Brotherhood's Refectory

As is common in monasteries, the brotherhood of Valamo eats together around a common table. Shared meals are considered part of the brotherhood's spiritual life, and traditional monastic customs are still followed. For example, during lunch in the brotherhood's refectory, or trapeza, biographies of saints are read. Otherwise, meals take place in silence.

The brotherhood's current refectory was completed in 1992. Its vaulted ceiling was designed by architect Sakari Siitonen and the mica slate windows by artist Viktor Tatarenko. The beautiful wall paintings of the refectory, mainly depicting Karelian saints, were painted by Archimandrite Zinon, who struggled in the Pskov-Caves Monastery.

The beautiful refectory of the Valamo brotherhood is a rarity, as similarly adorned monastic refectories can only be seen in Greece and the Balkans, in addition to Valamo. The brotherhood's refectory is not open to the public.