Visit to Valaam Island

Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko and President of Russia Vladimir Putin went to the Valaam Monastery of the Transfiguration of the Savior, which is located on Valaam Island, Lake Ladoga, Republic of Karelia, Russian Federation on 24 July.

The presidents went on a tour of the monastery and paid their respects to relics of Sergius and Herman, the founders of the Valaam Monastery in the Transfiguration of the Savior Cathedral.

The heads of state also went to the Saint Vladimir hermitage where the Vladimir Church is located.

The previous visit of the heads of state to Valaam Island happened in July 2019.

The Valaam Monastery is one of the most revered monasteries in Russia. The monastery attracts over 100,000 pilgrims and tourists every year.

The exact date when the Valaam Monastery was founded is unknown. According to some chronicles, a place for the cloister was designated by Apostle Andrew the First Called in the 1st century. Another source dates the founding of the monastery back to the 10-11th centuries. According to documentary sources, the monastery was founded in 1407. The Tale of the Valaam Monastery mentions it. The monastery had its heyday in the 15-16th centuries when the monk population reached 600.