Pilgrimage service of the Valaam monastery contacts. Pilgrimage tour to Valaam, an amazing place on earth

My wife and I, through the travel agency "Arina" (the official dealer of the "Valaam Pilgrim"), bought a tour to Valaam with departure by bus on 08/22/18 at 7-00, arrival in Valaam at about 13-00 with an overnight stay in a hotel, excursions and departure on 08/23/18 at 17-00. On 08/21/18 at 15-05 we received an SMS from “Arina”, where it was said that due to weather conditions the departure time was changing to 9-00 on 08/22/18, and return in the evening on 08/24/18; we were asked for our consent to this change without changing the cost of the tour, otherwise they promised to return the money. On 02/16/21/2018, a similar SMS came from Valaam Pilgrim LLC. Naturally, we agreed, because... After the excursions, we wanted to just walk around the island and explore the churches on our own. As it turned out later, the same SMS messages were sent to everyone on our bus. I want to say right away that there are no complaints about the guide: everything was at the HIGHEST level. We arrived in Valaam at about 17-30, settled in, had dinner and were given the first excursion, which ended at about 20 o'clock, at the same time we were told that perhaps the departure would take place according to the original program, i.e. 08.23.18 at 17-00. To the question: what about SMS, it was said that these questions should be addressed to travel agencies. Naturally, at this time no one was working anymore. On the second day, after the Liturgy and breakfast, we were “asked” from the hotel and we went on excursions. It wasn't raining, but it was blowing strong wind, so it was unclear whether we would leave or not. After lunch there was a second excursion, so the program was formally completed. After the excursion, when there was less than an hour left before departure, I went to the office of the “Valaam Pilgrim” to ask how they were going to fulfill their obligations via SMS. After about 15 minutes of negotiations, it was said that we could stay, but in the evening we would be dropped off at the pier, and then - our problems: there would be no buses. Considering that the time from the arrival of the ship to the departure of the last train is approximately 10-15 minutes, and there is no public transport from the pier to the station, the prospect of spending the night under open air, which is already “fraught” at retirement age. Our travel agency Arina LLC simply remained silent, although we also called there. Naturally, such conditions did not suit us. However, 15 minutes before the departure of the ship (apparently for backup), we received an SMS from the “Valaam Pilgrim” that we were sailing at 17-00 on 08/23/18 in accordance with the stated program, but we could “stay for additional payment for accommodation and meals, without organized travel to St. Petersburg. We apologize for the previously provided inaccurate information." There were no offers of financial compensation, although in fact we were deprived of half a day of being on Valaam. The road on the ship was very motion sick, because... The excitement on Ladoga was significant - my wife got seasick. If our losses are more symbolic, because... We are from St. Petersburg, but for people arriving from other cities it was very noticeable: in particular, one person from Moscow was forced to change tickets twice, but did not even receive any apologies. Another small nuance: at the Igumenskaya hotel the width of the bed is only 70 cm, which even for my size 54 is not very comfortable, and for more “respectable” people, it’s probably generally bad.

– an excellent option for people who want to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the world in body and soul, for those who want to be alone with themselves a little, understand their faith and think about eternal salvation. After traveling to holy places, pilgrims will forever remain with the feeling of unity with God that they experienced there, the opportunity for sincere repentance and cleansing from all sins, the opportunity to get acquainted with feat of prayer monks and knowledge of the uniqueness of northern nature. If you also decide to touch your soul to the Shrines of the Russian people, then we recommend that you visit the Valaam Monastery.

In general, Valaam is the largest island of the Valaam archipelago, located in the northwestern part of Russia, more precisely in Lake Ladoga. There are places in the world where, having visited once, you want to return again and again, and of course, one of such places is the island of Valaam, which from ancient times was called “Wonderful”, since there is something there that you will not see anywhere else. This island occupies most of area of ​​the archipelago. The name "Valaam" comes from the Finnish word - "Valamaa", that is, "High, mountainous land", which can really describe its location: the island stands on a hill, surrounded by mountains. But there is another version - religious, that the island is named after biblical prophet Valaam. Although some argue that everything goes back to pagan times, when sacrifices were made on this land pagan god Veles, and the place was called “Land of Veles”.

