Wandering Camera

Album 293
(Translated b
y Michael Tarley Jr.)

 

Continuing our walk on the island of Konevets.

 


In previous album we saw the Uspenski chapel. Here we are walking further along the trail in the woods.
Soon we glimpse the Kazan hermitage ahead.

The hill on which it is situated is called the 'Holy Mountain'. It's 34 meters, you know.

The hermitage was built in 1794. The founder of the monastery lived here until the monastery itself was built.
Science and technology stopped by here. :)
The hermitage is obviously being restored, though leisurely.
Behind us is a shelter with miscellaneous building instruments, materials, and piles of wood.
Continuing along the trail into the woods.
A rather important spot here: the chapel on the Horse stone.

The island is named after this stone.

Prior to the end of the 14th century the stone served as the site of pagan sacrifices. The Korels, who lived along the shore, annually sacrificed a horse here. (The stone's outline reminds one of a horse's head.)

At some point the founder of the monastery, Arsenii, did something to the stone, like banishing the evil spirits, and the stone become good and Orthodox. Then the chapel was built on top of it. The stone is 750 tones of granite. It is 9 by 6 by 5 (height) meters.

The first version of the chapel had a large cross inside, which was popular because it "healed" toothaches.

The chapel you see now was built in 1815 and has, of course, been fixed up over time.

 
We have now left the woods at the other end of the island (quite a bit to the left of the pier). The beach here is very different: all covered with medium and small stones.
A strong wind and white caps.
One more hermitage: the Konevsky (one and a half kilometers to the right of the pier).

It was built by I. B. Slupsky in 1874 at the spot where the first monastery was erected by the founder in 1398.

This hermitage is in a very poor state; the restoration efforts have yet to reach it.

Water pump by the water.

I wonder: does it pump from the lake or did they bore a well for it?

From the Konevsky hermitage a camera zoom let's you see the cutter at the pier and the sandy beach.

Time to return there.

A cross at the beach by the pier.
It looks new; has a lot of writing on it, but all in such a shortened shorthand, that I can't make out why the cross is here. At the very bottom of the cross there is a skull and bones.

By the way, on the shorthand notation used on crosses, icons, and, in general, in books published before Peter I. Those in the know correctly suggested that I search for the word 'titl'. Leaving aside many rules and markings, I can tell you that the 'titl' (a slanted line above letters and words) was used if 1) the word had been shortened (a sequence of one or more letters dropped), or if 2) numbers were written as letters (e.g. "A" for "1").

In the case of the word 'god' (as well as 'angel', 'slave', 'sky' and a few others) there was an additional meaning. A pagan god would be always fully spelled out, i.e. without the 'titl'. While the 'true' god would be shortened and written with a 'titl'. So as not to accidentally mix them up in text. :)

Silhouettes
At this angle the cutter looks like a real ice-breaker. :)
We have seen the main buildings on the island.

In principal, there is a military base somewhere here. Possibly it is at the north end of the island. Don't know; didn't see it.


I would like to bring to your attention an event we are planning with friends at the end of the summer. It should be of interest to programmers (including those who write for rare platforms), artists, and musicians (who use computers). We eagerly await participants as well as those wishing to help out in organizing this.

 

 

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