2 Best Sights in Kuopio, The Lakelands

The Orthodox Church Museum possesses one of the most interesting and unusual collections of its kind. When parts of Karelia (the eastern province of Finland) were ceded to the Soviet Union after World War II, religious art was taken out of the monasteries and brought to Kuopio. The collection is eclectic and includes one of the most beautiful icon collections in the world, as well as embroidered church textiles.

If you were fascinated by the treasures in the Orthodox Church Museum, you'll want to visit the Orthodox Valamo Monastery in Heinävesi, between Varkaus and Joensuu. The original Valamo monastery remains on the Russian side of the border on islands in Lake Ladoga in what used to be Finland, but monks were transferred to these newer premises in the midst of turmoil after World War II. As a major center for Russian Orthodox religious and cultural life in Finland, the monastery church hosts daily services and is especially lively and well-frequented at Easter when important services are held. Precious 18th-century icons and sacred objects are housed in the main church and in the icon conservation center. The Orthodox library is the most extensive in Finland and is open to visitors, as is the absorbing museum containing ecclesiastical artifacts and photographs. A café-restaurant is on the grounds, and modest guesthouse and hostel accommodations are available (book ahead).