Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-02-11
Account of Visit to the Monastery
of SoloVetskoi.
PILGRIMS FROM ALL over The LAND
Reached by Ships on Which All the
Sailors Are Monks.
DINING IN THE REFRACTORY

high sanCtity of her shrines and their
universal popularity. And of all Russian
shrines I give the palm to the Holy Isles
of Solovetskoi. in the far White SEA, stand
ing as they do. On the threshold of the
arctic regions, fIeqCented they are by
tens Of thousands of pious pilgrims. in
accessible as they become when the sea
is frozen-and they shut off from the
whole world for nine months Of the year.
/ went to SolOvetsko by way of Arch
angel. l went by a steamer, but it was
ordinary paroChod For in the first
place. on the after side of each mast there
was fixed a great painted and gilded ikOn,
or holy picture. As we sheered off from the
quay every one of tn three or four hun
bred pilgrims on board stood up and barred
the head; bowling low before the ikUnS.
they recited prayer for a good voyage.
A tail monk. whose beard and hair were
very long. led their devotions; and then,
the prayer ended. he turned and came aft
and mounted the bridge. His high bretta
ECdded as he shouted some orders; his
wide-skirted Cassock Mapped he paced
the bridge. What did the good man there?
Why. he simply about his business,
for be was the captain of the ship.
Manned by Monks.
So it is with all his subordinates-whether
you turn to the man AT the wheel to him
on the lookout on the fo'c'slehead or to the
steward the cabin. They are all monks
and habited as they would be in their cells.
The ship is everywhere manned by monks.
Everywhere, too. are the ikons. From all
the corners of the saio0n-where the first
class pilgrims are already making up their
minds and OiSpOsIug their persons to be
fll-there giitters ikOn in the light of a
small red lamp, and in the cabIns-yes
over each berlh-tnere are more ikOns
bright, tawdTy, devotional pictures, over
laid with gilt mounts and set in brass
frames Truly IS This the ship from the
monastery!
We left Archangel in the afternoon
There passed an Luquiet night; the sroan-
ing OF the crowd OF pilgrims. who lay
the deck as thick as leas IS in VallOmbrOsa,
told Us We Were in the dread White sea,
and then there broke A bright morning to
guide Us INTO the rocky bay of SOlOvetSkOi.
The pilgrims lined the bulwarks to catch
the h1St view Of the monastery, and when
we rounded the near headand they sent up
mighty shout of fery4d piety. They did
We'll, Tor It was no common sight.
Lilac n Fortress.
n blue bay, with two green arms of low
lying land curvIng round it, and behind
on rising ground. there stood the Holy
MoHastggy of SoIoyets1oi. The white build
iBgs glarsd In the morning sun, their bright
light scarcely broken by window or arcad-
ing. Long green roofs capped the walls.
and high above the roofs rose some fifteen
towers and spires and bright green cuPoias.
ana JAt summit OF every CupOia CLEANED
fire from its golden cross. But how strange
ii seemed TO behold this sacred place-this
shriny OF the saintS-Walled completely
round as if it were a fortress. Only then
did realize that the monastery was forth
hed-fortihed 10y a vast wall no less than
forty feet high and twenty feet thick with
towers at the corners rising to sixty feet
above the ground - the whole rampant
pierced with ioOphoIes. But how greatly it
added TO the pictured For this wall was
butt OF huge bi0cks of rudy stone-great
rufous MASSES of rock. piled with com
branding skill one above the other and the
whole group-deep red wall, white build
lHSs- lofty towers. green roofs and golden
crosSeS-iay mirrored and almost as rigid
as reality, in the calm blue water of the
quiet bay.
Prom All Over Russia
The landing of the pilgrims is a strange
sight. These boSomoltsi have Travelled long
and far to Tel. Nv their righteousness. They
came on board at Archangei, but this was
only the latest stage Of the journey. for
they started-months ago. in many cases
from all parts of the Russian empire From
W arsaw in the west. nearly 1000 versts
away. nave they come; from Astrakhan in
the Tar south; from Irkutsk. 5000 yersts
10 the eastward. have they Travelled. yes
ana there are pilgrims here whose home is
IN hamtchatka, looking out or the PACING
ocean. 1t has taken me the best part of a
month 10 steam up the iords of Norway
round the North Cape. sail along the for
blddlnS Murmanski coast (where Sir Hugh
Nhloughby was cast away and persisted
mlstraLiy). and by way Of Arcnanaal reach
Solovetskoi, but there are piIgrirns he
win me who nave traversed distances four
iiHieS as great as that which lies between
SOU elskol and London, and who have
empire, e 'l' ''S7i''h
The SoIoyctskoi IsIands-for there are six
OF "iieh the largest Is by far the most i'm
PoF'sht-b-iong entirely to the monks
These islands rise into pine-cIad roiHn !,
MS. SuhsIdc into open valleys (sDanrlad
WIN clear, quiet piue-Sirt Iakes) and are
tHIT''eI by long white roads ankle-deep in
sam IN TINS northern summer, with ito
tISet1lng sun. the prOfusion of blossom is
az lhOugh YOU drive all day along the
SdHhy tracks, silver lake, son1ber forest ana
il"er-s'arre1 field stay with Won The
lakes are many and beautiful ana abo,,rI
Know with like and Dream. The forests
are OF red and white pines birches and
I'lHdrs' ana IN the underground flourish
JIilper, mare stalls, ferns and cIub-mossas
!! the open are harebeils and daisies in
sAeIF miIl'ons. and above them hang tba
~ n iFuit o. the cranberry and the golden
go $50 ~ lEe Ihultloerry. The fields ara un-
1850 save by forest and stream: they
are true helds-open sunny lawns of Grow
%heF- me trees have not been long feiIeJ
a1tafi nun = crowned by church, and its
N'JpihthS cell AT one of these coils tn
Ecod monk IN charge asked us To talra 80
anu very good tChai il was. but b. -. I;
u, II '.gn 10 me meal by providing. IRE
al the edge of the arctic world sfrawb.r-
IieS' raspberrtes, and cucumber fresh -,
his small sarden on the sunny SION of 3 ~, %,il
mn: ! should add that the only inhabi-
tahts OF the Islands are monks and tbai-
i laborers-monks in black cassocks and
In the Refractory
Let me get back to these monks ana tbeir
monastery Going to church" means much
'He same sort of dense standing crowd and
prolonged singing of endless Pomiluis all
over Russia: so / may pass that But a
"'iher with the monks. in their own fine
Tory Is not SO usual an event and
therefore, a word or two about this NAV
ii,-Nstts'. me Archimandritc (or abbot
i ,ISLle asked us to dinner-for in the guest
muse We md" for ourselves-we entered
Ohe huge Vauited dining room win so c,roat
axrI lT 10 De IN time as to have plenty frl
,f1l--, Il me vaulted roof is richly
PS'nteu WIN sacred scenes. and the uaIis
lam WITH ikons, In the center the vault
- supported by a single pillar. but that
Iliiar Is exactly forty-two feet roiInd
800 ms column are drawn the guests
eanles' those for the monks run aloe ~
WI ~