VALAMO. – An archipelago of about 40 islands in the northern part of Lake Ladoga and home, after Solovki (q.v.), to the second great island monastery of Russia.
In the first half of the 14th century, the hermit life began on these islands with the monk Sergio, followed by a certain Germano. These two are venerated as the founders of the community that later formed the great and wealthy monastery of the Transfiguration. Although repeatedly destroyed and at times long deserted, it was never entirely abandoned; indeed, by order of Peter the Great it was rebuilt in 1718 with new splendor. Before the Russian Revolution, it housed as many as 400 monks, not only in the central monastery but also in many sketes and hermitages scattered across the various islands. It was a destination for major pilgrimages from all over Russia. Missionaries departed from Valamo to the Aleutian Islands in the Far East. After the First World War, Valamo was incorporated into Finland, from which it returned to Soviet Russia in 1940. This brought about a marked decline. Some monks remained on the islands, while others took refuge in Finland.