Lake Sumozero

Lake Vodlozero spreads among forests and islands east of Lake Onega. The Vodla carries its waters toward Onega, while the Ileksa leads into the northern interior. Novgorodian traders used these waterways, and by the sixteenth century villages and church districts were established around the lake. On Maly Kolgostrov stood the Ilyinsky churchyard; its wooden church of the prophet Elijah was rebuilt by local people in 1798. The island church served communities scattered across the lake’s shores.