The most detailed handwritten map of the monastic island. The holy island of Valaam: where it is located, photo and description Route from Sortavala

Where Valaam is located on the map is of interest to all travelers and pilgrims who want to visit this island. It is the largest in the Valaam archipelago, located in the northern part Lake Ladoga... There is a village of the same name and the famous monument of ancient Russian architecture Valaam male monastery... So this destination is both popular among tourists and pilgrims. In fact, it is part of the Sortavalsky region of the Republic of Karelia.

Geographic location

Where Balaam is located on the map, we will tell you in detail 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 away. In total, it includes about 50 islands, this is where Valaam is located on the map of Russia. Moreover, he is largest island, occupying about 2/3 of the entire area of the archipelago.

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

The closest city that will help you find your way around the island of Valaam on the map is Sortavala, 42 kilometers away. This is the center of the region of the same name, included in the list of historical cities of Russia as part of the Republic of Karelia. To St. Petersburg from the island 220 kilometers, if you follow the water all the time, and 40 of them will need to sail along the Neva River. The distance by car to the Northern capital is 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 his concern will be how to get to Valaam, where this island is located on the map.

Flights with enviable regularity depart from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Vinnitsa, Vladimir, Kostrov, Kiev, 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 approximate cost of a tour from Moscow will be 13 thousand rubles, a trip from St. Petersburg will cost about 10 800 rubles.

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

From Priozersk

It should be noted right away that between Valaam and the mainland there is a regular transport connection, however, it is difficult to call it organized. Everything is somewhat confusing, but on the spot, as a rule, it is possible to quickly figure out all the details. From the mainland, it is convenient to get here from Priozersk, Sortavala or Lakhdenpohja. 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 belong to the Leningrad region, although they are located on Lake Ladoga, in the immediate vicinity of St. Petersburg.

It is about 50 kilometers from Priozersk to Valaam. Once a day, a meteor and a passenger ship go here and back. The travel time of the ship to the destination is about three and a half hours. It departs 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 he leaves Priozersk, and at 6 pm he leaves from Valaam.

Difficulties arise in the fact that you will not be able to buy a ticket for a ship or a meteor at the box office, because they simply do not exist here. In order to get on the coveted ship, you need to contact one of the trip organizers by phone. It is not difficult to get a number from local residents or directly at the pier. Note that it is better to sign up a few days in advance, otherwise you risk staying in Priozersk due to lack of seats. The ticket price includes sightseeing tour across the island. Now you know in which area of Valaam this famous island is located.

Way from Lahdenpohja

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

So, 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 reach 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 from each.

Considering that the composition of such groups is small, you can consider options for expanding and re-routing, including other islands and places of interest for you for a fee. For example, if you wish, you can visit Putsaari Island, where one of the famous hermitages of the Valaam Monastery is located, and order an additional excursion around the Ladoga skerries.

Route from Sortavala

The town of Sortavala is located in close proximity to the island. Many believe that this will be the easiest way to get to Balaam. There is indeed a regular transport connection. Meteora follow the route "Sortavala - Valaam - Sortavala".

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

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

The full program includes a roundtrip transfer, two walking tours- to New Jerusalem and the Monastery Estate, a concert of church chants, transfer to Nikon's 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, the short program will cost $ 40 and a half, and the 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 for ordinary tourists, but the fact that getting into it without ordering an excursion is problematic and bad for independent travelers.

Pilgrimage to the monastery

You may not use the services of travel agencies. To do this, you need to become a believing pilgrim, contact the appropriate service operating at the monastery.

For an Orthodox person, the local monastery is considered one of the main shrines. Elders lived in it for many years. The monastery is surrounded by amazingly beautiful nature, often these places are called "Russian northern Athos". It should be remembered that for the pilgrim on this trip, the main thing will be an introduction to the local spiritual tradition. Orthodox believers have the opportunity to take part in liturgical prayer together with the brethren, even in 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 monastery charter. As a rule, they spend several days here, during which an extended excursion is organized for them with a visit to remote sketes, including the oldest All Saints, which is available exclusively for men, and Smolensk.

As an example, we will tell you 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 for a short time - the duration of the trip can be as little as 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 o'clock in the morning. In Priozersk, you transfer to the Valaam motor ship, on which you leave for the island at 9.30 am. Arrival at approximately 13.00. After lunch - excursion around the Central Estate with a visit to the Igumensky cemetery and Nikolsky skete. After supper - all-night vigil in the lower church of the Transfiguration Cathedral.

