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20-596: The island of Konevets (Finnish: Konevitsa or Kononsaari ) has the maximum length of 5 km; its average width is 2 km. The island is separated from the mainland by a 5-km-wide strait. In the Middle Ages , the island was considered holy by the Finnish tribes who particularly revered a huge boulder in the shape of a horse's skull, weighing more than 750 tons. This boulder is known as Kon’-Kamen’ or Hevoskivi (literally, "Steed-Stone") and gives its name to

40-703: A dove nestling, symbolizing spiritual purity. Like the Valaam Monastery, the abbey at Konevets was known for its missionary activities. The Swedes captured the island during the Ingrian War , forcing the monks to retreat to Novgorod . Only after Russia retook the territory in the course of the Great Northern War they were allowed to reclaim their ancient possessions in Konevets. The revived cloister depended upon Novgorod until 1760, when it

60-406: Is a ferry link from Vladimirovka that makes the 6.5-km trip in 40–50 minutes. The island is 6.5 km long and generally slightly less than 2 km wide. At its widest point near the monastery on the south end of the island, where it is approximately 3 km wide. The island is completely covered in sandy soil. The majority of the shore is covered in fine sand beaches. Topographically,

80-568: Is an approximately 8.5-km² island famous as the site of the Konevsky Monastery . It is located off the southwestern shore of Lake Ladoga near the village of Vladimirovka. The island is part of the Priozersky District of Leningrad Oblast . The nearest town is Priozersk , which is located 40 km away from the island. The island of Valaam is 60 km away and Saint Petersburg is 170 km away by boat. There

100-528: Is water. The population density is 2.85 inhabitants per square kilometre (7.4/sq mi). Neighbouring municipalities are Savonlinna , Varkaus , Leppävirta , Tuusniemi , Outokumpu and Liperi . The city of Joensuu is located 81 kilometres (50 mi) northeast of Heinävesi. The municipality is unilingually Finnish . In 2021, Heinävesi had its region reassigned from South Savonia to North Karelia. The only Orthodox Christian monasteries in Finland,

120-456: The Neva emerged. The majority of the island is uninhabited, and covered by coniferous trees. The average annual temperature is 3.5 °C. The island experiences a short summer season, from mid June to the latter half of August. July is the warmest month on the island. Winters can be quite harsh, and it is possible to walk to the island across the ice then. There is no certain information about

140-632: The Second World War , the monks moved to the interior of Finland and joined the monks at the Orthodox Monastery of New Valamo . The island was ceded to the Soviet Union and the monastery fell into disrepair. From 1944 to 1990, the island was used by the military and thus closed to the public. In 1991, visitors were allowed back on the island and repairs and renovations to the monastery commenced. Approximately 20 monks now live on

160-656: The Karelian Isthmus , even though the Soviet troops never conquered the island or the adjacent shoreline on the isthmus. (These areas were ceded to the Soviet Union after the 1944 Moscow Armistice of September 19, 1944.) In 1956 the monks joined the New Valamo Monastery in Heinävesi . During the Soviet period, the monastery housed a military unit. In 1990 it became one of the first monasteries in

180-793: The Konevsky Psalter, dated to the 14th century, was sent to the Russian National Library . In 1940, the monks bought an estate named Hiekka (‘Sands’) from the Saastamoinen company in Keitele , and the monastery continued to function there until 1956. The monks returned for a brief period during the Continuation War , but withdrew on 19 June 1944, ten days after the Soviet Union began the Offensive on

200-526: The head of a horse. An Orthodox chapel has been built on top of it. The Russian name for the island, and thus the current Finnish name, are derived from the name of the rock or perhaps the assumed original Karelian name Hevossaari ( Horse Island ). The island’s Orthodox Monastery of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary was founded by Arseny of Novgorod in 1393. The Swedes captured

