The walking journey of pilgrims through the Valaam Monastery begins at the Holy Gates.
At the walls of the Peter and Paul Church, pilgrims can pray to the icons of the founders of the monastery, Saints Sergius and Herman, the Savior Not Made by Hands and the Apostle Andrew.
On the other side of the building they are greeted by mosaic images of Saints the apostles Peter and Paul, as well as Nicholas the Pleasant. Directly above the gate is the icon of the Mother of God of Iveron.
The history of the gate church began in 1809. The temple was built in the style of Russian classicism, without much decoration. But what the building lacked, it made up for in other things. For example, the wooden gates were decorated with iconography, the walls of the temple were painted with frescoes. Neither one nor the other has survived to this day. In 1940, all the utensils, decorations and even the gilded columns from the iconostasis were removed from the premises. The building began to be used as a warehouse.
The revival of the temple took a long time. At first, in the 2000s, it hosted concerts of the monastery choir and hosted exhibitions of the Valaam Museum.
In 2018, serious restoration work began. Their main part was completed in 2018. The walls were restored, heating was installed, the inhabitants of the monastery painted the iconostasis.
On the day of remembrance of Saints Sergius and Herman, the revived church was consecrated by Patriarch Kirill.
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Temples and Monasteries of Russia