In ancient times, the island of Valaam was inhabited by Finnish tribes, but when the monastery itself arose is not known for certain - versions vary. According to one legend, the Valaam Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery was erected here in the first century AD, on the site that was illuminated heavenly patron Russia - Apostle Andrew the First-Called. According to another version, the monastery arose in the tenth century, during the era of the Baptism of Rus': it was founded by the monks Sergius and German, who were later canonized. This version is more plausible, because it is known for certain that in 1163, the monks of the monastery transported the relics St. Sergius and Herman to the city of Veliky Novgorod, but already in 1179 the relics were returned to the Valaam Monastery, where they were buried on the top of a cliff to hide the remains of the saints from desecration by the Swedes, who often attacked these territories due to the proximity of the Swedish border. Similar attacks on Valaam happened more than once, for example, the most famous happened in 1240, but, fortunately, he was stopped by the famous commander Alexander Nevsky with his army, he did not allow the plunder of the holy monastery. But there is a third version of the appearance of the monastery, which tells about its foundation in the twelfth century Rev. Ephraim Perekomsky, which can be read about in “The Tale of the Valaam Monastery,” which was written in the sixteenth century.

On your pilgrimage tour to the island of Valaam, you will learn that from the very moment the monastery was founded, its history has always been inextricably linked with Sweden, although this always only brought trouble: the monastery was attacked more than once, it was especially difficult in the Middle Ages, for example, during attack in 1578, thirty-four monks were killed here. But, fortunately, this long confrontation ended in 1595, after the signing of peace with. But the joy did not last long: in 1611, the Swedes again treacherously attacked Rus' and burned the monastery, while almost all the monks died. The next attack on the island occurred in 1617. They tried to restore the monastery, but during the next attack they destroyed it again. And only Emperor Peter the Great, who came to power, was able to change the political situation. Already in 1715, the “Decree on the revival of the Valaam Monastery” was signed, and the wooden Transfiguration Church with outbuildings was immediately erected. Construction continued throughout the eighteenth century: other temples appeared here. But buildings made of wood were not eternal, they were influenced by various natural factors, therefore, since 1811, construction on the territory of Valaam was carried out strictly from stone. The heyday of the holy Valaam monastery came in the nineteenth century, under the talented and economic abbot - Abbot Damascus, in the world - Damian Kononov, who for forty-two years constantly took care of increasing the monastic economy.

The twentieth century brought a lot of trials to the Valaam Monastery: in 1917, immediately after the October Revolution, the lands of the monastery were divided and the monastery ended up on the territory of Finland, a country where the main religion is Lutheranism. In 1925, the monks even had to conduct rituals and services in Finnish. But, “Everything that God does not do is for the better,” it was precisely belonging to another state that averted the brutal repressions of the thirties from its servants - a difficult time when not only churches, but also clergy were destroyed in Russia. True, at the end of the thirties, relations between Finland and the Soviet Union sharply declined, and the territory of Karelia, along with the island of Valaam, again went to our country. Already in 1940, a boatswain school opened here, and when the Great Great Patriotic War began Patriotic War, there was a fierce confrontation between Finnish and Soviet troops on Valaam. When the Soviet troops won, the monastery gradually began to return to life, which took many decades, because the authorities constantly housed various public organizations at the monastery: in 1949 - a state farm, from 1952 to 1982 - a boarding house for war invalids. Meanwhile, the monastery buildings began to collapse or were deliberately destroyed. A nature reserve, a museum-reserve, and an organ music hall were set up on the island of Valaam, but these ideas did not work out. And only in 1989, the real return of the monastery to its original activities began, when the authorities of Karelia transferred the monastery and several monasteries to the Leningrad diocese: they began to restore buildings here, resumed monastic services, and restored the economy.

IN recent years, more and more Russians and foreigners come on pilgrimage tours to the holy island of Valaam, not only to see its vaunted natural beauty, but also to get closer to monastic life. Fortunately, getting to Valaam is not a problem. In addition, when organizing his pilgrimage tour, a pilgrim can also plan a visit to other famous northern monasteries of Russia, for example, Spaso-Preobrazhensky Solovetsky monastery, Alexander-Svirsky Monastery, Vvedeno-Oyatsky convent, Theotokos-Uspensky Big Tikhvin Monastery, visit to the Kazan Church in the village of Vyritsy, where the holy relics rest St. Seraphim Vyritsky, but can be content with only visiting the island of Valaam.

According to its administrative structure, Valaam belongs to the city of Sortavala, but in fact, it is a separate independent unit. In addition to the monastery, there is a military unit and a weather station on Valaam. Despite the constant excursions here, taking photographs is prohibited. Photography is possible only on the territory of the following monasteries: Nikolsky, White, Yellow (Gethsemane), Red (Resurrection), Predtechensky.

