The most detailed handwritten map of the monastic island. Valaam: where it is located on the world map, description of the island, attractions, photos, how to get there Detailed map of Valaam

Today we are again in Russia. “Me and the World” will tell about the island of Valaam. Where it is located, how to find it on the map of Russia, how to get there from Moscow and other cities, and what time of year is best to visit it.

The Holy Island is the largest of the lands of the Valaam archipelago (Karelia) and is located 22 km from the mainland in Lake Ladoga. It also houses the Valaam Monastery, a monument of ancient Russian architecture.

Start

The history of the holy land is closely connected with the time when Christianity was born in Rus'. Historians believe that in ancient times here was the main temple of Veles or Volos, a pagan god who was appeased with sacrifices. If we analyze the name Valamo (in Finnish) from the etymological point of view, then “Val, Baal, Volos” is the name of God. “mo” – earth. The land of Veles or a place dedicated to this god.

In the 10th century, a monastic brotherhood already existed here under the leadership of the abbot. The first founders of the Valaam monastery are considered to be the Venerable Sergius and Herman, Greek monks who came here “from eastern countries».

Services were held in the Church of the Holy Trinity. The monastery gradually became known in other Russian cities, from which monks began to flock to live a holy life in the monastery. By the 16th century, 600 monks already lived here. But the attack of the Swedes led to the desolation of the holy monastery, and life began to revive again only years later.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, dozens famous people Russian emperors, artists, poets, writers, composers visited the holy monastery. This was the heyday of Valaam: chapels, outbuildings, roads, and two factories were built. The inhabitants of the island lived their own lives for a long time, not obeying anyone.

How to visit the shrine

Tourists who decide to visit Valaam should know that it is located in a difficult-to-reach place and there are several ways to get here. From St. Petersburg you can take a tourist voucher and sail on a comfortable Meteor boat in 3-4 hours. But this path is quite expensive. A little cheaper from Priozersk or Sortavala.

Also from these cities the motor ship “Valaam”, owned by the monastery, runs and you should register on it as a pilgrim. It is easy to get from Petrozavodsk or Moscow by private car or excursion bus in a pilgrim group. But first to Sortavala or Priozersk, and then by water on the Meteor, motor ship or ferry. Once a week, excursions are made from Petrozavodsk to visit the monastery and other attractions of the island.

Actual address: Republic of Karelia, Sortavala district, Valaam island. The monastery is clearly marked on the map of Russia and is not difficult to find.

You can travel here from May to November; with the arrival of cold weather, all excursions are canceled. Although brave souls can get there in winter on the ice of Lake Ladoga.

What to see on Valaam? There are many architectural monuments on its territory:

Valaam Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery, where the monks live.

The chapel of the icon of the Mother of God, dedicated to the arrival of the imperial family on the island in the mid-19th century.

Svyatoostrovsky monastery, representing a depression dug in the ground where Saint Alexander prayed.

White Skete, considered the most ancient on the island.

The Red Monastery attracts attention with its Russian-Israeli architecture.

Vladimirsky Skete is a modern building built in 2007.

What area of the island does all the attractions cover? This is mostly the north-west of Valaam, where the monasteries are located.

Souvenirs

You can bring various souvenirs from your trip to the holy land: magnets, pictures, rosaries, icons, prayer books, knitted and other items. Dishes made from Karelian birch bark will look beautiful in any apartment interior.

The aromatic jam made from the island's berries will please those with a sweet tooth, and local smoked trout will appeal to fish gourmets. Holidays on Valaam are a great opportunity to combine a visit to architectural shrines and a walk through the beautiful forests of the island with its unique flora and fauna.

You can come to the monastery as a labornik (worker for the glory of God) by filling out a form. Men come all year round, and women only in summer period.

Now that we know the history of the origin of the holy monastery, what lake it is located on and when is the best time to come here, we definitely recommend making this trip to everyone who is tired of the hustle and bustle of modern cities. In the photo, of course, Valaam looks beautiful, but it’s better to see everything with your own eyes and plunge into the world of the holy island.

Geographical location

We will tell you in detail where Valaam is located on the map in this article. It is part of the Valaam archipelago - a group of islands located in the northern part of Lake Ladoga relatively close to land, about 22 kilometers. In total, it includes about 50 islands, this is where Valaam is located on the map of Russia. At the same time he is largest island, occupying about 2/3 of the entire area of the archipelago.

