VALAMO MONASTERY

Valamo is the name of the largest island in Lake Ladoga (now in Russia), where an Orthodox religious foundation was established in the 10th century. The monastery remained for a long time the oldest and most important in Finnish Karelia. At the height of its glory, it had more than 1,500 monks. The monastery has been home to priceless religious treasures and has attracted increasing numbers of pilgrims over the centuries. During the Winter War of 1940, when the USSR troops invaded the region, a few surviving monks found refuge in Heinävesi in an old manor house. Only the precious icons from the 18th century and a few sacred objects were thus saved from the advance of the Soviets. It is here, in Heinävesi, that they will build the new monastery of Valamo.

An Orthodox Institute of Free Studies is now open. At the same time, at the end of the 1980s, the University of Joensuu introduced a course in Orthodox theology. Uusi Valamo has become an active centre of the Orthodox cultural tradition, welcoming 100,000 visitors each year, whether they are pilgrims in search of meditation or simply tourists. Faithful to tradition, the community of men lives from farming, fishing and tourism. In addition to the church, completed in 1976 (beautiful icons in silver and gold, pearls and precious stones), there is a cultural centre and an inn. New Valamo also houses one of the richest Orthodox libraries (open to visitors staying in Valamo) and the best icon restoration workshop in Northern Europe.