Valaam Favorites

Favorite thing: Life for the monks of Valaam was always something of a feat. Situated on the border between Russia and Sweden, this Russian monastery was frequently raided and demolished by Swedes. The monks, following God's commandment, never took arms to defend themselves. They either took refuge in the nearest monasteries or surrendered to the mercy of the invaders and died as martyrs. In the 17th century the cloister was completely destroyed and for 100 years these lands were under Swedish rule. After the Northern War, by the grace of God, the cloister was revived. Moreover, by the middle of the 19th century it became one of the richest and most famous monasteries in Russia.

Fondest memory: Most of the buildings now at Valaam were erected during the 19th century. By common efforts of the monks guided by hegumenos (the superior of a Russian Orthodox monastery) Damaskin sketes were founded, churches and chapels built, new roads constructed and veneration crosses erected. The monastery had about 30 workshops, including small factories. The cloister produced tar, candles, had its own tannery, brickworks and metalworking shop, to name only a few, a farm with 70 cows and a stable with as many horses. The monks were occupied with farming and fishing. The cloister provided itself with everything needed. Besides, it had an outstanding library, an icon - painting workshop and an art studio as well as a photography workshop.

Favorite thing: But here the beauty of the material world is the reflection of that of the spirit. For Russians, as well as for all the adherents of the Orthodox Church, Valaam is first of all a cloister with a long history and great spiritual significance. For many centuries it has been the spiritual center of Orthodoxy and therefore has been known in Russia as the Northern Athos.

Fondest memory: There is no exact data as to when the first monks came to Valaam. According to monastery tradition, in the 1st century St Andrew the First-Called, the Apostle of Christ, who is believed to have brought Christianity to Slavs and Scythians, visited this island. He demolished pagan temples of local tribes and erected his cross on one of the cliffs. Other sources tell us that much later, yet before the Baptism of Russia (which took place in the year 988), the Greek monks Sts. Sergius and Herman the Miracleworkers came here and founded the Monastery in the name of the Transfiguration of our Saviour. Many Russian Saints, such as Avraamy Rostovsky, Sawaty Solovetsky, Arseny Konevsky, Kornily Paleostrovsky, Alexander Svirsky, Afanasy Syandemsky and Adrian Ondrousovsky took the vows or spent years at Valaam, and later became founders of monasteries all over Russia. St.Herman of Alaska, the first Orthodox Saint of America, who brought Orthodoxy to this continent in the 18th century, had also been a Valaam monk.

Favorite thing: Most of the territory of the archipelago is covered with coniferous forest though there are also dedduous species. Nearly all of these trees - oak, ash, elm, poplar, lime, as well as larch and abies - were brought here from the mainland. Valaam also used to be famous for its gardens. These are purely the result of the hard labor of monks and pilgrims, since gardens were unusual for these latitudes and notorious for their harvests.

Fondest memory: The cliffs rising out of the rough Ladoga water and the quiet inner lakes, the old firs and pines resisting the winds and the light gardens and alleys, the austerity of the Northern natural setting and the beauty of the architecture - all this gives Valaam incomparable attraction, and it is justly reputed one of the most beautiful islands of the world.

Favorite thing: The geological structure of the archipelago is rather distinctive. Unlike the granite shore of Karelia, the islands are mainly diabase and therefore rich in iron. The consequence of this and the result of oxidation is the red colour of the rock. The rock itself is clearly visible - only parts of it are covered with a thin layer of soil.

Fondest memory: The flora and fauna of the islands are represented by a great number of unique species. One can find here about 480 species of plants typical for various areas and 200 species of birds. There are no beasts of prey on the islands, but squirrels and hares are in abundance. Occasionally it is possible to come across an elk. Remote parts of the archipelago are inhabited by seals, peculiar only to Lake Ladoga. One can find here a great variety of fish, among them valuable species of salmon, white fish, grayling and many others.

Favorite thing:
Troitse-Sergieva Lavra, Optina Pustyn, Divejevo...
The spiritual light of these Russian cloisters has always attracted pilgrims from all over the world. Valaam ranks high among other monasteries, it differs from the majority of them in that it is located on an island. Surrounded by water, far away from the rest of the world, it seems to be designed for quiet life - the life of hermits and ascetics.

Fondest memory: Strictly speaking, Valaam is not an island - it is an archipelago consisting of 50 islands in the Northern part of lake Ladoga. The archipelago is not very large - it takes up only about 36 sq. km. The largest of the islands has a territory of 27,8 sq. km. It is also called Valaam. The nearest Karelian town • Sortavala (formerly known as Serdobol) is 42 km away, and Saint Petersburg - 227 km.

Favorite thing: Total area of its fifty islands is 36km2. The wonderful nature of Valaam is unique in Europe: sheer rocks rasing high from the depths, little islands, capes, bays. Straits, lakes surrounded by thick plants and sullen granite rocks reflect everything in their azure, and tall coniferous trees complete the marvelous, magnificent picture.

Favorite thing: Valaam is an archipelago in the Lake Ladoga with the Monastery of the Transfiguration of the Saviour. The first information about Valaam monastery dates back to 1329. Monastic life is still preserved at Valaam.

Favorite thing: Everyone arriving at the main Monastery bay sees from afar the church of St. Nicolas, the patron saint of sailors and those that travel, whose prayers sanctify the waters.

Fondest memory: The present church was built in 1853 at the place of the old chapel and lighthouse (1809). The construction was sponsored by a merchant from St. Petersburg Nikolai Solodovnikov Alexander Dumas, who having visited Valaam in l858, wrote that 'the church is a real treasure both in its artistic beauty and its wealth