The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-02-14
A RUSSIAN MONASTERY.

An countries have their molly places
the popular resorts OF the religious
hut Holy Russia" eXcels most nations
in the high sanctity OF her shrines ana
their universal popularity And of al
Russian shrlnes | give the palm to the
Holy Isles of Solovetskoi, i'm the far
White Sea standing as they do on the
threshold of the arctic regions, fre-
ouented as they are 10y tens OF thou-
sands of pious pilgrims, inaccessible rs
they become when the sea IS frozeh-
and they are shut off from the whole
world for nine months Of the year.
From an article in Harper Bazar'
THE Holy Isles of Russia, we lear'
that the Solevetskoi lslands-ior 'nel
are six, OF which the largest is py lul
the most important--belong entirely To
the monks. These islands rise into pine
! clad rolling hills. subside into open val
| leys (spangled with clear, qulet piue
| pirt lakes) and are threaded by long
white roads ankle deep in SAND IN
| this northern summer, WIN us unset
| ting sun. the protusion OF piossoih 40
| great: though you drive all day alohs
| the sandy tracks, silver lake, somDfe
| forest. and floWer-starred held stay
| with you. The lakes are many ahd
| beautiful. and abound / know, with
pike and Dream. The forests are OF req
| and white pines, birches. ana popiars'
! and i'm the underground nourlsh Juul-
/ per. mare tails ferns, ana ciup-
| mosses. In the open are harebells ana
| daisies i'm their millions, and above
| them hang the dark fruit OF the cram
| berry and the golden globes ot the NUT
| tiberry. The fields are unenclosen'
save by forest and stream they are true
| helds-open sunny lawns OF green
| where the trees have not been long
| fclled Every hill is crowned by n
| church with it's adjoining cell, ~
| one of the cells the good monk IN
/ charge asked us To take tea, and very
good tchai IL was: but he added dlstlnc-
| ton to the meal providing, here at tie
| edge of the arctic world, strawberries
| raspberries. and cucumber fresh from
| his small garden on the sunny slope ol
| the hill | should add that the only i'm
| habitants of the islands are monks ana
| their laborers.
| Farm, houses, hay fields. and crofts oi
| rye are numerous on the Islands. ana III
| the monastery of Solovetskoi all indus-
| tries converge. Here l found leather
| factory, and excellent leather III naue
| a weaving factory, well-equipped
| smithery and engineer shop. kvas
| brewery-and Solovetskoi kNas is IA
| nous; the great art school. Wnert
| there are 20 or 80 monks painting ikonS
for the churches chapels. houses, shops
| and steamboats, Of northen Russia
great school for the children left on the
island--it Is the custom OF the pugrlm'
TO leave a child with the monks for .
wear; "A meteorological station, witt
the most modern Instruments: carving
| shops where crosses, crucihXeS ana re
| igious symbols are made in tens 81
thousands as relics" for the pilgrims
| and 50 ON.
Yet the wealth Of the monastery u
| great | should think that In the sacris
try and treasury alone there are arti
cles of the value OF c2000O0. Crosses
and cups of solid gold are numerous
and they are incrusted with diamonds
sapphires. and rubies. There are liter
| ally tons OF silver ornaments. also rich
| Iy gemmed The precious stones ar
| almost fabulous. ON one vestnient
calculated there were five thousan'
pearls. not 20 mention emeralds, rubie
and amethysts The mitros of the ab
bots are also very rich. Then there az
the ikons-the many chapels are whol
galleries of sacred art-and the paint
ings are overlaid with gold and gems
Even I'm a small chapel remote from TN
monastery ! noticed au ikon, wher
much of the painting was overiaid wit
"A solid gold plate blazing with dia
| monds and rubies, where the head e
the saviour had halo composed en-
| tirplv of diamonds and over the hCa
! OF the Virgin Mother a great star q
! diamonds cleaned blue and white.