A PENAL MONASTERY.

Mataura Ensign, 17 December 1910, Page 5

A PENAL MONASTERY.

Mi Ernest Young describes very graphically a little by-way of travel in bis account of bis visit to the Monks of Waliimo, a Russian monastery on a small island in Lake Ladoga. Mr Young is an observant traveller, and the narrative be sends to 'Travel and Exploration' is full of life-like touches. It wuild appear that in some measure the monastery is regarded, like the well-known monastery of Mars Saba in i Palestine, as a penal monastery. "The' establishment consists of 30 priests, who are not monks; 15 deacons, who play an important part in the services of the Greek Church ; and 250 monks. These, with the novices and lavmon, make a total of from 1200 to 1300. There are other smaller monastic houses on ihe other islands, which are occupied by groups of 10 or 12 monks. Occasionally only two monks live in one of these far-away habitations, but at the present time none live alone. Formerly solitary life was by no means an exception. The last hermit lived for over 50 years in retirement. He is buried near to his one-roomed hut, and pious pilgrims chip bits off the wooden covering to his grave to cure themselves of toothache." ft is amusing to read that the monasjtery cows are so unaccustomed to worn e>» that if taken to the mainland they run away from them in fear, and will I only allow themselves to be milked by men! The monastery is entirely selfcontained and self-supporting, and even in the way of lake navigation—for there are numerous branch monasteries in the Walamo Archipelago—it is independent of outside help or aid. Even the stokers and engineers on the monastic steam launches are monks, and it is a curious sight to see priests oiling i an ei.giiie or shovelling coals.