The early history of Kexholm
According to the story, Käkisalmi was founded in the place where the cuckoo's call was first heard. The latter part of the name refers to the strait, which became an important crossroads for trade routes. Originally, the area was home to a large Karelian village and an associated wooden hill fort.
Historically, Kexholm became the centre of many struggles for power. Sweden and Russia, as well as the churches of both the West and the East, competed for the political and spiritual control of the region for centuries. Several peace treaties were concluded, but the area remained the subject of ongoing disputes.
The 14th century and the chronicles
The first written mention of Kexholm Castle is found in the Swedish Chronicle of Erik. According to it, in 1294 the Swedes captured Kexholm without burning it, killed the pagans and took the prisoners to Viipuri. A Novgorodian chronicle, on the other hand, relates that in 1295 the Swedes founded a small town, which the Novgorodians soon burned down.
According to folk tradition, an attempt was originally made to build the castle further up the Vuoksi river, but the buildings always collapsed during the night. Eventually, instructions were given in a dream to build the castle where a cuckoo was heard calling in a dead tree – and that is how Käkisalmi Castle got its final location.
Although the origin of the castle's name is linked to the cuckoo, the coat of arms of Käkisalmi nevertheless features a crane. The stone in its foot symbolises the vigilance of the garrison fortress – if the bird were to doze off, the stone would drop and wake it.

Monasteries of Lake Ladoga: Valaam and Konevits
In the 15th century, Käkisalmi already belonged to the spiritual sphere of influence of the Eastern Church. The monasteries of Valaam and Konevitsas were significant centres in the region, and the Konevitsas Monastery in particular was located only about 40 kilometres from Käkisalmi.
The Treaty of Nöteborg in 1323 divided Karelia politically and religiously in two. This dividing line gave rise to centuries of conflict between the Western Catholic and Orthodox Churches.
Käkisalmi Monasteries and Archaeological Finds
The 1500 tax book is an important historical document that provides information about Kexholm parish and its churches. There were three monasteries operating in Kexholm: St George's convent, St Nicholas' monastery and St John's monastery.
In 1929, archaeologist Antti Komonen carried out excavations in Kexholm and discovered the stone foundation of a possible three-aisled church and the remains of monastery buildings. The Swedes are suspected of having used the monastery's bricks in the construction work of the castle.

Käkisalmi and trading
In the 16th century, the population of Käkisalmi was around one thousand. There were 60 merchants, of whom 21 belonged to the tax class of the ”best men”. Fishing was a significant livelihood, and the Grand Prince of Moscow was particularly fond of Käkisalmi salmon – they were considered the most delicious in the entire realm.
The church and commerce were closely linked, and the region's wealth was also reflected in the church buildings. In the 16th century, Kexholm already had around 200 houses, and settlement spread from Spassky Island, near the castle island, to the mainland in the 17th century.
The Swedish era and the Treaty of Stolbova
Sweden's Pontus de la Gardie conquered Käkisalmi in 1580. For the castle's celebration feast, 139 cattle were slaughtered. However, in the Treaty of Täyssinä in 1595, the province of Käkisalmi was returned to Russia.
Sweden reconquered Kexholm in 1611, and by the Treaty of Stolbovo in 1617 the area was permanently incorporated into Sweden. The Orthodox population partly fled to Russia, and settlers from Vyborg Karelia and Savonia were moved in to replace them.
The Swedes were suspicious of the Orthodox. They were not even allowed into the fortress as day labourers, and Orthodox priests were obliged to teach the Lutheran catechism to their parishioners.

