Archives

One of the greatest treasures of the Valaam Monastery is its extensive archive.

The historical documents evacuated and preserved from Valamo, Lake Ladoga, begin in 1750 and continue until 1940. The archive contains documents in two languages, Russian and Finnish. Since 1918, the number of Finnish-language documents has been growing steadily.

The archive includes, among others: historical information, decisions, reports on the monastery's finances and construction activities, a collection of photographs, letters and other documents, each of which is as valuable as the archive as a whole.

The majority of the archive material dates from the second half of the 19th century, i.e. from the period of the famous abbot Damaskin.

The correspondence of the monastery's leaders is a very significant heritage. The theological and spiritual treasures of the monastery also include letters from the elder guides, priest monks, confessors of the brotherhood and ordinary monks.

The treasures of the archive also include correspondence between Russian painters who worked in Valamo, as well as famous scientists and other notable people of their time.

The monks' memoirs and their official personal letters over the years are also important sources. Very interesting are the notebooks in which the monks' daily work is recorded. The unique material also includes summaries of observations from the Meteorological Institute station, which were regularly sent to the Nikolaos Physical Observatory in St. Petersburg.

The archive contains information about how the monastery library and the monks' private libraries were replenished in the 19th and 20th centuries. The archive also houses a significant collection of photographs, which have survived well to our days. The monastery's photo studio was founded soon after the invention of photography.

The monastery archive has continued to operate in New Valamo since 1941. The archive is not open to the public. Use of the archive must be agreed upon in advance via email.

Research service:

Research requests €40 / hour
Minimum hourly rate 0.5 hour

More information:

Archivist
Valamo Monastery Archives
Valamontie 42
79850 UUSI-VALAMO
arkisto@valamo.fi

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Valamo Monastery is open all year round. The opening hours of the services vary according to the season.

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Archives

One of the greatest treasures of the Valaam Monastery is its extensive archive.

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