Valaam, l'archipel des moines (2012)

• 89%
• 2012
• Documentary
• Francois Lespes

Valaam islands, frozen six months a year in the ice of Lake Ladoga, houses the oldest monastery in Russia. Founded in the 11th century, according to the tradition, the prayer of Valaam Monastery was interrupted for nearly 50 years, when the communist regime expelled the monks of the island in the 1940s. But in 1989, six monks dock at Valaam, to restore monastic life which has been broken. 23 years later, they are about 150, and most devastated churches are rebuilt. In this documentary, you will discover the daily life of the monks of Valaam, in the large main monastery, and in hermitages lost in the woods of the surrounding islands. Handwork, painting icons, great liturgies in the night: a life of constant struggle with oneself, rooted in obedience and perpetual prayer. Portrait of a renaissance in faith, which makes this extraordinary place, the impressive symbol of spiritual awakening throughout Russia.