The period of Russian rule
In the 18th century, power changed hands once again. During the Great Northern War, Russia conquered Kexholm in 1710, and Peter the Great commemorated the victory by minting a commemorative medal.
In the Treaty of Nystad in 1721, the border settled similarly to the present day, and the County of Kexholm and the region of Vyborg were united. The Lutheran Church was given a secure position, but the Greek Catholic parish remained under the diocese of St Petersburg.
Käkisalmi in the 18th and 19th centuries
During the period of Russian rule, the population of Kexholm increased. In 1728, the area had around 460 inhabitants, and by 1750 already 750 people.
The Lutheran church was built in 1759 and was used for 150 years until the Russians burnt it down during their retreat in 1941. The Greek Catholic population grew again, and the Valaam and Konevitsy monasteries were rebuilt.
Trade remained vibrant. Käkisalmi fishermen, such as the Repo, Sihvo, Komonen, Kiuru, Kuosa and Lankinen families, returned after the war to practice their traditional livelihood.
Throughout its history, Kexholm has been an important centre of trade, religion and military events. Its location along the Vuoksi made it a coveted fortress for both Sweden and Russia. Although the town has experienced many changes of power and conflicts, it has maintained its significance for centuries.
Russian merchant families arrive
When Kexholm regained its town rights in 1748, the town already had old merchant families, such as Liimatta, Kuha and Franz. Merchant families that arrived with the Russian military were represented by Artamov, Koskov, Lisitzin, Andreov and Ivanov. Many military pedlars sought to stay permanently in Kexholm.
When the magistrate resumed its operations, merchant Nikolai Andreov was elected mayor alongside Andreas Uhrenius. Among the aldermen were also Ivan Koshilov and town elder Gaurila Lisitzin. The officials swore their oaths in the Greek Orthodox church in the presence of Pastor Ivan Romanov. The minutes were kept by Matfei Kofnov. As early as the 1731 census records, many Russian burghers appeared.

The Treaty of Turku 1743 and the diversity of languages
During the Lesser Wrath (1741–1743), Kexholm Castle served as a centre for military forces, and peasants from the entire province participated in its repair work. In the Treaty of Åbo in 1743, the border shifted to the Kymijoki River, creating the so-called Old Finland, which also included Lappeenranta and Sortavala. In the same year, the spiritual administration of Vyborg was established to take care of Greek Catholic parishes.
In the 1780s, the Kexholm bourgeoisie and merchants were quadrilingual, and a significant proportion were Russian kupets (merchants). The civil service had a German element, and Swedish was spoken by the town's intelligentsia. The common people mainly used Finnish, but also knew a form of pidgin Russian known as halkovenäjä, which was needed in freight hauling. However, Finnish was used by everyone to some extent.

Prayer house on the shore of Lake Ladoga
In the 1740s, a Greek Catholic prayer house was built at the confluence of the Vuoksi and Lake Ladoga. When the water level of Lake Ladoga rose exceptionally high between 1805 and 1807, the shrine was moved to a sandy bank near the harbour pier. Its gilded dome served as a landmark for seafarers and fishermen. Pilgrims and sailors remembered the prayer house with their alms upon arriving at the harbour.
Due to railway construction work, the prayer house was later moved to Hamina field. Remains of the Monastery of Saint George were found at the site. The dilapidated prayer house was finally demolished in 1936.

Bishop of Käkisalmi and Ladoga
The appearance of the name Kexholm in the title ”Bishop of Kexholm and Ladoga” demonstrates the parish's important position among the Greek Catholics of Karelia. This title was borne, among others, by Parfeny Sobkovsky, Rector of the Novgorod Seminary; Innokenty Nechayev, Deputy Superior of the Trinity Sergius Lavra; and Timofey Sokolov, also known as Tikhon of Zadonsk, who was later canonised as a saint in 1861.
Aleksandr Suvorov and the Kexholm garrison
Field Marshal Aleksandr Suvorov visited Kexholm Fortress on several occasions as an envoy sent by Catherine II. Suvorov interacted actively with the local population and his soldiers. When concern arose in 1791 regarding potential military operations by Gustav III, Suvorov carried out an inspection tour of the fortifications in Old Finland. In Kexholm, he proposed strengthening the castle's defences.
Suvorov was known for his deep religiosity and took part in the parish life of the garrison towns. It is quite possible that he also participated in the activities of the Kexholm parish.

Neoclassical cityscape
In 1797, a neoclassical town plan was drawn up for Finnish towns, which also influenced Kexholm. The town acquired a distinct and well-proportioned appearance. The imposing houses of Russian merchants dominated the townscape.
At this time, the Greek Catholics used the former Lutheran church located at the New Castle. In the early years of the 19th century, the parish was led by P. Ioannov and P. Amosov, among others.

