MOSCOW, October 5. /TASS/. Russia’s government adopted a complex of measures to preserve and develop the Solovetsky archipelago. The government’s site published on Sunday an order signed by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.
“The decision is aimed at preservation and development of the Solovetsky archipelago as a unique complex of spiritual, cultural and natural heritage,” the document reads.
The Solovetsky archipelago comprises six islands in the western part of the White Sea, covering 300 square kilometres. They have been inhabited since the 5th century B.C. and important traces of a human presence from as far back as the 5th millennium B.C. can be found there. The archipelago has been the site of fervent monastic activity since the 15th century, and there are several churches dating from the 16th to the 19th century.
Following the 1917 October Revolution, when the monastery was abolished and replaced by the 'Solovky' State Farm, in turn abolished in 1923, when the islands became camps for political and other prisoners. From 1939 to 1957 the islands were used by the navy for training. In 1967 the museum was created, and in 1990 the monastery was reinstated.