Now you must figure out where Valaam is on the world map. Its length is only about nine and a half kilometers, and its width is less than eight. The coast from here is 22 kilometers. To understand in detail where Valaam is located on the map of Russia, we will tell you the distance from it to other nearby islands. 60 kilometers away is the island of Konevets, which is also popular among pilgrims. There is a monastery of the same name located on it, and communication with the mainland is extremely irregular, so here you can really retire and hide from the bustle and worries of the world around you.

The nearest city that will help you navigate where Valaam island is located on the map is Sortavala, 42 kilometers away. This is the center of the district of the same name, included in the list of historical cities of Russia as part of the Republic of Karelia. It is 220 kilometers from the island to St. Petersburg, if you follow the water all the time, and 40 of them will need to be sailed along the Neva River. Distance by car to Northern capital- 316 kilometers. This is where the island of Valaam is located on the map of Russia.

How to get there?

There are many ways to get to this place. Various travel companies associated with the Russian Orthodox Church regularly organize trips here for pilgrims and travelers. In this case, you only need to pay the operator, and then it will be his concern how to get to Valaam, where this island is located on the map.

Flights depart with enviable regularity from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Vinnitsa, Vladimir, Kostrova, Kyiv, Kaluga, Omsk, Belgorod, Nizhny Novgorod. The cost of such a trip will depend on the distance you plan to travel and the time you expect to spend on the island itself. For example, the estimated cost of a tour from Moscow will be 13 thousand rubles, a trip from St. Petersburg will cost approximately 10,800 rubles.

You can find out on your own where Valaam is. This will be the best option for experienced travelers who want to test themselves. In this article we will look at several options for such a trip.

From Priozersk

It is immediately worth noting that regular traffic has been established between Valaam and the mainland. transport connection, however, it can hardly be called organized. Everything is somewhat confusing, but on the spot, as a rule, it is possible to quickly understand all the details. From the mainland it is convenient to get here from Priozersk, Sortavala or Lakhdenpokhya. All of them are located on the territory of the Republic of Karelia, this is the region where Valaam is located. We emphasize that neither the island itself nor these settlements do not apply to Leningrad region, although they are located on Lake Ladoga, in close proximity to St. Petersburg.

Valaam is approximately 50 kilometers from Priozersk. Once a day a meteor and passenger ship. The journey time of the ship to its destination is about three and a half hours. It leaves from Priozersk at 9.30, and from Valaam at 17.00. The meteor moves much faster - about one hour and 15 minutes. At 11 o'clock in the morning it departs from Priozersk, and at 18.00 it departs from Valaam.

The difficulty arises in the fact that you won’t be able to buy a ticket for a ship or meteor at the ticket office, because they simply aren’t there. In order to get on the treasured ship, you will need to contact one of the trip organizers by phone. It's not difficult to get a number local residents or directly on the pier. Please note that it is better to sign up a few days in advance, otherwise you risk being delayed in Priozersk due to lack of places. Included in the ticket price sightseeing tour around the island. Now you know in which region of Valaam, where this famous island.

The path from Lakhdenpokhya

Another way is to come to the Karelian city of Lakhdenpokhya, located 40 kilometers from the island. From here you will immediately find out where Valaam is on the map and can charter a boat for several people.

Thus, the cost of the excursion will be 25,000 rubles for a group of no more than seven people. This includes a transfer (you will get to the island in 40 minutes), at least six hours of stay on Valaam itself. On average, it comes out to three and a half thousand rubles per person.

Considering that the composition of such groups is small, you can consider options for expanding and changing the route, including other islands and places that are attractive to you for a fee. For example, if you wish, you can stop by the island of Putsaari, where one of the famous monasteries is located Valaam Monastery, order an additional excursion to the Ladoga skerries.

Route from Sortavala

The city of Sortavala is located in close proximity to the island. Many believe that this will be the easiest way to get to Valaam. There really are regular transport links here. Meteors follow the route "Sortavala - Valaam - Sortavala".

They depart from the city itself four times a day - at 9.00, 11.00, 13.15 and 16.00. You can leave back at 12.15, 15.00, 17.00 and 19.15.

