Solovetsky Monastery

The Solovetsky Monastery (Russian: Солове́цкий монасты́рь, IPA: [səlɐˈvʲɛtskʲɪj mənɐˈstɨrʲ]) is a fortified monastery located on the Solovetsky Islands in the White Sea in northern Russia. It was one of the largest Christian citadels in northern Russia before it was converted into a Soviet prison and labor camp in 1926 to 1939, and served as a prototype for the camps of the Gulag system. The monastery has experienced several major changes and military sieges. Its most important structures date from the 16th century, when Filip Kolychev was its hegumen (comparable to an abbot).

Text adapted from “Solovetsky Monastery” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Solovetsky Monastery ranks #211 of 8,134 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #7 of the 145 mapped in Russia. Founded 1436, it is older than 51% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 455 atlas entries founded in the 15th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 15,762 times in the last 60 days, more than 96% of the atlas. See how Russia compares in the castle statistics.

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