The administration of St. Petersburg, with the participation of the Committee for Arctic Affairs and representatives of the Russian Geographical Society, is launching a new tourist route “Patron Saints of the Arctic”.
The all-season route will connect St. Petersburg, the Leningrad region and the Republic of Karelia, and its basis will be visits to Orthodox Christian holy places, historically and thematically connected with the regions of the Arctic zone of Russia, reports the website of the Administration of St. Petersburg.
“Karelia is not only our northern neighbor, but also an old, reliable friend... I am sure that the new tourist destination will give the opportunity to St. Petersburg residents, residents of Karelia and the Leningrad region, and guests of our regions to learn even more about the beauty and history of the Russian north,” he emphasized at a special meeting Governor of St. Petersburg Alexander Beglov .
It is reported that the journey along the “Patron Saints of the Arctic” route will begin with a visit to the St. Petersburg Compound of the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Valaam Monastery. Next, the participants will visit Kotlin Island and the Kronstadt Naval Cathedral, and then the St. Nicholas Cathedral.
In the Leningrad region, a stop is planned at the Holy Trinity Alexander Svirsky Monastery.
As for Karelia, a more ambitious program is planned here - visits to Petrozavodsk, Sortavala, the villages of Rautalahti and Tolvuya. In these places, tourists and pilgrims will be able to see the “Northern Thebaid” complex on the shores of Lake Ladoga, replicas of northern churches, and also get acquainted with the life story of one of the founders of the Solovetsky Monastery, St. Zosima of Solovetsky .
The final point of the route, depending on the time of year or weather conditions, will be a visit to the Kizhi Museum-Reserve or the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Valaam Monastery.
It is clarified that in addition to visiting Orthodox Christian holy places, special emphasis within the framework of the “Patron Saints of the Arctic” project will be placed on stories about missionaries related to St. Petersburg and the northern territories.
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