The monastery of Petschenga

by J. A. Friis

Unnas and Ambrose were thus, for a time at least, in security. They could see from their place of refuge how the church was burning. The invaders had set fire to it, after they had plundered whatever they could find of any value. The church and the various monastery buildings made together a huge conflagration, round which they could see black figures moving about on the snow.

The next morning, Christmas Day, nothing remained but the smouldering ruins of the church, the buildings, the barns, and the mill. All that the invaders could carry with them, that was of any value, they had pillaged, and the rest they had burnt.

In the letter from Vardö forty-one of the murdered monks [[79]]are mentioned by name. ‘The following,’ it states, ‘the Swedes slew belonging to the monastery that was called Pesantz: The chief monk, Archimandrite Gurij. Three priests, by name Packum, N. Foser, and Jonno N., together with the following monks.’ (Here follows a list of their names.)

Similarly the names of fifty-one of the servants, or lay-brothers, are recorded as having been killed. (Here follows another list of names.)

According to some authorities a total of fifty-one monks and sixty-five servants were slain, and according to others even a larger number. The majority of the names are Russian, only one or two are Finnish or Norwegian. In the barn they killed two women, Kyllinna and Fefemj by name. In all probability they were milkmaids, who attended to the cows. With this the invaders ended their errand, and made their way down to the fjord again. From thence they went across to ‘Urze,’ by which most likely Orafjord is meant, and there they put to death five men, three lads, five women, and four girls. Among the men are mentioned by name, Jorgen Iffersen, Iver Ottesen, and Thimofe Mickelsen, who were probably Norwegians. Among the women, Marin Iffuansdatter is mentioned; she was also, most probably, a Norwegian woman. The names of the rest seem to have been those of Russians. These marauders spared neither man nor woman, but put to death everybody they could.

From Orafjord they made for the town of Kola, which was pretty well fortified. ‘They reached it two days after Christmas. But the besieged inhabitants made a sally, and the marauders were completely routed. Sixty of them were slain, and the rest escaped by boat across the river Tulom.’ This river has its source in the Nuotjavre Lake, and from it the remnant probably made their way southwards again to the region of Kajana, whence they had come. Nothing more, however, is recorded of their exploits.

Unnas and Ambrose were not the only persons who escaped from being killed by fire and the enemy’s sword. It is not unlikely that a few others of the monks also escaped by flight, but nothing is said in the documents on this point. Ambrose lay ill on a plank bed, with a bandage over his eyes. His hair was almost entirely burnt off, and his hands and face were so scorched that he was scarcely to be recognised. [[80]]

The following day Unnas went over to the ruins. It had frozen during the night, so that the ice on the river was strong enough to bear him. There he found nothing left of the entire monastery but smouldering embers, and charred corpses among the ruins. A number of clothes and other things had been fetched from the monks’ chambers on to the snow, and had served the ruffians for beds. Perhaps at one time they had thought of taking some of these things with them, but had afterwards abandoned the idea. Unnas took some of the things with him across to the island, so that both he and Ambrose might have something to rest upon. The barn was, as has been already observed, also burnt down, and the cattle had been killed. Part of the slaughtered cattle the brigands had taken with them, the remainder they had thrown into the fire.

Ambrose and Unnas, however, were not on that account obliged to starve. They found in a shed on the island a large amount of salt fish. The monks had speared salmon on the islands during the summer, and it sometimes happened that one or more of them, together with some of the servants, would remain in the gamme for several days. Pots and cooking utensils were to be found there, and neither Ambrose nor Unnas had any need to fear either cold or hunger for awhile; they could wait for Ambrose to recover his strength, and for the people who were spared to return.

After a few days had passed, most of the fifteen absent monks did return, and found to their horror the monastery destroyed, and their brothers’ half-burnt corpses lying among the ruins. They had to live for the present in a ‘bathing chamber, situated a little way from the monastery,’ which had been spared, or perhaps had not been noticed by the marauders. At first they had enough to do in burying their murdered brethren and the servants.