Tierra del Fuego is located in Belozersky district. On its territory there is a colony - the last refuge of criminals sentenced to life imprisonment.
Shadows of the past
The prison building in the past was a man’s monastery, which was founded in 1517. There is such a legend: the Mother of God appeared to St. Cyril in a dream and told that Fiery Island should become his place on this Earth. The priest left the Tikhvin Monastery and bought this island. Its territory is small - you can look around. Many did not like the idea of St. Cyril about the construction of a monastery. The priest was robbed more than once, called to leave the island of Fire. Once the thieves with their prey got lost on the lake. Rev. Cyril, having met them, warned that the punishment for atrocities would be revealed by the Lord Himself. Coincidence or not, but it is in this place that the most brutal bandits are today enclosed.
Reprofiling
After the 1917 revolution , the monastery was no longer used for its intended purpose. Convicts under various articles began to serve their sentences in the monastery. At first, it was a general labor correctional colony . Since 1994, only prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment were sent to this institution. The choice of this place fell by chance: the impressive thickness of the monastery walls reliably guards cruel criminals from the outside world.
Tierra del Fuego today is a place of serving the sentence of two hundred killers. Many of them ruined more than one life, and with particular rigidity. Visiting journalists are always impressed by the cards on the doors of the cells: from them you can learn about all the crimes of prisoners. At this moment, it is difficult not to succumb to a comprehensive fear, because being among such cruel people is psychologically difficult.
There are three criminals in each cell. During infrequent walks, these people are necessarily handcuffed, they move around with their hands behind their backs, in a bent position. Sometimes they leave their cells in order to undergo a medical examination. The prisoners work daily for an hour and a half - they sew gloves.
The colony has a psychologist. It helps criminals overcome difficult moments. Many prisoners came to God. It is noteworthy that all the icons in the local confession chapel are made by the hands of the convicted.
Daily routine
Fiery Island, where there is a prison for “life imprisoners,” exists according to its own laws. Every day, colony employees go through a specific plan. In the morning, workers walk through all the cells and ask if everything is in order. In response, they hear: "Everything is fine, there are no questions, the camera is in good condition." This kind of communication ends until the next morning. According to this scenario, days, years go by ... Psychologists have found that after seven years of such a life, a person begins to rapidly degrade. The only thing that supports prisoners is letters from relatives.
On a neighboring island there are people who work in this colony. Around the gloom, devastation, impassability. The Fiery Island, whose photos turn out gloomy even on a sunny day, has become for many people the end of the world ...