In winter on Lake Kubenskoye, only a faintly visible light-pink steeple breaks the idyll of the vast emptiness. The first stone monastery established by Orthodox missionaries as they advanced north from Moscow, Spaso-Kamenny was built in 1260 on a tiny island in the middle of the lake.
Over the centuries, this stronghold of Christianity in the Vologda region of Russia has endured two devastating fires " one in 1472 and one in 1774 " and persecution by the Soviet regime that destroyed the complex in 1937. Abandoned, the island and its ruins became a hangout for local fishermen until the collapse of the Soviet Union, when volunteers began to rebuild the monastery. Nowadays, Spaso-Kamenny has reclaimed its former significance and, during the warm season, is one of the most visited religious sites in the region. In winter, however, only a handful of caretakers remain to watch over the monastery as it settles into a long and quiet hibernation.
