Church legends about Sergius of Valaam were not committed to writing until the 18th century. In these writings, Sergius is described as an
Athonite monk sent by the
Byzantine emperor to enlighten the heathen tribes of Karelia with the light of the Christian faith. He traveled along the
trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks, passing the towns of
Kiev,
Novgorod and
Staraya Ladoga in
Kievan Rus'. He arrived on the northern shores of
Lake Ladoga, and soon moved to the island of
Valaam, where he would spend the rest of his life preaching. A tradition placing his arrival on Valaam as early as 992 would make him a contemporary of Emperor
Basil II. Another pious legend describes Sergius as a disciple of
Apostle Andrew who reportedly visited
Crimea in the 1st century AD. However, the earliest record of his activity claims that he arrived in Valaam in 1329. His work was carried on by, among others,
Herman of Valaam, who may or may not have a contemporary of Sergius. Sergius and Herman are considered the founders of the
Valaam Monastery. Yet another church tradition dates his death to 1353, but there are no medieval documents to validate this claim either. The
archaeological record places the arrival of
Christianity in Finland at the 10th or 11th centuries. The date of the monastery's foundation is not clear, as all records of its early history have been destroyed, most of them during the
Russo-Swedish Wars. According to an 18th-century church chronicle, the
relics of Sergius and Herman were moved to safety in
Novgorod in 1162 (or 1163), possibly before a major Swedish offensive against
Staraya Ladoga, roughly a decade after the legendary
First Swedish Crusade, to be returned in 1182 (or 1180). The date of the translation, September 11, continues to be commemorated by the
Orthodox Church of Finland. == See also ==