Everything about The Solovetsky Islands totally explained
The
Solovetsky Islands are located in the
Onega Bay of the
White Sea,
Russia. The islands are
administrated from Arkhangelsk as
Solovetsky District and are served by the
Solovki Airport.
Area: 347 km². Population: 968 (
2002 Census); 1,317 (
1989 Census).
Geography
This
archipelago consists of six islands known collectively as the
Solovki:
The shores of the islands are very indented. They are formed with
granites and
gneiss. The
relief of the islands is hilly (the highest point is 107 m). Most of the Solovetsky Islands are covered with
Scots Pine and
Norway Spruce forests, which are partially
swampy. There are numerous lakes, which were joined by monks so as to form a network of canals.
Monastery
Historically the islands have been the setting of the famous
Russian Orthodox Solovetsky Monastery complex. It was founded in the second quarter of the
15th century by two monks from the
Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery. By the end of the 16th century, the abbey had emerged as one of the wealthiest landowners and most influential religious centres in Russia.
The existing stronghold and its major churches were erected in stone during the early reign of
Ivan the Terrible at the behest of St.
Philip of Moscow. At the onset of the
Schism of the Russian Church, the monks staunchly stuck to the faith of their fathers and expelled the tsar's representatives from the Solovki, precipitating the
eight-year-long siege of the islands by the forces of
Tsar Alexis.
Throughout the imperial period of Russian history, the monastery was renowned as a strong fortress which repelled foreign attacks during the
Livonian War (16th century),
Time of Troubles (17th century), the
Crimean War (19th century), and the
Russian Civil War (20th century).
Labor camp
After the
October Revolution, the islands attained some notoriety as the site of the first Soviet prison camp, which provided a blueprint for other Soviet
gulags. The camp was inaugurated as a "detention camp" in 1921, while
Lenin was still at the helm of Soviet Russia. It was transformed into a prison in 1929 and was closed ten years later, on the eve of the
World War II. The Soviet government realised the islands' strategic importance, and by the beginning of the war there was a naval base of the
Soviet Northern Fleet.
In 1974, the Solovetsky Islands were designated a historical and architectural
museum and a
natural reserve of the
USSR. In 1992, they were inscribed on the
World Heritage List "as an outstanding example of a monastic settlement in the inhospitable environment of northern Europe which admirably illustrates the faith, tenacity, and enterprise of later medieval religious communities".
(External Link
) Today, the Solovki are seen as a major tourist magnet in the orbit of the
Russian North. One can get to the islands either by ship from
Kem or by plane from
Arkhangelsk.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Solovetsky Islands'.
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