THE SKETE OF ST.JOHN THE PRECURSOR

he Predtechensky island with the area of about three square kilometres is at four kilometres from the monastery. Its previous name was Monashesky, probably in honour of an old skete. In early XIX century there lived fishermen.

n 1855, the chapel of St. John the Precursor was built at the highest point of the island. Soon, hegumen Damaskin brought here the woden church of Transfiguration built by Valaam monks in the Vasiljevsky Staroladozhsky monastery in early XVII century after their own cloister had been destroyed. In 1858, the church was completely restored on the stone foundation according to the design of A.M. Gornostajev. Single-domed church with a high belfry was built in the Russian style and consecrated by St. Petersburg Metropolitan Grigory It was decorated by ancient icons and a bell of Boris Godunov's time. In 1860, father Damaskin consecrated the winter church in the basement, cut in the rock, the church of Three Saints: Vasily the Great, Grigory the Divine, and Ioann Chryzostom. The icons were painted By V. Poshehonov. By the altar, there is a well decorated by grey granite, it was dug in the place pointed by father Damaskin.

In the ravaged skete nothing remained the way it used to be. Only nature and the cross by the precipice. Now monastic life in accordance with the old rule is being gradually restored in the skete.

Map of Valaam