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Solovetsky Islands

Islands of Controversy

The Solovetsky Islands, located in the Onega Bay of the White Sea, 160 kilometres from the Arctic Circle, have been the setting of the famous Russian Orthodox Solovetsky Monastery complex. It was the greatest citadel of Christianity in the Russian North before being turned into a special Soviet prison and labor camp (1921–1939), which served as a prototype for the GULAG system. Then the buildings were transformed into a naval base.

The Orthodox Church reestablished the monastery in 1992, the year when the ensemble was included into UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

The Solovetsky Islands are now a place of memory and of prayer, they could become a fashionable tourist resort rather than a centre renowned for its profound spiritual dimension.

Let's explore this fascinating world…

The Solovetsky Islands are one of the more famous tourist resorts of Northern Russia, but Western visitors know so little about them! Why not a new publication dedicated to this polyhedric history?

The location is very attractive, six hilly islands covered with Scots Pine and Norway Spruce forests, which are partially swampy, and numerous lakes, which were connected by monks so as to form a network of canals. The architectural ensemble, made of massive walls, religious buildings, not only famous churches but also household buildings and living quarters, interconnected with roofed and arched passages, is one more aspect to explore together for your target.

We can put at your disposal more than 4 hours of recent shootings, or help you in choosing among hundreds of photos for a charming illustrated edition!

The dramatic history of the monastery, founded to become an island of salvation, as a peaceful land for voluntary retreat, attracting pilgrims and believers of all kinds, that became a place of exile for the opponents of autocracy and a prison, is a red thread for any publication. And the still more dramatic end of the Soviet period, when it became the prototype of all concentration camps, is the unforeseen conclusion …

The richness of our archive and our network of historians can give you the opportunity to explore all aspects and periods of time…

History and Art

Monastery History

The Solovetsky Monastery was founded in the second quarter of the 15th century by two monks, Gherman and Savvatiy (Sabbatius), from the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, the most important of Northern Russia at the time.

The monastery quickly enlarged its estate and extended its producing and commercial activity, becoming an economic and political center of the White Sea. Its activi...

The Bolsheviks’ rise to power meant an end to the usual way of life for the Solovetsky Islands. In 1920, the territory of “the ancient hot-bed of religious poisoning” was used as a concentration camp for Civil War prisoners.

In 1923, the camp was transformed into SLON – an acronym meaning “Solovetsky Camp for Special Prisoners”. At the beginning, the re-education aim lead to unexpected results, ...