A reminder: in the last album we stopped at this arch,
which looks out at the backyard of the monastery.
Now let's walk through it.
This stone building was erected in 1874
by the architect I. B. Slupsky to house workers.
It is now a hotel.
Another hotel nearby is made of wood. It
was erected in 1843.
A source informs me that during construction timbers of up to 50 cm
(~20") in diameter were harvested in the local woods.
A bit to the left of our path is an
obelisk commemorating the war. I have no details on it.
Here is how the monastery looks as a
whole. To the left are the buildings we've already seen.
To the right are the ones in the following photos.
I think these are stables with two houses
for the grooms.
A house.
A hybrid of sorts - they
must've started with timbers, but wanting more, had to finish with
planks. :)
Let's move on. Out by the woods there is
this picturesque little chapel, recently restored.
It is called the Uspensky chapel.
It was built in 1899. Previously
there was a cross here: it was a favorite rest spot of the founder of
the monastery.
Just before entering - a backward glance
at the monastery: a wonderful view. No wonder the founder picked this
spot to rest.
The inside is very modest: only a desk
with a prayer book (or whatever it is called).
The slip of paper at the top left says:
"For the health of the infant Stepan".
The prayer book is opened on the page
titled "Acathistus for the Assumption of the Holy Mother of God".
The
stains on the desk are from candle wax.
The cupola.
The ceiling begs for an
image, but there is none.
A winter bouquet… A pencil on the left, a
twig on the right.
Yes, there are a lot of bilberries in the woods.
Some people, no figure pointing, please, couldn't be pried away :) And
that despite a host of hungry mosquitoes (a human is a rare delicacy on
the island of Konevets. :)
The icons in front of the desk.
The
signs say: "Saint Efim of Novgorod" (left), "The Reverend Arsenii of
Konevsk" (right). The wording in the center is unclear..
A view of the monastery from the open
door of the chapel.
In the next album we will walk along the trail in the woods toward the
Kazan hermitage.