New church and famous architect
The old church inherited from the Lutherans began to fall into disrepair, so it was decided to build a new Greek Catholic church. It was designed by the world-famous Italian-French architect Louis Tullius Joachim Visconti, who is known, among other things, for designing Napoleon's tomb.
The church was built by the Holy Synod and was consecrated on 11 December 1847. Its iconostasis was covered with a silver revetment and its decoration included, among other things, an image of the Lord Almighty in the dome and images of the four Evangelists on the walls. Among the valuable donors to the church were Artemyev, Boyarinov and Lisitzin.

Industry and commerce
Before the 19th century, there was no actual industry in Kexholm. However, the town was one of the best places for procuring tanning bark. Bark was harvested especially for the needs of St Petersburg's leather industry. There were also local leather tanneries in operation: Makkim Timojev founded a factory in 1789 and Paul Leontjev in 1858.
Government Secretary Löfström and merchant Arseni Artemjev realised that there was a demand for porcelain tableware in the cosmopolitan city of St Petersburg. They founded a faience factory in the village of Suotniemi, whose products were in high demand. The factory operated for 52 years and its master craftsman was Uljanov, who knew the secrets of porcelain manufacturing.
The spirits industry was also lucrative. Merchant Ivan Panschin held the town's liquor sales license in the 1790s. Nikolai Lisitzin applied for a permit to establish a distillery in 1850, and in 1857 Andrei Lisitzin and Feodor Andrejev competed for the rights to manufacture and serve liquor and beer. In 1836, Feodor Andrejev was prosecuted for selling distilled spirits under the name of rum. Citizens also procured liquor through smuggling, including from visitors to St Petersburg. Town councillors Paulov and Jakolev supervised the spirits industry as inspectors in 1868.

Russian merchants in Kexholm
At the beginning of the 19th century, the proportion of Russians in the merchant community of Kexholm was significant. In 1828, ten of the town's thirteen merchants had Russian names. During the Finnish War (1808–1809), Finnish merchant families, such as Kuha and Liimatta, moved away from Kexholm. In the 19th century, the names of the merchants were as follows:
In 1822: Ivan Matvejev, Peter Gren, Nikolai Kannin, Grigorej Pospejev, Toka Kannin, Yrjö Kokko, Denis Kannin, Vasili Lisitzin, Semen Tikarev, Vasili Andrejev, Leontjev Anisionov, Prokofej Bojarinov, Pekka Riski.
In 1858: Teodor Andrejev, Andrei Sittnikov, Nikolai Koslev, Roman Casa, Andrei Kannin, Ivar Kannin, Vasili Paulov, Nikolai Severinov, Andrei Lisitzin, Vasili Tikarev, Alexander Kaljunen, Ivan Alexandrov, Peter Bojarinov, Semen Bojarinov, Vasili Vasiljev, Alexei Oresnikov, Petter Hämäläinen, Mihail Adaridi.
Many Russian merchant families had settled in Kexholm as early as the late 18th century. The poll tax registers of 1770 mention Gaurila Lisitzin and Nikolai Andreov. The networks of these families extended to Saint Petersburg and other parts of Russia, as well as to Sortavala and the surrounding areas in Finland. Their trade was particularly lucrative with Saint Petersburg. Although they maintained Russian as their home language, they partly adopted trading practices from the era of Swedish rule. The merchants were affluent, and their handsome houses defined the townscape. Pedlars and rural merchants also sold their wares widely.

