Valaam Island - uVisitRussia

Valaam Island

Valaam is the largest island of Valaam Archipelago including 50 islands.

Valaam is an island in the Ladoga lake. There is an oldest nothern monastery on the island, it was founded in the Xth or XIth century. 

The monastery was laid down in 1407 by Russian monks, but because of frequent inva-sions of the Sweden it came to complete decay by the 18th century. In 1715, when the territo-ry of Ladoga Lake was annexed by Russia as a result of the Northern War, the monastery was restored. Since 1918, when Finland got independent from Russia, the monastery was under the authority of Finnish Church, and only in 1940 it, finally, became Russian again.

The central monastery ensemble is very monumental. It is located on the high hill and can be seen from many places of the island. The Cathedral of the Transfiguration of Our Savior sur-rounded by the buildings of brethren’s cells is in the center of the monastery. Also, there are several skits in different parts of the island: Nikolsky, Of All Saints, Gethsemane, of John the Baptist, of the Christ's Resurrection.

It will be most convenient and fast to get to Valaam from the city of Priozersk. You can quick-ly reach it from St. Petersburg, and go aboard a ship there. If you want to see the picturesque shores of Ladoga Lake (they are most beautiful in the north-west), you can go on to the cities of Sortavala and Pitkyaranta and go aboard a ship there.

Alternatively, you can have a trip to Valaam directly from Petersburg (ships depart from the English Embankment), but, you must take it into account that Valaam is 215 km from Peters-burg. Hydrofoils cover this distance for about 4 hours, so the trip may take a day, but every-thing will be done in a hurried manner. Also, you may go there by a regular ship. But in this case, the trip will last for 2 nights (on the way) and one day will be allotted for visiting Valaam Monastery.