Travel time one way will take you about one hour. Please note that the ticket price includes a tour of the island. You can order a short program - it will cost 2,650 rubles per person on Saturdays, and on all other days - 2,350 rubles per person.

The full program includes transfer in both directions, two walking tours- to New Jerusalem and the Monastery Estate, a concert of church chants, transfer to Nikon Bay with lunch in the refectory. On Saturdays the cost of this package of services is 3,600 rubles, on all other days - 3,250 rubles per person.

For foreign tourists a short program will cost 40 and a half dollars, and an extended one - 57. Now you know the way to the island of Valaam, on which island the famous monastery is located. This place is accessible to ordinary tourists, but the fact that getting there without booking a tour is problematic is bad for independent travelers.

Pilgrimage to the monastery

You don’t have to use the services of travel agencies. To do this, you need to become a believing pilgrim and contact the appropriate service operating at the monastery.

For an Orthodox person, the local monastery is considered one of the main shrines. The elders lived in it for many years. The monastery is surrounded by amazing beautiful nature, these places are often called “Russian Northern Athos”. It must be remembered that for the pilgrim on this trip the main thing will be familiarization with the local spiritual tradition. Orthodox believers have the opportunity to take part in liturgical prayer with the brethren, even the sacraments. Divine services are at the heart of all pilgrimage programs.

During their stay on Valaam, pilgrims stay in hotels at the monastery, and eat in the refectory, in accordance with the current monastic regulations. As a rule, they spend several days here, during which an extended excursion is organized for them with visits to remote monasteries, including the oldest All Saints monastery, which is accessible exclusively to men, and Smolensky.

As an example, we will talk about the programs of the most common pilgrimage trips. You should no longer have any questions about which island Valaam is located on. The island is accessible to pilgrims even on a short time- The duration of the trip can be only two days and one night.

In this case, the cost of the pilgrimage will cost from 8,400 rubles. For this money you will be put on a bus in St. Petersburg, leaving at 7 am. In Priozersk you transfer to the ship "Valaam", on which you depart for the island at 9.30. Arrival - approximately at 13.00. After lunch - a tour of the Central Estate with a visit to the Igumensky cemetery and Nikolsky monastery. After dinner - all-night vigil in lower temple Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral.

The second day will begin with the Divine Liturgy, after breakfast at 10 a.m. it is necessary to vacate the monastery dormitory. You can store things in the storage room. Next, excursions to New Jerusalem and the Konev Lakes are planned. Departure from Valaam is at 17.00. Around midnight you will be taken to St. Petersburg, near the Ploshchad Vosstaniya metro station.

If you wish, you can stay not in the monastery hostel, but in the Igumenskaya Hotel for a fee.

Valaam Symphony

All Orthodox believers know where the Valaam Monastery is located, in what region this sacred monastery is located. Therefore, they strive to go here not for a couple of days, but to spend as much time as possible in holy places. It is possible to go here for a whole week. The eight-day trip is called the “Valaam Symphony.” Its cost will be approximately 21,500 rubles.

On the first day at seven o’clock in the morning you will be picked up by bus from St. Petersburg and taken to Priozersk, from where you will take a boat to the treasured lake. After meeting with representatives of the monastery pilgrimage service, you will be accommodated in the Flotsky House hotel in rooms for three to five people. Meals are provided at the pilgrimage refectory. After lunch - an excursion to the Igumenskoe cemetery and the Central Estate.

On the second day, you go by boat to Nikon Bay, drink tea in the refectory of the Resurrection Skete, and visit Konevsky Lakes and New Jerusalem on excursions. On the third day there is an excursion to the Nikolsky monastery. On the fourth day - excursion "Sketes in the name of All Saints and Smolensk" on Skitsky Island. Let us draw your attention to the fact that according to the monastery charter, women will not be allowed into the internal territory of the Skete of All Saints.

On the fifth day - a trip to the Rocky Coast, and on the sixth - to the Vladimir Skete and the Holy Island. On the seventh day, the pilgrims are left to their own devices. We emphasize that there is enough free time on other days, which can be spent attending divine services, liturgies and sacraments. On the eighth day - departure from the island of Valaam from 17.00.

