This was not a group of pilgrims. They looked a bit more like tourists and were traveling from Vologda to the shores of the White Sea to visit the Solovetsky Islands. This small village on the border of Vologda Oblast and the Republic of Karelia simply happened to be the approximate halfway point of their thousand-kilometer journey, and they had decided to make a short stop to see the ancient wooden Church of the Prophet Elijah.
Built at the end of the seventeenth century, and currently, in a semi catastrophic state of repair, the church is similar to the famous Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin in Kondopoga, which was destroyed by arson in August 2018.
The group was in luck. The church’s caretaker, Nikolai – bearing a grey beard and a set of keys – was nearby.
The group stepped inside, where just a single window, from which Nikolai removed a wooden shutter, illuminated the darkened interior.
Suddenly, from the quiet depths of the assembled group, a lone voice rang out: “Why are we wasting time on this ruin?”
The voice belonged to a pleasant-looking, well-dressed woman standing in the front row. She radiated an air of tense dissatisfaction.
The caretaker began to recount the church’s history, even though no one had asked him to. He also spoke of the village’s collapsed Tikhvin Church: volunteers had not been successful saving it, only in rescuing its cupolas from a debris pile.
Denne historien er fra March/April 2020-utgaven av Russian Life.
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Denne historien er fra March/April 2020-utgaven av Russian Life.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Sidewalk Art
The lamentable state of Russia’s roads and sidewalks has long been fertile ground for memes and jokes. Irkutsk artist Ivan Kravchenko decided to turn the problem into an art project. For over two years he has been patching ruts in city sidewalks with colorful ceramic tiles.
Sputnik V: First Place or Long Shot?
The Russian vaccine seems top-notch, but low public trust and a botched rollout remain formidable barriers to returning to normalcy.
the Valley of the Dead
On the Trail of a Russian Movie Star
Food & Drink
Food & Drink
POLAR YOUTH
Misha Smirnov has the day off. There are the traditional eggs for breakfast and the usual darkness out the window.
Russian Chronicles
Russian Chronicles
A People on the Brink
Over the past century, the ancient people known as the Votes has been exiled twice, has seen its language banned, and has faced the threat of having its villages razed. Today, although teetering on the verge of extinction, it holds fast to one of the last rights it enjoys – the right to bear and to say its own name.
Tenders of the Vine
Visiting Russia’s Nascent Wine Region
Restoring the Future
A Small Town Gets a Makeover
Ascending Anik
Here I stand, on the summit of Anik Mountain, drenched to the bone amid zero visibility, driving rain, and a fierce wind.