Konevets

Konevets is an island in western Lake Ladoga, separated from the mainland by a narrow strait. Its name recalls the great Horse Stone, a boulder revered by the people of the region before the monastery was founded. Around 1393 the monk Arseny established an Orthodox community here; in 1428 he founded its church of the Nativity of the Mother of God, housing an icon he had brought from Mount Athos.

The monastery's exposed position brought repeated disruption in wars with Sweden. During the Ingrian War Swedish forces took the island and the monks withdrew to Novgorod. They returned after Russia recovered the territory in the Great Northern War. The revived community remained dependent on Novgorod until 1760, when it became a separate monastery again. Its island setting tied its history to the contested shores of Lake Ladoga.