I was recently flipping through June’s issue of Conde Nast Traveler and came upon an interesting article abot the Solovetski Islands in Russia.  The islands are the home of monasteries and priests, but they are also haunted by the memories of the Soviet Gulag.  Author Peter Savodnik writes a brilliant article about this unique island group.

 The islands, which are located in the North-West corner of Russia are a curiosity to both Russians and the outside world. Sitting in the white sea the islands are filled with fifteenth-century monasteries and chapels. Believed to be first settle six centuries ago by Orthodox monks who were seeking to flee the materialism of Russia’s mainland the first settlers forged a life of isolation.  The island also has a deeply sinister past. In the 1920s and 1930s hundreds of thousands were shot, starved and tortured when the islands served as a labor camp.  The people sent here were political prisoners, anyone deemed hostile to the recolution or Joseph Stalin.  Eventually the whole main island was transformed into a death factory. 

 The article offers great insight into this little known island region and if you are interested in Russian history I would recommend picking up a copy of this months Conde Nast Traveler.