An unusual pastor

The village of Kolodozero lies hidden deep in the woods about 1000 kilometres north of Moscow. In ancient times, people settled on the northern banks of the local rivers and lakes. Kolodozero, in fact, actually consists of a handful of small hamlets. Houses are scattered along the picturesque lake shores and promontories.

Fifteen years ago, these places enchanted three friends from Moscow who were hiking around the region, searching for the meaning of life, and most likely, for themselves as well. In 2001, they gathered resources together and started building a new church to replace the old one that was burned down back in 1977. One of the friends, the redhead rebel and punk Arkady Shlykov, who graduated from the Moscow Spiritual Seminary, accepted ordination in 2005.

This meant that 40 years later parochial life was reborn in the village, with Shlykov as the pastor. At first, the stern locals were very suspicious of the shaggy-haired, rock star-like pastor, but later on they came to love him wholeheartedly. They accepted his freedom, both outer and inner, and appreciated his character – peace-loving and gentle. This is a story about the people of the Russian North, about what keeps them together, about their spirit and soul, and about their passions and emotions.


From November 20, 2016, to January 15, 2017, the gallery at the Tchaikovsky Hall in Hamburg is presenting Kolodozero. Kreis der Erde, an exhibition of photographs by Ekaterina Solovieva. The vernissage will take place on November 20 at 3pm.