Top 5 attractions of the Solovetsky Islands

The monastery, founded in the early 15th century, is considered the main attraction of the archipelago.

Solovetsky Monastery

Over the course of several centuries, the monastery complex expanded throughout Bolshoy Solovetsky Island: monks erected residential, religious, engineering and fortification buildings. Now the monastery has the status of a museum-reserve and a UNESCO cultural heritage site, and the monastery complex includes several buildings:

• The Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Lord is the first large church, which is a classical white-stone building;
• The Church of St. Herman is a small religious tomb, built in the 19th century;
• The Solovetsky Mill is a rectangular two-tiered building with a pitched roof and original 17th century decoration;
• The Monastery Power Station is a former hydroelectric power station that previously provided electricity to the entire island and is now a museum;
• The Tailor’s and Chobotnaya Chambers is a two-story building from the 17th century, located in the Northern courtyard of the monastery, where clothes and shoes were previously sewn and carpenters worked;
• The tannery is a two-story 17th-century building with a laconic design, which was used as a storeroom, living quarters, armory and shop;
• The Icon-Painting Chamber is an ancient rectangular building with three floors, where arched windows and brick decor have been preserved since the 17th century.

Solovetsky Fortress

Fortifications around the monastery complex began to be built in the 16th century, several decades after the monastery was built, to protect the monastery from attacks during the wars with the Swedes. The Northern fortress moat, the wall with the gates, the fortification with the Holy Gates and part of the fortress near the Laundry Building, as well as 8 towers have survived to this day: Korozhnaya, Nikolskaya, Kvasovarennaya, Povarennaya, Uspenskaya, Pryadilnaya, Belaya and Arkhangelskaya. The height of the buildings reaches from 12 to 28 meters.

Zayatsky Island

The island has preserved an unusual archaeological landmark associated with the ancient tribes that inhabited the archipelago: piles of boulders are laid out in a bizarre shape, which is why they are called “stone labyrinths.” In order not to damage them, tourists must move only along wooden paths. Also on the tour of the island you can see the cookhouse, one of the most ancient buildings. The building was used to receive pilgrims and prepare food.

Lake-canal system

The Bolshoy Solovetsky Island is home to most of the archipelago’s lakes, so in the 16th century, monks dug canals between them to quickly move goods, supply residents with water, and perform other household needs. Now tourists can take a boat trip along the canals in two versions: a small circle (6 km) and a large circle (11 km). You can rent a boat yourself or take a tour with a professional guide, and for the safety of participants, navigation signs are installed on the shores. Also, in the summer, swimming is allowed in some lakes, since shallow reservoirs have time to warm up even in a short time.

Sekirnaya Mountain

This is an 80-meter hill on the Bolshoy Solovetsky Island. The territory of Sekirnaya Gora used to be the former male punishment cell of the Solovetsky Special Purpose Camp (SLON), and now there is a functioning Holy Ascension Skete, a Worship Cross, and a camp cemetery with mass graves of prisoners, open to tourists. At the top of the Church of the Ascension of the Lord there is a lighthouse for fishermen and sailors. You can climb up to it by an ancient staircase. There is also an observation deck at the top of the mountain, from where you can see the Savvatiev Hermitage, the White Sea, and the untouched nature of the archipelago.

In addition, on the Solovetsky Islands you can learn about the history of the GULAG in the corresponding museum, visit Anzer Island and the Kuzova Archipelago, visit the Makaryevskaya Hermitage and the Maritime Museum and see other attractions. One of the main advantages of Solovki is that tourists discover new places with each visit to the archipelago and return a little different after the trip. The ancient buildings and unique nature of the islands intertwine the past of the Russian North, the Russian Orthodox Church and the Soviet state. Tours to the Solovetsky Islands from the Karelian Holidays company are thought out to the smallest detail and will allow you to touch the grandiose historical monuments in which the destinies of more than 20 generations were decided.