Construction and restoration of the monastery continues to this day. In 2002, it happened here significant event: Archimandrite Ephraim arrived on the island of Valaam from the Athos monastery of Vatopedi, presenting a priceless gift - a list with miraculous icon“Pantanassa” - “All Queen”, which was consecrated on Athos. The Valaam Monastery accepted this gift with gratitude, the fact is that all the shrines that previously belonged to it were taken out of the monastery or lost as a result of wars and raids, so the monks accept any gift with deep gratitude and carefully preserve it. In the same year, 2002, the first church was built in the inner square, in the premises of the former St. Nicholas Church. Valaam icon Mother of God, and celebrations in honor of the miraculous icon are held on the island of Valaam every year on the fourteenth of July. Today it is the main shrine of the Valaam Monastery. In 2005 were completed restoration work After the restoration of the main cathedral of the monastery, in August of the same year, it was consecrated by Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus'. Today, eleven of the thirteen monasteries that previously existed here have been restored. And also, the Valaam Monastery has several farmsteads: two in St. Petersburg, one in Moscow, two in Priozersk and Sortavala.

When pilgrims are brought to this island, the ships anchor in the wide Big Nikon Bay; cruise ships cannot pass closer to the monastery due to their size and draft, therefore, here tourists transfer to small local ships, or walk a beautiful, but very long and tiring road. Those who come from Sortavala go straight to Monastyrskaya Bay. As you approach the island of Valaam, already from board the ship, you see the central monastery estate, the Transfiguration Cathedral. The main building of the island is the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery, the building of which is already one hundred and twenty years old, and it is distinguished by its unusual architecture. There are various religious buildings around the monastery. It is best to view their bell towers and domes from the water. Right at the pier, pilgrims are greeted by a beautiful chapel, built in 1896, consecrated in the name of the icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow.” It was built from bricks that were produced at the monastery's own brick factory. The chapel stands on a granite pedestal and is decorated with granite columns of polished dark red stone and black diabase. In 1985, it was restored again, its dome and the ball and cross installed on it were again gilded. And opposite the Chapel of All Who Sorrow, stands the brick white Chapel of the Annunciation, built at the end of the eighteenth century - the oldest building in Valaam. Its restoration took place in 1988. Nearby are the stables and the monastery garden, surrounded by a hedge - an ash alley, as well as the monastery vegetable garden. There is also a garden along the shore, with a pond from which water used to be taken for watering plants. From the pier to the central monastery estate, you will walk along an alley of larches that are more than a hundred years old.

Pilgrims are accommodated in the hotel area, which is reached directly from the pier by a staircase, next to which there is a black stele with the names of kings and members of their families engraved on it, different times who visited this monastery. Nearby stands a marble chapel, built in 1862, consecrated in the name of the icon of the Mother of God “The Sign”. It was erected after the visit of Emperor Alexander II here, on the site of an older and more modest chapel. This event is reported on a gilded medallion mounted on the western façade. From this chapel you can go to the three-story Winter Hotel, along a beautiful thuja alley. It is located in a picturesque place, among a grove with various types trees. Nearby you will see a candle shop. Right next to the central estate there is a monastery cemetery, surrounded by a fence, with towers at the corners, which are crowned with trumpeting angels. The Church of the Reverend Fathers was built near the cemetery, with another one - the Igumensky cemetery for the burial of monastic fathers-abbots. Father Damascene, whom we talked about above, also rests here.

Today, the island of Valaam is revered by Orthodox believers as an unbending source of faith, reborn, despite the adversity that haunted it. That is why thousands of pilgrims and tourists come here every year to see this miracle.

Trip program

Independent arrival in St. Petersburg (preferred arrival time before 6:15 am)

SCHEDULE FOR 2019

1 DAY.
6.45. Group gathering at the bus (St. Petersburg, Vyborg highway, Ozerki metro station). Boarding the bus is carried out upon presentation of a passport and voucher. 7.00. Bus departure from St. Petersburg. Arrival in Priozersk, boarding the m/v “Valaam”. 9.30. Departure to the island. Around 13.00 arrival to Valaam. Check-in at the hotel at 13.00. Dinner. After lunch, excursion to the Central Estate of the Valaam Monastery, to the St. Nicholas Monastery and excursion “A Link of Times” to the Igumen Cemetery. Dinner. All-night vigil in the lower church of the Transfiguration Cathedral. Overnight.

