adjoined nearby in the Petrine era, is abandoned. Only one fragment of the wooden fence remained here. Once it edged the entire monastery and was equipped with 8 towers and cannons. It was set up after the monastery came under fire from an English squadron. The cue was taken by the British, although they could not capture the Solovetsky Islands.
In the depths of the island there is a mysterious church of All Saints. A wooden building was erected at the monastery cemetery in 1661. It was a one-headed church of the cage type. It is hidden from view because it is converted into a living room.
Holiday House
Since 1924, the territory of the island of Kiy was reserved for the Rest House, and since then people come here on holiday packages. Living conditions are very modest, there is no electricity, but a generator works, which at some time breaks the silence. The holiday house is valid only in the summer. Therefore, you can relax on the island of Kiy only in the summer.
In winter, watchmen live here. On the island you can see a horse, it is used to assess the strength of ice. If it approaches the shore, but does not go further, then the ice is still too thin and it is impossible to move on it.
Those wishing to visit the island of Kiy: how to get there?
To visit the island, first of all, you need to get to the city of Onega. This is possible by train - from the regional center, Arkhangelsk, or from Moscow. In summer, from the city of Onega, they reach the island by boat or boat. In winter, Onega Bay is covered with ice. Although it is durable, its safety is not guaranteed. At low tide, it is impossible for the boat to go directly to the shore, so passengers are usually transferred to a boat to get to Kiy Island. And all, you can enjoy the solitude in nature.
Definitely worth such a long way to rest on Kiy Island. Reviews of tourists about him are mostly positive. Especially praise the natural beauty of this unique corner of the planet. It is not easy to get lost here, firstly, the island is small, and secondly, there is a large map with explanations. And also certain rules for visiting the island of Kiy are painted.