 Kislaya Bay ofBolshoy Solovetsky Island | |
 Map of the White Sea showing the Solovetsky Islands | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Onega Bay,White Sea |
| Coordinates | 65°05′N35°53′E / 65.083°N 35.883°E /65.083; 35.883 |
| Area | 347 km2 (134 sq mi) |
| Administration | |
Russia | |
| Oblast | Arkhangelsk Oblast |
| Capital and largest city | Solovetsky |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 861 (2010) |
| Official name | Cultural and Historic Ensemble of the Solovetsky Islands |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | iv |
| Designated | 1992(16thsession) |
| Reference no. | 632 |
| Region | Europe and North America |
TheSolovetsky Islands (Russian:Соловецкие острова,IPA:[səlɐˈvʲetskʲɪjɐstrɐˈva]), orSolovki (Russian:Соловки,IPA:[səlɐfˈkʲi]), are an archipelago located in theOnega Bay of theWhite Sea,Russia. As anadministrative division, the islands are incorporated asSolovetsky District ofArkhangelsk Oblast,Russia.[1] Within the framework of municipal divisions, they are incorporated as Solovetskoye Rural Settlement within Primorsky Municipal District.[2] Theadministrative center of both divisions is the settlement of Solovetsky, located on Bolshoy Solovetsky Island. Almost all of the population of the islands lives in Solovetsky. As of the2010 Census, the district had a population of 861 inhabitants.[3]
TheSolovetsky Monastery (founded in 1436), in 1923 became the site of the firstGulag establishment, theSolovki prison camp.
Thearchipelago has a total area of 347 square kilometers (134 sq mi) and consists of six islands:
The islands separate the Onega Bay from the main volume of theWhite Sea. The closest mainland is theOnega Peninsula.
The shores of the islands are very indented. They are formed ofgranites andgneiss. Therelief of the islands is hilly (the highest point is 107 m). Most of the Solovetsky Islands are covered withScots Pine andNorway Spruce forests, which are partiallyswampy. There are numerous lakes, which were joined by monks so as to form a network of canals.
One interesting feature of these islands is stone labyrinths and other stone settings, especially theStone labyrinths of Bolshoi Zayatsky Island. Such labyrinths were typical forNorthern Europe, but most have perished and now Solovetsky Islands have some of the best remaining examples.
Historically the islands have been the setting of the famousRussian OrthodoxSolovetsky Monastery complex. It was founded in the second quarter of the 15th century by two monks from theKirillo-Belozersky Monastery. By the end of the 16th century, the abbey had emerged as one of the wealthiest landowners and most influential religious centres in Russia.
The existing stronghold and its major churches were erected in stone during the early reign ofIvan the Terrible at the behest of St.Philip of Moscow. At the onset of theSchism of the Russian Church, the monks staunchly stuck to the faith of their fathers and expelled the tsar's representatives from the Solovki, precipitating theeight-year-long siege of the islands by the forces ofTsar Alexis.
Throughout the imperial period of Russian history, the monastery was renowned as a strong fortress which repelled foreign attacks during theLivonian War (16th century),Time of Troubles (17th century), theCrimean War (19th century), and theRussian Civil War (20th century).
In 1974, the Solovetsky Islands were designated a historical and architecturalmuseum and anatural reserve of theSoviet Union. In 1992, they were inscribed on theWorld Heritage List "as an outstanding example of a monastic settlement in the inhospitable environment of northern Europe which admirably illustrates the faith, tenacity, and enterprise of later medieval religious communities".[4] Today, the Solovki are seen as one of the major tourist magnets in the orbit of theRussian North.[citation needed]
After theOctober Revolution, the islands attained notoriety as the site of the first Soviet prison camp (gulag).[5] The camp was inaugurated in 1921, whileVladimir Lenin was still at the helm of Soviet Russia. It was closed in 1939, on the eve ofWorld War II. By the beginning of the war, there was a naval cadet training camp for theSoviet Northern Fleet.
The islands are served by theSolovki Airport. There is regular air service to Arkhangelsk, as well asferry lines (summertime only) to Arkhangelsk,Kem, andBelomorsk.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
