Valaam is the island in Republic of Karelia of Russia, located in the Northern part of the largest freshwater lakes in Europe - Ladoga, it is the largest island in the Valaam archipelago. On the island there is the village of Valaam, and the monument of Russian architecture - the Valaam monastery, founded before the baptism of Russia, in the year 960, the monk Sergius and Herman, the Greek Holy monks. Transfiguration monastery became the spiritual center of Ladoga lands. It is believed that in ancient times on the island, was located the main temple of Veles (or Volos) and Perun, who were the main deities for the Gentiles living close. The monastic tradition says that the Holy Apostle Andrew, enlightener of the Scythians and the Slavic peoples, moving along the route "from the Varangians to the Greeks", blessed of cross the mountain on the island. In the 15th century the monastery was called the Great Lavra or the Northern Athos. Here was the center of world Orthodoxy and writing of books. By the early 16th century in the monastery lived 600 monks. Now in the monastery about two hundred inhabitants. Life revived in All saints, the Baptist, St. Nicholas, Svyatoostrovsky, Sergievsky sketes.
Period 1839-1917 is the heyday of the monastery. In 1989 on December 13, the day of memory of St. Andrew, when the island came six monks, the monastery began the process of revival. And 16 years later, in 2005, was first heard 1000-pound bell "Andrew", mounted on the bell tower in the monastery in the framework of the restoration of an ancient belfry. The feast of the Nativity of the blessed virgin Mary September 21, 2008 Patriarch Alexy II consecrated the St. Vladimir skete on Valaam island and conducted the first divine Liturgy in the temple. Resurrection skete, located above Big Nikon Bay, on the mountain, was built in the early twentieth century in the place where according to tradition St. The Apostle Andrew erected a stone cross. Valaam island attracts every year thousands of tourists. The reason - the Valaam Islands have a unique nature, pine forests on the cliffs, warm and quiet inland lakes, the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Valaam monastery. During its formation, the monks brought the land, seeds and seedlings of plants from different parts of our country. For such a Northern location is not usual to see some trees and grass. The age of some of them is over three hundred years. The work of the Valaam monks are so fundamental that some areas are truly hand-made. Balaam - the natural reserve, a unique monument of Park art. There are more than 480 species of plants. The island was visited repeatedly by emperors Alexander I, Alexander II, and other members of the imperial family and also Tchaikovsky and Mendeleyev.
The present life of the monastery, another indication that faith invariably raises and restores the monastery from the ruins. So it was throughout the history of Valaam barbarous raids of the Swedes in ancient times, the bombing and the uncertain fate of the monastery during World War 2, it complete, it would seem that the devastation in the era of atheism – monastic life always has returned to these shores.

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