The second day will begin with Divine Liturgy, after breakfast at 10 o'clock in the morning it is necessary to vacate the monastery hostel. You can store your belongings in the pantry. Further excursions to New Jerusalem and Konevskie Lakes are planned. Departure from Valaam - at 17.00. At about midnight you will be taken to St. Petersburg, in the area of the Ploschad Vosstaniya metro station.

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

Valaam Symphony

All Orthodox believers know where the Valaam Monastery is located, in which area 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. There is an opportunity 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, taken to Priozersk, from where you will get to the cherished lake by boat. After meeting with representatives of the monastery's pilgrimage service, you will be accommodated in the "Flotskiy Domik" hotel in rooms for three to five people. Meals are provided in the pilgrim refectory. After lunch - excursion to the Hegumen Cemetery and the Central Estate.

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

On the fifth day - a trip to the Rocky Coast, and on the sixth - to the Vladimirsky Skete and the Holy Island. On the seventh day, the pilgrims are on their own. 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 Balaam is located on the map. The weather conditions are difficult here, since the local territories belong to the taiga zone. On the island itself there are two internal lakes, which are interconnected by canals, with their help you can get to Lake Ladoga. Since the 19th century, the island has an extensive network of drainage ditches.

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

Winter begins in December, snow falls. The coldest month is February, the average temperature is about -8 degrees.

Let's clarify where the Valaam Monastery is located, on which lake it can be found. This is Lake Ladoga, 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 refers to the pool Atlantic Ocean and the 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 the Finnish principality. It was regularly visited by Russian emperors and members of their families, 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, Miklukho-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.

The infrastructure is poorly developed here. There is a hospital, a grocery store and a post office. But there are many saints and famous places... All believers want to know where Kizhi and Valaam are on the map. Kizhi is another 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 in the late 11th - early 12th centuries, while 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 across 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 the XIV century, when it was mentioned in the life of Savvaty of 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, the archimandrite of the Kirillo-Belozersky monastery. In 1719, the wooden Transfiguration Church was consecrated.

The monastery began to develop actively after 1730. By 1765, 11 monks lived there. The greatest rise of the monastery falls on the 19th century, when Father Damascene was the abbot. 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 Damascene, a harsh regime was established for the novices. In particular, long-term labor obediences were introduced, the obligatory care of the elders for young monks and novices. After his death, the leadership of the monastery was taken 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 to turn into New Jerusalem, therefore, at the beginning of the 20th century, names began to appear here, referring believers to the time of the New Testament - Mount Olivet, Kidron, the Resurrection skete, Gethsemane. When the First began World War, about a thousand monks lived on the island.

After the October Revolution, Valaam became part of Finland. Monks experienced discrimination, as in Finland the dominant religion was Lutheranism. During the Soviet-Finnish war, hostilities were fought 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, bells.

The novices returned to the island only in 1989. The revival of the monastery was started only by six monks. 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 stavropegic. 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, which can simultaneously accommodate up to two hundred people. A strict order of pilgrimage is established on the territory of the monastery, since in the summer months there is an extremely large influx of pilgrims. The rules of stay in the Athonite monasteries are taken as the basis of the routine.

From the funds of the Museum of the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Valaam Monastery. On the Forerunner Skete, one can count the number of houses for the hermit-wanderers, and one can see a large fraternal corps (not yet restored by us). Before us is a unique historical document - a hand-drawn map of Valaam Island from 1903. A hundred years after its creation, in 2003, art critic Lyudmila Vladimirova Stepanova, a person who has been studying the history of the monastery for more than a dozen years, gave it to the abbot of the Valaam Monastery, Bishop Pankraty of Trinity.

This map was found in 1946 on the windowsill of the empty Transfiguration Church. They took it with us, resold it to someone, the handwritten map was bought by benefactors for $ 2,000 and returned to the monastery during the II International Scientific Conference on Valaam.

We do not know the name of the author of the map, but one thing is certain: the one who created it was one of the inhabitants of the monastery - whether a monk, novice, or laborer - that is, 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, three-dimensionally and versatile "describes" the everyday life of the "monastic republic" with details that are unknown to an ordinary pilgrim. But, perhaps, even this is not 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 are made with childish naivety, and from this they do not lose their authenticity at all.

1903: during the providential time of creating the map, the monastery and the Russian Empire were on the verge of hardest trials. The author recorded exactly the moment when the monastery reached its highest prosperity: the number of inhabitants increased to a thousand people, the cenobitic, hermitage and secluded, hermitic way of monastic life was revived. Numerous chapels, temples and hermitages were rebuilt, with the exception of Smolensk, which will be consecrated in 1917. A unique library was assembled and an icon-painting workshop was created. Through the labor of the brethren, the monastery fully provided itself with food supplies: gardens and vegetable gardens were laid, fields were cultivated, fishing and collection of forest mushrooms and berries was established. The Valaam economy also included the production of everything necessary: mining and processing of stone, making bricks, resin, candle, leather workshops; its own stable and dairy farm.

