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 Island
The Bolshaya Muksalma, the third biggest island of the Solovetsky Archpelago, is to the east of the Solovetsky Island.
Cyclopean dam of boulders of more than 1 km long was built in 1866 to connect Muksalma and the Bolshoi Solovetsky Island.
The Muksalma islands met all the requirements of a dairy. They were isolated from the main Monastery area, had comparatively easy access, and food was abundant here for the smallish herd of the Monastery. Originally the connection between the Monastery and the Muksalma dairy was by sea, across the Dolgaya Guba Bay.
In the 1830-ies the Monastery farmstead was started. Forests around the dairy were felled on a big scale, the area was cleaned of stumps and boulders to make a meadow, ditches were made to drain the ground for hay. The territory of the dairy was cobbled. A three-kilometers-long canal connected several lakes and islands and brought water to the Monastery farmstead.
In 1876 a church made of stone was dedicated to St. Sergius of Radonezh. The beginning of the 20th century saw the construction of the cells buildings for the brethren and monastery workers. These buildings have survived till our days.
St. Sergius Hermitage on the Muksalma Island was one of the biggest in the Monastery, up to 35 people used to live there.
In 1923-1939, at the time of concentration camps, they organized a cattle breeding department on the Bolshaya Muksalma. In St. Sergius Church there was a rabbit-hutches, and a pig-farm was built for the first time in the Islands history.
In 1939 the ‘camp’ period came to an end, the new managers on the Island were the Training Squad of the Northern Fleet. Muklsalma was considered as an area of possible military action.
Near the mountain Favor, the highest on the Island, shelters were dug out, artillery positions were arranged, and there appeared a network of weapon emplacements on the western and northern coasts of the Island.
The meadow near the former farmstead was used as an aerodrome for light planes.
At present the buildings of St. Sergius Hermitage are not used. Off the Muksalma Island seaweed are being laid in. The settlement where workers live is on the Malaya Muklsalma Island.
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