Valaam is a group of islands situated in the very northern part of lake Ladoga, close to the western border of european Russia. Valaam islands are mostly known as the location place of Valaam monastery, one of the most well-known and ancient monasteries in Russia.
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| Arrival to Valaam Island |
If you try to find out how old is this monastery you'll get different numbers, from 500-600 to one thousand years ago. In my opinion, the age of Valaam monastery is not the main circumstance that makes this place worth visiting. Valaam is also very picturesque nature of Ladoga and really impressive masterpieces of architecture.
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| An Old Stone Cross (there in the middle, on the opposite shore) |
Most easily, you can start a water trip to Valaam islands from one of the following places: St. Petersburg, Priozersk and Sortavala.
St. Petersburg stands near the opposite shore of lake Ladoga and it will take more than several hours to get to the islands from this beautiful city. You can travel onboard one of many cruise ships like the one on the photo below. Cruise companies often combine excursion to Valaam with excursion to Kizhi Island (lake Onega) and some other interesting sights into one trip.
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| A Cruise Ship Standing in a Harbor of Valaam |
If you're not a fan of cruises you can travel by a smaller ship from the town of Priozersk or from the town of Sortavala. Priozersk is closer to St. Petersburg (about 130 km / 81 miles) and Sortavala is closer to Valaam. A ship from Priozersk goes about 1,5-2 hours, a ship from Sortavala about 1 hour.
It's not easy to buy tickets if you prefer to visit Valaam on your own, without a travel agency. Almost the only possible way is to try to get on the ship during its embarkation, if there are vacant seats.
Actually, booking a trip with guided excursion from a travel company is rather good idea as far as it's not easy to find all paths and sights yourself on the vast area of Valaam islands.
Having said some words about the transport and how to get to Valaam I'll proceed to the description of a trip to Valaam from Sortavala.
First of all, few words about this interesting town. Sortavala is a small town that doesn't look very russian. For some time it belonged to the territory of Finland, that's why today we can see there different nice finnish buildings.
In Sortavala you can visit the museum of Kronid Gogolev which becomes more and more popular in Russia and abroad. Kronid Gogolev was an extraodinary talented artist who lived in the 20th and the beginning of the 21st century (most or all of his life here, in Sortavala, as I remember). When I visited Sortavala few years ago he was still alive... In the museum you'll see his masterpieces - kind of pictures where all the images are very skillfully carved in wood. Here is one of them.
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| A Picture from the Museum of Kronid Gogolev |
After its short trip from Sortavala the ship arrives to the harbor situated in the Monastery Bay of Valaam Island. I think, I should make it clear that the largest island of the archipelago is also called Valaam (not only the whole archipelago). As you can see on the photo there's not so much space for ships in this harbor.
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| In the Monastery Bay of Valaam Island |
A hundred steps away from the shore line you'll see interesting stairs leading to the top of the rocky hill where you'll find the central buildings of Valaam monastery.
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| Valaam Monastery with the Cathedral of the Transfiguration |
After you enter the monastery gates taking any photos and video is strictly prohibited. Besides the Transfiguration cathedral travellers usually visit the monastery cemetary and listen to the church singing of famous Valaam choir. On the monastery cemetary you can see graves of different monks. I remember among them there was even a king of Sweden who lived few hundred years ago and became a monk due to some circumstances.
After the central part of the monastery travellers usually visit some sketes situated on other parts of Valaam island or even on other islands of the archipelago.
The word "skete" in russian originally means a kind of place, small dwelling, where few monks live. For Valaam, skete is a separate place where several monks can live. Here a skete has usually got a church and some household buildings. There's about one dozen sketes on Valaam.
Travellers often visit the Skete of the Resurrection. There it's also possible to have a dinner, at the monastery canteen, on the photo.
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| Monastery Canteen (Skete of the Resurrection) |
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| Gefsimansky Skete in the Process of Restoration |
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| Gefsimansky Skete after the Restoration (source: http://valaam.ru/ru/restoration/photos.php?id=2334) |
On the way to or from the Monastery Bay of Valaam, when you sail on a ship, you can see the church of Nickolsky Skete (the Skete of St. Nicholas). From my point of view it's the most beautiful architectural masterpiece of Valaam.
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| the Church of St. Nicholas Skete |
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| View from the Highest Point of Valaam Island |
On Valaam you can walk along the long wooden alleys with trees planted by monks two or more hundred years ago, find different hidden places connected with the ancient history of the monastery, see the inner lakes of Valaam island, visit other islands of the archipelago...
They say that one day isn't enough to feel all the beauty of Valaam... though, of course, it's better than not seeing this place at all.
