Peryn Skete, Orthodox church near Lake Ilmen in Veliky Novgorod, Russia.
Peryn Skete is a small church on a peninsula jutting into Lake Ilmen, built of stone with a single dome supported by four internal pillars inside. Three brick buildings from the 1800s that once housed monks remain standing nearby as part of the protected heritage complex.
A wooden temple dedicated to the pre-Christian god Perun stood here until a stone church was built in the 1230s at the same location. This shift from wood to stone marks an important moment when the region embraced Orthodox Christianity.
The site preserves memories of an ancient pagan sanctuary dedicated to Perun, the thunder deity of old Slavic beliefs. Today visitors sense how older spiritual traditions shaped the location long before Orthodox Christianity arrived in the region.
The site sits on a peninsula and is best reached on foot or by boat from the lake, so allow time for the journey from town. Access is easiest during warmer months, as winter ice and weather can make reaching the location challenging.
Diggers in the 1950s uncovered remains of even earlier sacred structures buried beneath the ground at this location. These discoveries show that the ground itself held spiritual meaning for people across many different centuries and belief systems.
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