Revered Monasteries and Dreaded Prison Camps: Solovetskiye

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A Russian Orthodox Church Website
Orthodox Christianity and the World
http://www.pravmir.com
Revered Monasteries and Dreaded Prison Camps: Solovetskiye
Islands
Photoreport by Constantin Chalabov, RIANovosti
The Solovetskiye Islands in the White Sea in the north of Russia are an archipelago of six large islands in
the mouth of Onega Bay. A restricted national park area is located on Greater Solovetsky Island
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Seagulls are one of the symbols of the Solovetskiye Islands.
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In the early 18th century, the Golgotha-Raspyatsky (Calvary-Crucifixion) priory was established on Anzer
Island. In 1923, the monastery was closed, and the Solovetsky Special Purpose Camp (SLON) – the largest
Soviet prison camp of the 1920s – opened on the islands
In 1967, all the buildings of the priory became the property of the Solovetsky Museum and Reserve. On
July 3, 1994, a cross was erected at the foot of the Golgotha (Calvary) Hill in memory of all martyred
Orthodox Christian hierarchs.
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The Solovetsky archipelago is also home to the Solovetsky Spaso-Preobrazhensky (Transfiguration of Our
Savior) Monastery.
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Today, the Solovetsky archipelago accommodates the Solovetskiye Islands educational center, which
comprises a summer university, a summer cultural-environmental school, a summer handicrafts school and
a volunteer center.
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The chapels on Greater Solovetsky Island are located outside the fortress walls of the Solovetsky
Monastery. The Konstantin Chapel, pictured, was built in 1844 to commemorate a visit to the monastery
by Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich, the son of Czar Nicholas I.
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Monastic life was resumed at the Solovetsky Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery on October 25, 1990.
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In 1992, the complex of historical landmarks of the Solovetsky Museum-Reserve was included in the
UNESCO World Heritage List.
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The architectural ensemble of the Solovetsky Monastery is located on the shore of Blagopoluchiya
(Prosperity) Bay on Greater Solovetsky Island.
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The pentagonal monastery compound is surrounded by massive walls standing 8-11 meters high and 4-6
meters thick with seven gates and eight towers, built in 1584-1594 by an architect named Trifon. The
1,085-meter-long walls are made of huge stones up to five meters in diameter.
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The Golgotha-Raspyatsky priory can only be visited when accompanied by a guide from the monastery
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Pilgrims wishing to visit the Solovetskiye Islands are advised to go there during the June 1 – September 30
navigation season, when the monastery can be reached by motorboat.
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Priest feeding a cat on the Solovetsky Island in the Arkhangelsk Region.
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A young pilgrim on the Solovetsky Island in the Arkhangelsk Region.
Source: RIA Novosti
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Revered Monasteries and Dreaded Prison Camps: Solovetskiye

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