Kiy Island is called by many the second pearl of the White Sea (after the Solovetsky archipelago). It is located in the White Sea, just 8 kilometers from the mouth of the Onega River (Onega Bay). 15 kilometers away is the city of Onega, Arkhangelsk region.
Kiy Island (White Sea)
The island has an elongated shape from north to south and small dimensions: length 1.5 kilometers, width 800 meters. Next to it is the Fares Island, separated from the Kiy by a bridge (pereme), which is filled with water at high tide. During the period of rising water levels, the only opportunity to get to the Kiy appears. Other islands are adjacent to it, such as, for example, Krestovy. Together they are called the Kiysky archipelago. The name of the island Kiy, most likely, comes from a word that is found among the northern peoples and means "stone".
Nature
The island is a projection of a large stone slab emerging from the sea. It is composed of granites - the bedrock of the B altic Shield. This is a continuation of the Karelian-Vyborg ridge. The island experiences a constant rise above sea level - a few millimeters per year.
On histerritory you can see the cliffs 25 meters high. They are polished by an ancient glacier, you can also find characteristic glacial landforms - "ram's foreheads".
Although the island is small, its shores are very diverse: steep rocky, gently sloping rocky and yellow sandy beaches. In the depths there are ponds and swamps.
For the most part, the island is covered with forest, mostly pine forest, but there are junipers and mountain ash. Here you can find about 300 species of plants. Among them there is white Icelandic moss, covering the stones, similar to snow from afar, pink flowers of willow-tea (angut-leaved fireweed). In summer, mushrooms and berries are picked here, such as cloudberries, blueberries, blueberries, crowberries. In the sea water you can see various algae, and transparent jellyfish are sometimes thrown ashore with a wave. Pine trees that grow right in the water on stones show dangerous places for boats to pass.
Island vacation
The beauty of this place creates the feeling of a fairy tale. Sitting on a rocky seashore covered with pine trees, you can retire and hide from the noisy city. Nature here is very conducive to this, since it is almost untouched by civilization, while the island of Kiy is still wild and impregnable. Rest here will be remembered for a long time, and memories will surely remain in the heart of every traveler: fresh sea air with a subtle smell of algae, the sun, smooth boulders that look like sleeping seals, unique sunsets that amaze with their beauty.
In general, Kiy Island is very colorfulcorner of our country. Therefore, at one time a rest house was built here, which accommodates 180 people. In addition, the island is notable for its ancient buildings of the 17th century, petroglyphs and an indescribable feeling of being at the end of the world.
And of course, many will be interested in the secrets of Kiy Island in the White Sea, connected with its curious history.
Foundation of the Onega Cross Monastery
In 1639, Hieromonk Nikon fled from the island of Anzera (a group of the Solovetsky Islands). The reason for the escape is a quarrel with the rector of the monastery, Eleazar. He intended to get by sea to the Kozheozersky monastery. But since Nikon went on an ordinary fishing boat, he suffered a disaster due to a raging storm near the rocks of Onega Bay. However, the hieromonk managed to escape in the bay of Kiy Island. In honor of this event, he establishes the famous Kiysky worship cross - as a tribute to tradition and gratitude to God for salvation.
In 1652, Nikon went again to the Solovetsky Island - to transfer the relics of St. Philip to Moscow. On the way back, he decides to revisit Kiy Island and build a chapel here.
The hieromonk could not later forget this wonderful place that saved and sheltered him. In 1656, when Nikon had already become patriarch, he asked Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich for permission to build a monastery on Kiy Island. He proposed to found it in honor of the Ex altation of the Holy Cross. The king supported this idea, and construction began on the island under the auspices of the patriarch. In 1660 Nikon consecratesCathedral on Kiy Island. The monastery itself was named Stavros, which means “cross” in Greek.
Decay and rebirth
Northern lands began to interest foreigners. In 1856, the English merchant Home built a timber exchange here. The island has become a repository of wooden building materials.