The Testament of Andrey and its impacts
The Andrejevs were a prominent merchant family in Kexholm. Nikolai Andrejev was elected the town's second mayor as early as 1784. Merchant Vasili Andrejev's daughter, Avdotja (Eudokia) Andrejev, made a will that influenced the town's development in many ways.
Avdotya was born in Kexholm on 2 February 1800. She inherited 105,709 roubles after the death of her brother Feodor in 1871. In the same year, she drew up a will in which she ordered substantial donations to the town:
• 1,000 roubles to the Orthodox Church and for prayers for his family.
• 500 roubles for the decoration of the church altar doors with gilt silver.
• 2,000 roubles for the iron fence to be built around the church.
• 5,000 roubles for buying a plot of land and building the vicarage.
• 20,000 roubles for the construction of a new church near his family tombs.
• 40,000 roubles for the establishment of a primary school in Käkisalmi.
The public school was founded in 1876 and operated mainly on bequest funds for 21 years. Later, the funds were also used for the Kexholm real and bourgeois school. This school now operates as the Teacher Training School of Turku.
Andreyev also donated funds for the arrangement of street lighting and to the Lutheran parish for chandeliers and an organ. His estate was also used to build a bathhouse in 1895–1897. In addition, the plot of land containing his house was purchased by the town for use as a park area.

The Church of All Saints
Built in accordance with Andreyev's will, the Church of All Saints was completed in 1890–1892. It was designed by the architect Jac. Ahrenberg, and consecrated by Antoni, the first Greek Catholic Archbishop of Finland, on 2 June 1894. The Andreyevs were buried beneath the church.
The workers who came to build the cemetery church stayed to live in the area, and thus the so-called New Town was born, which by 1939 was home to many Greek Catholic families.
The most significant merchants of Kexholm
The Bojarinov trading business was established in 1877. The merchant Nikolai Bojarinov was known as an excellent sportsman, particularly as a skater. He was also the European champion in figure skating.
Poljakov's general store was founded in 1855. Arseni Poljakov served on the city council and supported local art.
The Lisitzins were a well-known merchant family who owned distilleries and a highly regarded shop. Aleksandr Lisitzin was known as a cultured and refined merchant.
Aleksandrov's business was one of Käkisalmi's longest-standing. They also had a large farm in Kiviniemi, Sakkola.
Other well-known merchants were Kapiton Kannin, M. Karmasin, T. Wolkov and Ivan Ivanov.

Käkisalmi Traders' Association
In 1879, the Kexholm Merchants' Association was founded, with members including M. Karmasin, W. Aleksandrov, D. Bojarinov and A. Lisitzin, among others. Juho Lallukka, a member of the association, made initiatives for the development of the town's economic life.
Thanks to these merchants, Käkisalmi developed into a significant trading and industrial centre in Karelia.
PAULOV – A PROMINENT FIGURE FROM KÄKISALMI
One of the well-known Greek Catholics from Kexholm was actual state councillor Ivan Paulov. He was born in Kexholm in 1857 and died there in 1933. Paulov worked at the Bank of Finland in St Petersburg from 1878 to 1881, after which he returned to his home town following his father's death to take up the vacant position of municipal alderman as well as the duties of council secretary and town treasurer. He held these offices until 1895. After this, Paulov moved to St Petersburg to become the treasurer and financial administrator of the Office of the Minister Secretary of State for Finland until 1918. From 1895 to 1918, he also served as treasurer and rapporteur for the Emperor's private Finnish privy purse. From St Petersburg, Paulov promoted the important railway project for the construction of the Hiitola–Kexholm railway line. After falling into the hands of revolutionaries in St Petersburg several times, he finally managed to escape to Finland.

Käkisalmi manors
Due to poor transport links, Russian villa settlements did not spread significantly in Kexholm. However, Russians owned a few large estates in the parish area, but these passed into Finnish ownership even before the War of Independence. In terms of population trends, Russification also took place in the town.
In 1864, Feodor Artemyev, an honorary citizen of Kostroma, bought the Suotniemi factory and a significant part of the estate. He was married to Prokovievna Boyarinov, and ownership of the estate passed from his wife to their son Arseni, who also worked as a merchant. At that time, a faience factory and a steam mill were still operating on the estate.
Suotniemi's second manor, Suikanlahti, remained in the possession of Court Counsellor Schdanov's heirs until the beginning of the 20th century, but the new owners were Finnish.
Following the death of Pavel Leontjev, the owner of Joensuu Manor, in 1891, the estate passed to his brothers Nikolai and Wasili. Wasili was known as a jovial partygoer whom his family had sent from St Petersburg to the countryside to settle down, but he continued his boisterous lifestyle. He focused very little on estate management, though he did experiment with new cattle breeds. Thoroughbred horses and dogs were his passion, and the speed of the manor's carriages was remembered for a long time. Part of the estate later became Ampiala Manor.