Description of the island

Now you know where Valaam is on the map. It's not easy here weather, since these territories belong to the taiga zone. On the island itself there are two internal lakes, which are connected by canals, with their help you can also get to Lake Ladoga. WITH XIX century The island has an extensive network of reclamation ditches.

The island of Valaam (Wikipedia has this information, we will present it in this article) has a harsh climate. For example, spring comes only at the end of March, although there are much more sunny days than on the mainland. In July average temperature is about 17 degrees Celsius.

In December, winter begins and snow falls. The coldest month is February, the average temperature is about -8 degrees.

Let’s find out where the Valaam Monastery is located and on which lake it can be found. This Ladoga lake, which is located on the territory of the Leningrad region and the Republic of Karelia. It is considered the largest freshwater body of water in all of Europe. This applies to the pool Atlantic Ocean And Baltic Sea.

Story

The name of the island, apparently, comes from the Finno-Ugric word "valamo", which means high ground. Later it was mixed with the name of the soothsayer Balaam.

Before the October Revolution, the island was part of Principality of Finland. Russian emperors and members of their families regularly came to see it, for example, Alexander I and Alexander II. It was attended by many famous representatives of art and scientists - Shishkin, Kuindzhi, Tyutchev, Leskov, Shmelev, Tchaikovsky, Mendeleev, Miklouho-Maclay, Glazunov. In the 19th century, Alexander Dumas Sr. came to the island.

After Finland declared its independence in 1917, the island became part of this state, returning to the borders of Russia only after the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940.

It's weak here developed infrastructure. There is a hospital, grocery store and post office. But there are many saints and famous places. All believers want to know where Kizhi and Valaam are located on the map. Kizhi - another one Holy place, but not on Valaam, but on Lake Onega. There are two famous churches and a bell tower.

What is the monastery famous for?

According to legend, the Valaam Monastery was founded at the end of the 11th - beginning of the 12th centuries, although the exact date remains unknown. According to legend, the Apostle Andrew the First-Called, who was one of the 12 disciples of Christ, installed a cross on the Valaam Mountains when he wandered around the north, spreading Christianity. Almost a millennium later, the monastery was founded by the monks Sergius and German, who presumably lived in the 10th century.

The first reliable information about the history of the monastery dates back to XIV century when he is mentioned in the life of Savvaty Solovetsky. By the beginning of the 16th century, about 600 monks lived here, but the island was regularly attacked by the Swedes, which resulted in its desolation.

In 1715, during the Northern War, Peter I issued a decree on the restoration of the Valaam monastery at the request of Orthodox priests, in particular, Archimandrite Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery. In 1719, the wooden Transfiguration Church was consecrated.

The monastery began to actively develop after 1730. By 1765, 11 monks lived there. The greatest growth of the monastery occurred in the 19th century, when Father Damascene was the rector. He led it for 42 years. It was under him that work was carried out on the island under the guidance of qualified architects, including academician Alexei Gornostaev.

Under Father Damascus, a harsh regime was established for novices. In particular, long-term labor obediences and mandatory care of elders for young monks and novices were introduced. After his death, the leadership of the monastery was taken over by Jonathan II, who completed the construction of the Transfiguration Cathedral, designed for three thousand people. According to the plan of the Valaam companions, the monastery was supposed to turn into the New Jerusalem, so at the beginning of the 20th century names began to appear here, sending believers to the times of the New Testament - Mount of Olives, Kidron, Resurrection Skete, Gethsemane. When did the first one begin? World War, about a thousand monks lived on the island.

After the October Revolution, Valaam became part of Finland. The monks experienced discrimination, since Lutheranism was the dominant religion in Finland. During the Soviet-Finnish War, fighting took place on the territory of the monastery. The monks left the island, taking with them the main shrines. Among them were the original Valaam Icon of the Mother of God and bells.

The novices returned to the island only in 1989. Only six monks began the revival of the monastery. According to the latest information, more than two hundred monks live in the monastery. From 30 to 40 employees work on a permanent basis.

The Valaam monastery is considered stauropegial. This means that it is under the direct control of the Moscow Patriarchate. About one hundred thousand pilgrims visit it annually, of which up to 90 percent are tourists. There are four hotels on the island that can accommodate up to two hundred people at a time. A strict pilgrimage order has been established on the territory of the monastery, since during the summer months there is an extremely large influx of pilgrims. The rules of stay in the Athos monasteries are taken as the basis for the routine.