DAY 2.
Divine Liturgy. Tea. Release of the monastery dormitory at 10.00 (things are transferred to the pantry). Excursions “Konevsky Lakes”, “ New Jerusalem". Dinner. At 17.00 departure from the island. Valaam, around 21.00 arrival in Priozersk. Boarding the bus, approximately 23.30 - arrival in St. Petersburg at the Ozerki metro station, approximately 00.00 - arrival at the Ploshchad Vosstaniya metro station.

When planning a trip, it is necessary to have a sufficient reserve of time - at least 3 hours after the end of the program, since delays are possible due to force majeure circumstances - unfavorable weather conditions on Lake Ladoga (storm and its consequences, fog, etc.), traffic jams (“traffic jams”) and other unforeseen factors.

When visiting existing temples and the territory of the inner square of the monastery, men should be without headdresses, women should have skirts and a headdress. It is not allowed to visit the monastery in sports or revealing clothes. When traveling, it is advisable to have comfortable shoes, appropriate clothing, a passport, a compulsory health insurance policy (CHI), if available. chronic diseases Be sure to take a set of medications with you, including anti-sickness medications. Minor changes may be made to the travel itinerary.

COST OF THE PROGRAM PER PERSON WITH ACCOMMODATION IN A HOTEL - MOTOR SHIP "ADMIRAL KUZNETSOV" (CONDITIONS ON DECK).

COST* OF THE PROGRAM WITH ACCOMMODATION AT THE IGUMENSKAYA HOTEL (FACILITIES ON THE FLOOR)

How is the tour organized? IN...

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The pilgrimage service of the Valaam Monastery organizes tours to the island of Valaam for pilgrims and tourists. There are tours of different durations, but we went with the one-day tour “Valaam Impromptu”. Let me clarify right away that tickets were not purchased directly, but through intermediaries, because I needed to purchase online and did not have time to go anywhere.

How is the tour organized? At 8 am a bus leaves from Ozerki. It takes 2.5 hours to Priozersk with a stop in the village of Sapernoye, where you can get out, warm up, and, if you want, visit the church at rehabilitation center for drug addicts. The church is beautiful, carved wood, with a beautiful green courtyard and fountain. On the way, the guide tells a tour about the Leningrad region, Karelia and something else, I was dozing and had trouble hearing) She accompanied us beautiful woman named Larisa, a wonderful guide. It is clear that she lives what she talks about, and her speech is excellent. In Priozersk we switched to the meteor and covered 60 km along Ladoga in a little more than an hour. On the island, we (a group of about 40 people) were divided in two and given another guide. We stayed with Larisa. She took us through the monastery gardens, the area around the monastery, then the monastery itself with detailed stories about every abbot, every icon, every stone, about a difficult period for the monastery Soviet power.

After that, we attended a concert of the church choir (the men sing incomparably, the four of them are like a whole choir!) and went to lunch at the pilgrimage refectory. In Russian monasticism they don’t eat meat, only fish, but how deliciously they fed us! We got a second wind, and after lunch we went to the tip of the island to Nikolsky Skete. A monastery is like a monastery within a monastery, with its own charter, more strict than the charter of the monastery itself. There are several such monasteries on Valaam, scattered throughout the archipelago, and in the strictest of them there live only 3 monks, who meet only during services, and they do not eat, let alone fish, and they are only allowed to flavor their food with vegetable oil on holidays. The monastery we visited is not so strict. Even tourists are allowed into it. In one monastery, which can only be accessed after living on the island for several days and receiving a blessing, the monks breed peacocks. They say that a peacock sitting on a Christmas tree is an incomparable sight. After the excursions, we had about an hour of free time, we could return to the temple, buy souvenirs, but we just walked around the island, admired the nature, and took photographs. And then the way home, also by meteor and bus.

The level of organization is excellent! All travelers were satisfied. It may seem that Valaam is just tourists; all day we saw only a couple of monks. But no, the island is very large, the monks have their own life, and it rarely intersects with tourist trails. And tourism on Valaam is, firstly, missionary work, and secondly, raising money for the restoration of the monastery, which was badly damaged during the years of Soviet power and the war. Should people who are far from religion go to Valaam? Of course yes. This is very interesting, because the excursion tells not only about religion, but also history, geography, and geology. And besides, Valaam is very beautiful. And there is beautiful Karelian nature all around. I recommend it.

