The legend tells us that the Valaam Monastery was established by two Greek missionaries, St. Sergiy and St. Herman, in the first half of the 10th century. The Valaam is situated on lake Ladoga on a group of appr. 50 islands. Ladoga is the largest lake in Europe with a volume that could contain the waters of all the 60000 Finnish lakes. The monastery was destroyed many times by fire or by raids of the Swedes. It grew to become one of the leading Russian monasteries in the 19th and 20th centuries and had over a thousand monks.

PUBLISHED DATE	1884 PARIS
ARTIST	ALEXANDRE DE BAR
ENGRAVED BY	LINTON
PUBLISHER	THOMAS DE LAMOTTE SAINTE-MARTIN
PAGE SIZE: approx	14 3/4 INCHES x 10 1/2 INCHES
IMAGE SIZE: approx	6 3/4 X 4 inches
CONDITION	FOLIO INTEXT ENGRAVING with text on the back . Excellent condition. Heavier paper.Suitable ageing. The image is clean, clear and sharp with beautiful depth and detail.