And who could then imagine that half a century later the monastery would come to desolation - temples and chapels would be desecrated and destroyed, and the Valaam names and names, it seemed, would forever disappear from the memory of compatriots. But another half 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 being and the structure of the "monastic republic", as contemporaries often called Valaam. The names of places known and unknown to us are touching, for example, the familiar Resurrection skete, which the organizing monks conceived and called nothing but New Jerusalem. On the site of the present Smolensk skete, the Nilostolbenskaya hermitage was located. On the map you can find the names we have forgotten: scanty (pottery), fish tank, Chukhonskoye field and nearby - Chukhonskaya hotel (that is, Finnish in the modern concept).

On the map, in the direction of the Holy Island, a steamer under the St. Andrew's flag runs along the Ladoga waves and pulls two barges with pilgrims in tow. On the Forerunner Skete, one can count the number of houses for the hermit-wanderers, and one can see a large fraternal corps (not yet restored by us). And the joy of staying in the monastery for the pilgrims is vividly conveyed by two merry cocktails that rush around the island.

I wonder if there were speed limits on Valaam 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 sketes, which have been preserved in some places, for example, near the Vladimir Bridge. This order has been established since the time of Abbot Damascene (+ 1881). Only artists had the blessing to move around the monastic island separately, but for the photographer of those years and his equipment, at least, a wagon was needed.

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

Today we are back in Russia. "I and the World" tells about the island of Valaam. Where is it, how to find it on the map of Russia, how to get from Moscow and other cities, and what time of year is it better 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 Russian ancient architecture.

Start

The history of the holy land is closely connected with the time when Christianity was born in Russia. Historians believe that in ancient times there was the main temple of Veles or Volos, a pagan god who was placated with sacrifices. If we analyze the name Valamo (in Finnish) from the etymology side, then “Val, Baal, Volos” is the name of God. "Mo" - earth. 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 Monks Sergius and Herman, Greek monks who came here "from the Eastern countries", are considered the first founders of the Valaam monastery.

Services were conducted in the Church of the Holy Trinity. The monastery gradually became known in other Russian cities, from which monks began to flock for a holy life in the monastery. By the 16th century, there were already 600 monks living 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 visited the holy monastery: Russian emperors, artists, poets, writers, composers. This is the heyday of Valaam: chapels, outbuildings, roads, 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 hard to reach place and you can get here in several ways. From Peter you can take tourist voucher and take a comfortable boat "Meteor" in 3-4 hours. But this path is quite costly. Slightly cheaper from Priozersk or Sortavala.

Also, the motor ship "Valaam" runs from these cities, which belongs to the monastery and you should register on it as a pilgrim. It is easy to get from Petrozavodsk or Moscow by personal car or sightseeing bus in a pilgrimage group. But first to Sortavala or Priozersk, and then by water on "Meteor", motor ship or ferry. Once a week there are excursions from Petrozavodsk visiting the monastery and other attractions of the island.

Actual address: Republic of Karelia, Sortavalsky district, Valaam island. On the map of Russia, the monastery is clearly marked and it is not difficult to find it.

You can drive here from May to November, with the arrival of cold weather all excursions are canceled. Although daredevils 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 monks live.

Chapel of the Icon of the Mother of God, dedicated to the arrival of the imperial family on the island in the middle of the 19th century.

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

White Skete, considered the oldest on the island.

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

Vladimirsky skete is a modern building in 2007.

What area of the island do all the attractions occupy? This is mostly northwest of Valaam, where the sketes are located.

Souvenirs

From a trip to the holy land, you can bring various souvenirs: magnets, pictures, rosary beads, icons, prayer books, knitted goods and other products. Crockery made of Karelian birch bark will look beautiful in any apartment interior.

The aromatic jam made from the berries of the island will appeal to sweets, and the local smoked trout will appeal to fish gourmets. Rest on Valaam is a great opportunity to combine a visit to architectural shrines and a walk through the beautiful forests of the island with unique flora and fauna.

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

Now, knowing the history of the emergence of the holy monastery, on which lake it is located and when is the best time to come here, we recommend that everyone who is tired of the hustle and bustle of modern cities take this trip. In the photo, of course, Valaam looks great, but it's better to see everything with your own eyes and plunge into the world of the holy island.