Käkisalmi funds
Russian merchants established several public-benefit funds, such as those of Maria and Wladimir Alexandrov, Adarin (for a hospital), Varvara Lisitzin (for a library) and Helena Kannin (for poor and sick members of the gentry).
In 1855, former Lieutenant Tsernosvitov donated 500 roubles for a school for poor children. In Kexholm, women took it upon themselves to establish the school, and this marked the beginning of the Kexholm Women's Association, which still operates in Helsinki. It maintained a school for the poor, helped those in need during the famine years, established a craft school and employed a deaconess. This association included members regardless of language and nationality barriers. The craft school continues its operations today as the Mikkeli College of Arts and Crafts.

Troubles face Käkisalmi
Käkisalmi suffered a severe blow in 1797, when Emperor Paul donated the best bream and whitefish fishing grounds on the Vuoksi to the Alexander Nevsky Monastery. The peasants were paid only a paltry compensation. Topelius recounts that in the Vuoksi rapids, as many as 120,000 whitefish could be caught in two months, at best 2,000 a day. Fish inferior to salmon were not eaten at all, and some 80 poods (nearly 1,300 kg) of it per household were salted for winter fish, which was enough to sell. The monastery leased out the fishing grounds at high prices.
The lowering of the Vuoksi
Another significant change took place with the lowering of the water level of the Vuoksi. Due to land uplift, the Vuoksi and the Suvanto had remained higher than the level of Lake Ladoga. In the rainy summer of 1818, the waters of the Suvanto forced their way into Lake Ladoga, causing great destruction, including the loss of the Greek Catholic cemetery and prayer house in Taipale. In 1857, the waters of the Vuoksi were diverted into a new channel.
The people of Kexholm were appalled: the water around the town vanished, and the appearance of the old town changed as the castle area expanded. The wide current narrowed, and the previously mighty, foaming current of the Vuoksi was gone. The harbour became difficult to navigate, and ship traffic to St Petersburg, especially by Russian merchants, suffered significantly.
In autumn 1859, the most prominent merchants, including Lisitzin, Kaljunen, Andrejev, Terentjev, Wolkov, Bojarinov, Poljakov and Paulov, gathered to discuss clearing the channel between the castle and Lake Ladoga and deepening the harbour.

Child of Sorrow – Harbour
The interests of many shipowners and merchants were at stake when a suitable harbour site was being sought in Kivisalmi, in the village of Pärnä. The Konevitsa Monastery, the owner of the area, however, refused to sell its land, and compulsory purchase also fell through. Despite the breakwater built between 1907 and 1910, the harbour became difficult to navigate due to the accumulation of drifting sand. Russian merchants in particular suffered as a result of this in their trade with St Petersburg.
Years of Oppression and the National Awakening
In the 1890s, Käkisalmi was still living the life of a border town, where language, religious and national boundaries were part of everyday life. The international atmosphere began to change with the new Fennoman movement. This was reflected, among other things, in public festivals, the most significant of which was the 600th anniversary of Käkisalmi Castle in 1894. The celebration was organised in a Finnish-patriotic spirit under the pressure of the period of oppression. The censorship removed references to the ”age-old enemy” from Kasimir Leino's celebratory poem, but the reciters performed them from memory. Surprisingly, the gendarmes left the scene without taking action.
City official and poet J. H. Erkko delivered a fiery commemorative speech, and Dr Th. Schvindt's historical tableau on the history of Kexholm was performed three times. Particularly impressive was the scene in which Pontus de la Gardie captured Kexholm from the Russians. The atmosphere was tense and heralded the dawn of Finland's freedom.
The inhabitants of Käkisalmi strongly opposed the weakening of Finland's autonomous status and the Russification of the country. Even though there were many Russians in the town and close connections to St Petersburg, the policy of pressure was not accepted. Russian residents also condemned the secret machinations of the gendarmes. The Greek Catholic clergy remained neutral, and, for example, the head of the parish, Johannes Anninskij, avoided meeting Governor-General Bobrikov by faking a business trip to Konevitsaa.

