During its centuries-old history, the Monastery has undergone devastation and desolation time and again. But, by God’s mercy, every time it revived again. On December 14, 1989, a ship moored in the Great Nikon harbour near the Resurrection hermitage, there were the first six monks on board (four hieromonks and two novices) and gradually monastic life started to revive. Since that day, the new history of Valaam began.
Restoring the monastery was difficult at first the brothers had to stay in the public hotel of Valaam locality, conducting long divine services in the lower church of the Saviour-Transfiguration Cathedral, whose darkened and wet walls reminded of decades of abomination of desolation, having reigned in this holy place. Restoration works started almost immediately after the first brothers settled, Gradually, the lower church in honour of saint Sergius and Herman, Valaam wonder-workers was put in order. A temporary iconostasis and a simple wooden shrine over God’s saints’ relics were installed; the All-Saint's skete church was restored. The monastery community began to gather little by little. It was very difficult to organize monastic life – the local population lived next to the monks. Behind the monastery walls, music thundered, yelling and obscene language could be heard during , but prayer-according to, the first brothers’ recollections, in spite of the difficult conditions of life, those initial years of revival were the most blessed with a for them.
Now young people with a difficult life quite often come to the monastery to take their first steps in the Church, so, currently, the primary task is to bring the young brothers up in the spirit of the gospel commandments, the holy fathers’ spiritual heritage and monastic and common church traditions. To this end, the Father-Superior conducts weekly spiritual talks, with reading of the holy fathers’ ascetical works and their commentaries. Brief lectures and comments are also made during the community meal, when the Holy faters' works are also read. The Brothers are exhorted not only to external discipline, i.e. obligatory presence at the divine service, obediences, cell prayer-rules, but also to the inner, spiritual work, which is the essence of monastic life – revelation of thoughts, continuous exercise in the Jesus prayer, struggle against the passions, frequent confession and holy communion.
The main principles of coenobitic life, are kept in the monastery for all brothers, from the Father-Superior to the novice. Nobody has personal property, common meal is mandatory for everybody, only tea is allowed in the cell. The treasurer gives money to be accounted for to the brothers doing responsible obediences only with the Father-Superior’s blessing whereas, small amounts for urgent needs, are given with the Father-Decent’s blessing.
The Monastery life routine is based on the Typicon and the Valaam rules using living experience of the best athonite monasteries, that have kept the holy fathers’ monastic tradition undamaged. At half past three a.m. the brothers are called for the morning divine service with wakening bell strokes, the service starts with reading the midnight prayer exactly at four a.m. on weekdays. Then matins, hours and Divine Liturgy follow, the Liturgy finishes a few minutes past eight a.m. After morning tea and short rest the brothers go for to their obediences. Lunch is at one p.m., the ninth hour and vespers are at five p.m., then supper and evening prayers with three canons and the Acathist. A few minutes past eight the brothers go to their cells. At nine p.m., the begin with a bell stroke, during which time the monks perform their cell rule, including Jesus prayer and bows.
In 1990, the Monastery was granted stavropegic status. The Moscow and All-Russian Patriarch Alexey II is the head, the holy Hegumen of the monastery. Valaam is a special place for the Most Holy Patriarch Alexey. It was here, according to his own words, that he felt his calling to Christ's Church service. As a young boy, Alexey with his parents twice, in 1938 and 1939, visited the Valaam Monastery on a pilgrimage. And now, although he is very busy, the Most Holy Patriarch almost annually celebrates the day of saint Sergius and Herman, Valaam wonder-workers, with a solemn divine service in the Holy Transfiguration church. During his visit to the Valaam Monastery, His Holiness familiarizes himself at length with the community life both in the Monastery and in the sketes, by talking with the brothers.
In May 1991, the monastery gained a great sacred treasure, the imperishable sweet-smelling relics of Valaam ascetic Antipa (memory – on January 10/23). Father Antipa was born in Moldavia, in Kalopodesht village, lived on the holy Mountain of Athos, was one of the founders of the Romanian Prodromos skete, for 17 years until his blessed death in 1882, elder Antipa lived on Valaam. The God-bearing Antipa's relics were put into a shrine installed in the lower church dedicated to saint Sergius and Herman, Valaam wonder- workers.
In 1999, an important event took place in the monastery life. Celebration of all the Valaam Saints' day was established by a Patriarchal resolution of July 4 (on August 7/20, the second day after the patronal feast of the Transfiguration). The choir includes the saints, already glorified by the Church, that struggled on Valaam as members of the brotherhood and those who contributed to the prosperity of the northern monastery at various times. Such are saint Sergius and Herman of Valaam, saint Avraamy of Rostov (10th century), saint John of Novgorod (12th century), saint Corniliy of Paleostrov (12th century), saint Arseniy of Konevets (14th century), saint Savvaty of Solovki (15th century), saint Gennady of Novgorod (15th century), saint Alexander of Svir (15th century), saint Athanasios of Siandem (16th century), saint Adrian of Ondrusov (16th century), saint Evphrosin of Sinozery (16th century), the holy martyrs Titus and others killed by the lutherans (16th century), saint Herman of Alaska (18-19th centuries), saint Ignatius bishop of Caucasus and the Black Sea (19th century), saint Lev of Optina (19th century), saint Antipa of Valaam (19th century), saint Areha of Verkhoturye (early 20th century) the new martyrs of the 20th century: holy Martyr Theophan of Solikam (Ilmenskiy), the monk Areha (Mitrenin) and Jeremy (Leonov).
Currently, there are nearly two hundred residents in the Holy-Transfiguration Valaam Monastery. In addition to the coenobitic life, monastic skete life is reviving on Valaam – in the sketes of All-Saints, Saint John the Baptist, Saint Nicholas, saint Sergius, on the Holy Island. A few metochia have been set up by the Monastery: in Moscow, Saint-Petersburg, Priozersk, Sortavala and other places.
The Monastery maintains a rather large economy: its own fleet, garage, farm, stable, forge, workshops; orchards, where about 60 sorts of apple-trees are grown. There are a bakery and a milk-processing mini-plant. The Monastery does what it can for the local communities.
The establishment of the trustee Board for restoration of the Holy-Transfiguration Valaam Monastery has become a new phase in the history of the restored coenobium; the Most Holy Moscow and All-Russian Patriarch Alexey is the Head of the Board. It has combined efforts of many famous Russian politicians and businessmen, who, understanding the historical and spiritual importance of the Northern Athos, contribute to reconstructing and restoring the churches, hermitages and holy places of Valaam and take part in implementing social and charity policies.
Currently, the Trustee Board is carrying out repair and restoration works in the Holu-Transfiguration Cathedral, the main church of the Monastery. In 2001, the building roofing and facades repairs were completed, now restoration of painting, re-creation of the iconostasis, altar floor and galleries of the upper church are carried out. The Smolensk and Konevets hermitages are being restored, wall-painting works have commenced in the Valaam Virgin's Church. In addition to the creation of this church, another visible result of the Trustee Board activities is the Monastery guest-house and the community cell building construction in the external square of the Central estate of the Monastery.
With God’s help, by the prayers of the Holy Virgin, the God-bearing Sergius and Herman and of all the Saints that have struggled on Valaam, the ancient Valaam Monastery is reviving.
Valaam, 2004
