the Solovetsky Islands

Postcard from the Solovetsky Islands, located in the Onega Bay of the White Sea, Russia. Historically the islands have been the setting of the famous Russian Orthodox Solovetsky Monastery complex. It was founded in the second quarter of the 15th century by two monks from the Kirillo-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. From Katerina.