From the collections of the Museum of the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Valaam Monastery. At the Predtechensky Skete you can count the number of houses for hermit-hermits, and you can see a large fraternal building (not yet restored by us).

Before us is a unique historical document - a map of the island of Valaam from 1903, drawn by hand. A hundred years after its creation, in 2003, it was handed over to the abbot of the Valaam Monastery, Bishop Pankraty of Trinity, by art historian Lyudmila Vladimirova Stepanova, a person who has been studying the history of the monastery for decades. This map was found in 1946 on the windowsill of the empty Transfiguration Church. They took it with them and resold it to someone, was bought by benefactors for $2,000 and returned to the monastery during the II International Scientific Conference on Valaam.

The name of the author of the map is unknown to us, but one thing is certain: the one who created it was one of the inhabitants of the monastery - whether a monk, novice or worker - i.e. he was one of those people who lived on the island for a long time. The map, completely drawn by hand, with the smallest details, comprehensively and comprehensively “describes” the everyday life of the “monastic republic” with details that are unknown to a simple pilgrim. But, perhaps, this is not even the main thing: what is more important is the love with which this work was done. The purity of heart and sincerity of the author made up for the lack of pictorial skill of the cartographer; all the drawings were made with childish naivety, and because of this they do not lose any of their authenticity.

1903: providentially, at the time the map was created, the monastery and the Russian Empire were on the verge of the most difficult trials. The author recorded precisely the moment when the monastery reached its greatest prosperity: the number of inhabitants grew to a thousand people, the communal, monastic and solitary, hermitic way of monastic life was revived. Numerous chapels, temples and monasteries were rebuilt, with the exception of Smolensk, which will be consecrated in 1917. A unique library was collected and an icon-painting workshop was created. Thanks to the labors of the brethren, the monastery fully provided itself with food supplies: gardens and vegetable gardens were laid out, fields were cultivated, fishing and the collection of forest mushrooms and berries were organized. The Valaam economy included the production of everything necessary: mining and processing of stone, brick making, resin, candle, leather workshops; its own stables and dairy farm.

And who could then imagine that half a century later the monastery would fall into desolation - churches and chapels would be desecrated and destroyed, and Valaam names and names would seem to disappear forever from the memory of compatriots. But another half a century has passed - and Valaam again recreates what remained to live on the old hand-drawn map.

We, today's inhabitants, are fascinated by the thoughtfulness of the existence and structure of the “monastic republic,” as Valaam was often called by contemporaries. The names of places known and unknown to us are touching, for example, the familiar Resurrection Monastery, which the monastic organizers conceived and called nothing less than New Jerusalem. On the site of the present Smolensk skete there was the Nilostolbenskaya Hermitage. On the map you can find names we have forgotten: skudelnaya (pottery production), fish pond, Chukhonskoe field and nearby - the Chukhonskoye hotel (that is, Finnish in the modern concept).

On the map, in the direction of the Holy Island, a steamboat under the St. Andrew's flag is running along the Ladoga waves and is towing two barges with pilgrims. At the Predtechensky Skete you can count the number of houses for hermit-hermits, and you can see a large fraternal building (not yet restored by us). And the joy of staying in the monastery for pilgrims is vividly conveyed by two cheerful tarataikas that rush around the island.

I wonder if there were speed limits on Valaam back then? The fact that in those days pilgrims and pilgrims could move around the islands only accompanied by monastics and only at certain hours is evidenced by the old gates of some monasteries, which have been preserved in some places, for example, near the Vladimirsky Bridge. This order has been established since the time of Abbot Damascus (+ 1881). Only artists had the blessing to move around the monastic island separately, but for a photographer of those years and his equipment, at a minimum, a cart was needed.

How much tenderness there is in these thin lines! There is so much childish spontaneity and purity in the splayed trees and upside-down houses! And at the same time, we have before us a historical document of amazing accuracy, which can and should be read and re-read, revealing new details, finding what seemed to be lost and forgotten. Like a beetle that remains timeless in a drop of amber, so on the map everything is alive and full of grace, and the one who left his handwritten work to his descendants involuntarily stretched a connecting thread - from the past to the present day.

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