THE RESURRECTION SKETE

he skete is located where the disciple St. Andrew, according to the legend, erected a stone cross. Later there stood a chapel of St. Andrew, renovated in 1846. In early XIX century, in a cave with snakes there lived hieromonk Nikon (1745(6)-1822), in whose name two bays were called: the Large and the Small Nikonovsky bays. In autumn, monastery fishermen lived here in wooden house. In 1896, a famous philantropist I.M. Sibiryakov suggested hegumen Gavriil to build a skete there, and donated 10,000 roubles. The two-storey church was designed by the architect V. I. Barankeev (1850-1902). In 1901 the foundation was laid in a pit cut in the diabase rock by means of explosions and sledge-hammers. The church was erected in a year, and in 1905 the interior finishing was completed. On July 30, 1906, the main Resurrection altar was consecrated by the archbishop of Finland and Vyborg, later Patriarch, Sergy (Stragorodsky).

The church standing upon the foundation of grey granite is made of Valaam bricks. Its architecture combines the features of classicism, barocco, and Russian style (the 50-step staircase with granite columns). Its eight bells, donated by Moscow philanthropists, could be heard for many miles. The interior of the upper church, full of light, where services were held in summer, reminded of Christ's resurrection, Easter canticles were continuously sang there. The lower church of St. Andrew was consecrated by hegumen Pafnuty, it was designed to resemble the cave of the Lord's Tomb Cathedral in Jerusalem.

After the outer restoration work was finished, the gilded dome of the Resurrection church, as in older days, provided guidance for the ships arriving to Valaam. Nikonovsky bay, with one of the best piers in Ladoga, is now the main harbour of Valaam. There the monastery guides live, and there they meet pilgrims.

Map of Valaam