It is a very popular place and Russians love to go there. The harsh and beautiful northern nature has always served as a source of inspiration for such famous painters as Shishkin and Kuindzhi. She was glorified in their works by Leskov and Tyutchev. But Valaam is not only beautiful nature. There are also monasteries scattered throughout the archipelago. It’s not for nothing that Valaam is called “Northern Athos”. This is a real monastic republic. According to legend, the Apostle Andrew the First-Called himself visited here when he came to baptize Slavic lands. And the very secluded location of the island in the north of Lake Ladoga is conducive to a contemplative life.

A trip to Valaam will allow you to plunge deeper into monastic life. Pilgrims come here from Moscow, St. Petersburg and other cities to touch the shrine. But ordinary tourists also love to visit Valaam. After all sheer cliffs, shining domes and piercing blue of the lake will not leave anyone indifferent. But this article is devoted to very practical questions: “what types of tours to Valaam are there,” “how long do they last,” and “what is their cost.”

Overview of opportunities to visit the islands

Without exaggeration, we can say that the archipelago is one of the main attractions of Russia. Foreign guests also come to Valaam, usually on board a cruise ship. You can visit the islands on your own. But most tourists get here as part of organized groups - pilgrimages or excursions. If we consider trips to Valaam from Moscow, they differ from each other:

• by duration;
• by direction (pilgrimage or secular acquaintance with the life of the monastery);
• by transport (cruise ship or bus and boat; for wealthy clients, transportation by helicopter is possible);
• There are also combined tours.

These latter can also vary in both the duration and intensity of the trip. For example, you can order a combined tour such as “Valaam + Kizhi + Petrozavodsk” or “Visit to the monastery, relaxation on the shores of Lake Ladoga and rafting on the rivers of Karelia.” Now let’s look at all these opportunities to visit the archipelago separately.

Pilgrimage trip to Valaam from Moscow

Such trips are the most popular tours to the archipelago, because in this case you can not only see a lot of interesting things, but also order services, confess and receive communion. Pilgrimages can last three days, one or two weeks (the last two options include novice labor). You can book a tour only to Valaam, or you can visit another island of the archipelago (most often Konevets) in one trip. As a result, the price range is quite wide. If you take accommodation in the monastery as a novice (with manual labor), then a week on Valaam will cost you 8,300 rubles. This price does not include transport, but only accommodation in a hostel and meals.

Three-day pilgrimages

The most popular trips to Valaam from Moscow for pious tourists who want to join the holy life of the monastery are just such tours. In fact, they last not three, but five days. Here is an approximate program for such a trip. Travel to St. Petersburg - first day. The price depends on the class of carriage and is not included in the price of the trip. On the morning of the second day, pilgrims are collected, put on a bus and taken to Priozersk. There they are loaded onto the ship of the Valaam Fleet and sent to the island. After having lunch in the monastery refectory, pilgrims go to explore the Central Estate of the Spaso-Preobrazhensky. On the third day, after the morning liturgy and breakfast, excursionists by boat visit the Resurrection and St. Nicholas monasteries. In the evening they will have a service and dinner. On the fourth day, pilgrims have the opportunity to visit Skitsky Island. In the evening they are delivered back to Priozersk, and then to St. Petersburg. On the morning of the fifth day, travelers return to Moscow. During the tour, pilgrims spend the night on board the ship. More comfortable conditions at the Igumenskaya Hotel are available for a fee. The approximate cost of such a three-day pilgrimage tour is 13 thousand rubles.

Social excursions

A bus trip to Valaam from Moscow is not much different from a pilgrimage tour. Unless excursionists should not participate in Compline and Matins. Tourists spend the night in the cabins of the ship. The price of the tour includes breakfast and dinner, as well as transfer from St. Petersburg to Valaam and back. The price of such a tour also differs little from a pilgrimage tour. It is approximately 12-13 thousand rubles. A one-day helicopter excursion from St. Petersburg for a group of 10-20 people will cost 280 thousand rubles. If you are planning a trip to Valaam from Moscow by car, then you need to know that finding the right pier in Priozersk is not so easy. In this town, an independent traveler has two options:

1. Buy a one-day excursion, which includes travel and lunch in the refectory. Price - 2,500 rubles.
2. Buy a round-trip ticket on the same boat. There is no ticket office at the pier, you need to negotiate with the crew. The fare is two thousand rubles.

Trip to Valaam from Moscow by boat

You can go to the archipelago and on board a river cruise ship. Of course, the program of such a tour includes not only Valaam, but also other interesting places, such as Uglich, Goritsy, St. Petersburg, Kizhi, Mandrogi, Yaroslavl, etc.