Heinävesi, North Karelia, Finland, May 19, 2025
Photo: ort.fi
The cenotaph, or memorial coffin, of Sts. Sergius and Herman, the founders of Valaam Monastery, will be transferred from a Church museum to the New Valaam Monastery in Heinävesi, Finland, in September.
The gilded-silver cenotaph was made in 1823, the icons for the lid in 1882, and the lid itself in 1896. It weighs more than one 220 pounds. It was evacuated from the original Valaam Monastery on Lake Ladoga in Russia in 1939, and since 1958, it has been stored in the Orthodox RIISA Museum.
In 2020, the brotherhood council of New Valaam Monastery requested that the cenotaph be transferred to the monastery, and the relevant decision was made on May 15, of this year, reports the Finnish Orthodox Church.
“As part of the main exhibition, the cenotaph generated great interest and admiration. However, this is a sacred object that can have liturgical use,” commented museum director Anne Laiti.
The abbot of the New Valaam, Archimandrite Mikael (Nummela), said:
The cenotaph will make the presence of our monastery’s founders quite tangible in the monastery. Originally, the cenotaph was located where, according to tradition, their relics rested. We’re glad that the cenotaph will be transferred to Valaam and will return to prayer use. Regular molebens will be held before the cenotaph.
The sacred item will remain part of the museum’s main exhibition throughout the summer, with its transfer to the monastery planned for early September. There, it will be placed in the so-called Winter Church of Sts. Sergius and Herman.
***
The RIISA Museum is a specialized museum of outstanding national, regional and global significance. It was founded in Kuopio in 1957 and continues the traditions of the Museum of Antiquities established at the old Monastery of Valamo in Lake Ladoga in 1912.
The collections are based on items from the Orthodox parishes of Karelia and Petsamo and the monasteries of Valamo, Konevitsa and Petsamo that came to Finland through the evacuations that took place during the wars of 1939-1944.
The icons, liturgical vessels and textiles, and rare books and manuscripts that make up RIISA’s extensive collections range in age from the 16th century up to the present day, and its archives contain a wealth of historical documents, maps, building plans and photographs.
Follow OrthoChristian on Twitter, Vkontakte, Telegram, WhatsApp, MeWe, and Gab!