In the 19th century, the monastery was empty, this was due to the beginning of the Crimean War and the British attack on the island. In 1854, enemy troops landed on the Kiy. The monastery was looted and destroyed. Even more damage was caused by a fire that occurred the following summer. Some buildings have been preserved as they were made of stone.
In 1870, the monks requested funds from the Synod to restore the monastery. 9 thousand rubles were allocated. During these years, there is a revival of monastic life. Although only 10-15 people lived in the monastery at that time. Here, among other things, a wooden wall with towers and cannons appeared - protection against possible subsequent attacks.
When Soviet power was established, the monastery was abolished in 1922. Churches were looted and destroyed.
Monastery on the island at present
In the center of the island stands an old monastery founded by Nikon. It is assumed that the patriarch wanted to create a kind of counterbalance to monasticism on the Solovetsky Islands, which was a kind of republic ruling in the White Sea.
Currently, the monastery is actually no longer here. Or rather, it exists, but no spiritual life is now being conducted here. The monastery existed for two and a halfcenturies, its buildings have survived to this day. This is a small complex, in the center of which stands the Holy Cross Cathedral.
For a few who wish and pilgrims, services are sometimes held in it, baptisms take place and the church choir performs.
Once this temple was five-domed, its architecture is the same as on the Solovetsky Islands, typical of late Novgorod architecture, but adapted to the conditions of the Far North. Dark gray granite and limestone were used for the construction.
The oldest cross was once kept in the temple, the size corresponding to the one on which Christ was crucified. It contained holy relics, stones from various biblical places. It could well have perished in the 19th and 20th centuries, but it was moved to Moscow and is now kept in the church of St. Sergius of Radonezh. The cross itself is a true work of art.
Other attractions
Besides the cathedral, there is also the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin, dating back to 1689. Attached to it: a bell tower, the tomb of the abbots of the monastery, a refectory, Kelar chamber. A little lower is the Church of the Origin of the Honest Trees of the Cross of the Lord. Otherwise it is called: "Church over the well." On the wall you can see a cross with inscriptions about the founding of the monastery.
The chamber, built nearby in the Petrine era, is abandoned. Only one fragment of the wooden fence remained here. Once it bordered the entire monastery and was equipped with 8 towers and cannons. She was deliveredwas after the monastery came under fire from the English squadron. The cue was taken by the British, although they could not capture the Solovetsky Islands.
In the depths of the island there is a mysterious church of All Saints. The wooden building was erected at the monastery cemetery in 1661. It was a one-domed church of the Klet type. It is hidden from view because it has been converted into a living space.
Holiday home
Since 1924, the territory of Kiy Island has been assigned to the Rest House, and since then people have been coming here on tours. Living conditions are very modest, there is no electricity, but a generator is working, which at certain times breaks the silence. The holiday home operates exclusively during the summer. Therefore, you can relax on Kiy Island only in summer.
Watchmen live here in winter. On the island you can see a horse, it is used to assess the strength of the ice. If it comes close to the shore, but does not go further, then the ice is still too thin and you can’t move on it.
Wishing to visit Kiy Island: how to get there?
To visit the island, first of all, you need to get to the city of Onega. It is possible by train - from the regional center, Arkhangelsk, or from Moscow. In summer, from the city of Onega, they get to the island by boat or by boat. In winter, the Onega Bay is covered with ice. Although it is durable, its safety is not guaranteed. At low tide, it is impossible for a boat to go straight to the shore, so passengers are usually transferred to a boat to get to Kiy Island. And that's it, you can enjoy solitude in nature.
Definitely worth such a long journey to rest on Kiy-island. Reviews of tourists about it are mostly positive. The natural beauty of this unique corner of the planet is especially praised. It is not easy to get lost here, firstly, the island is small, and secondly, there is a large map with explanations. There are also certain rules for visiting Kiy Island.