220-562: The height of 35 meters. Several other churches, a quay and an inn were added in the course of the century. Two sketae were set up to mark the ancient locations of the monastery. After the Russian Revolution of 1917 , the monastery passed to the newly independent Finland , and came under the jurisdiction of the autonomous Finnish Orthodox Church under the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople . The island

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240-462: The island and destroyed the monastery in 1577 and 1610. Sweden lost control of the island as a result of their being beaten by Peter I of Russia in the Great Northern War . The current buildings are mainly from the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. The island did not suffer any damage in the Russian revolution , as it had become part of Independent Finland in 1917. In 1940, during

260-504: The island is mostly level. The terrain of sandy heath slopes gently up from the shoreline towards the interior of the island, where two cliffs, Svyataya and Zmeinaya, rise up out of the ground to 34 m and 29 m above sea level respectively. The steep cliffs are the result of erosion when the water level in Lake Ladoga was slightly less than 20 m above the current sea level, thus reaching the base of these cliffs, thousands of years before

280-622: The island, which has become a popular place of pilgrimage. 60°51′40″N 30°36′50″E  /  60.86111°N 30.61389°E  / 60.86111; 30.61389 Hein%C3%A4vesi Heinävesi ( Finnish: [ˈhei̯næˌʋesi] ; lit.   ' hay water ' ) is a municipality of Finland . It is located in the North Karelia region . The municipality has a population of 2,938 (31 October 2024) and covers an area of 1,319.58 square kilometres (509.49 sq mi) of which 288.71 km (111.47 sq mi)

300-541: The island. The monastery was founded around 1393 by St. Arseny Konevsky, who wished to convert pagan Karelians to Christianity. The location of the monastery was changed several times, in order to avert floods. The Church of the Nativity of the Theotokos was founded by St. Arseny in 1428; it was at this church that the monastery's main shrine was placed. It was a miraculous image of Mother of God, brought by St. Arseny from Mount Athos and representing Christ playing with

320-499: The island’s earliest stages. According to sources discussing the establishment of the monastery on the island, there was a rock named Kon-kamen or Horse Rock where the Karelians went to perform sacrifices. The rock is located approximately 1 km north-northeast of the monastery at the base of the west slope of Svyataya. The rock is a rounded granite slab that is 9 m long, 6 m wide, approximately 4 m high and 750 tonnes that resembles

340-413: The monastery. As a consequence of its high profile, the monastic community could fund extensive building projects, starting with the construction of a new cathedral in 1800–09. This huge two-storey eight-pillared building was designed by a local starets . It is surmounted by five octagonal drums bearing five blue bud-shaped domes. The same style is applied to the three-storey belltower (1810–12), rising to

360-714: The region to be revived by the Russian Orthodox Church . In November 1991, the brethren announced the discovery of St. Arseny's relics, that apparently had been hidden from the Swedes in 1573. By 2004, the Konevsky Monastery, which hosts a large number of tourists and pilgrims, had been mostly restored. 60°50′52″N 030°35′08″E  /  60.84778°N 30.58556°E  / 60.84778; 30.58556 Konevets Konevets ( Russian : Коневец ; Finnish : Konevitsa or Kononsaari )

380-546: Was fortified by the Finnish military, and the inn was expropriated to house a regiment staff. During the Winter War and Continuation War the monastery buildings were damaged. On 13 March 1940 the Winter War ended. The previous day the monks had been evacuated to the interior of Finland, taking the holy icon with them, but leaving the iconostasis , church bells, and the library. Another personal possession of St. Arseny,

400-581: Was officially recognized as a separate monastic establishment. In 1812, after the Finnish War the monastery administratively became part of the newly formed Grand Duchy of Finland , along with the rest of " Old Finland ". The golden age of the monastery came with the 19th century, when its fame spread to the imperial capital and the island was visited by eminent visitors from Saint Petersburg , including Alexandre Dumas and Fyodor Tyutchev . An 1873 essay by Nikolai Leskov describes his impressions from

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