Greek Catholic Church becomes independent
In 1892, the Greek Catholic Church in Finland received its own diocese, and Anton, the auxiliary bishop of Vyborg, became its first bishop. Although the position of the church developed favourably, Pan-Slavists in Russia sought to use it to Russify Finland. However, the clergy and parish of Käkisalmi kept themselves apart from this.
The independent Finland supported the church's aspirations for independence, and in 1921 the Russian Patriarch granted it autonomy. In 1923, the Archdiocese of Finland was granted broad ecclesiastical autonomy.

Merging of parishes and migration
In 1932, the Greek Orthodox parish of Käkisalmi expanded significantly when the Greek Orthodox inhabitants of Räisälä, Pyhäjärvi and Tiurula in Hiitola were incorporated into it. The population of the parish also grew as a result of migration. In 1939, the parish had 946 members, of whom 848 spoke Finnish and 98 Russian.
Russian refugees and emigrants
Following Finland's declaration of independence, the border was closed, and Russian refugees arrived in the country. In 1921, following the Kronstadt rebellion, 8,000 Russians fled to Finland. They were accommodated in places such as Terijoki and Ino. Many continued their journey to Europe, but some remained in Finland and worked, for example, at the Waldhof factory, which was established in Kexholm in the 1930s.

Time for growth and construction projects
The townscape of Käkisalmi changed rapidly in the 1930s. The construction of the Waldhof cellulose mill brought foreign experts to the town and increased the population. The Greek Orthodox parish grew and its activities expanded. Services began to be held in Finnish from 1931 onwards.
The city's infrastructure was developed, and among other things, the surroundings of the church were improved. In the 1930s, a new gatehouse was built for the cemetery chapel, and market stalls considered to be an eyesore were moved away from the vicinity of the church.

New times and the future of the parish
The parish leaders changed in the early 1930s, and in 1932 Aleksander Gaurilov took office. He brought new energy and developed the parish's activities. The structural and linguistic changes in the parish were part of a broader societal upheaval in which the Greek Catholic population became more Finnish and the parish strengthened its position in a changing society.
The Kexholm Greek Catholic parish travelled a long road through major changes, but kept its identity and roots strong.

Improvements and construction
The city carried out major construction projects in the 1930s. In 1933, stairs were built on the embankment leading to the church, and in 1934, embankments were built around the church. In 1935, the city removed the market kiosks from the vicinity of the church, which were considered to be an eyesore.
Permission was not granted to repair the cemetery church gatehouse built in 1894, but the parish had a new one built in 1934. The drawings were drawn up by parish council member and engineer V.P. Hmelevskij, who also acted as the construction supervisor and devoted a great deal of time to the benefit of the parish. The caretaker's presence helped to curb the occasional vandalism directed at the church, and he also looked after the upkeep of the cemetery. Services were held in the cemetery church only in the summer.
The main church had not been renovated for decades, but between 1933 and 1936 repairs were carried out using donation funds from merchant Värtsi and partly with the parish's own funds. In 1936, the church's chandeliers and lamps were fitted with electricity. In the summer of 1936, a violent storm knocked down six large and strong birch trees in the churchyard onto the fence, but the church itself was not damaged.
In 1935, the rules of the church choir were confirmed, and the choir had 14 members. The choir organised a concert in the assembly hall of the town's primary school.

Archbishop's visits
The archbishop's visits in the 1930s were significant events for both the parish and the whole town. Archbishop Herman inspected the parish of Tiurula in 1928 and 1933.
In 1933, the 10th anniversary of the Finnish Greek Catholic Church and the 10th anniversary of Archbishop Herman's inauguration were celebrated in Sortavala. Metropolitan Aleksander of Estonia and his entourage also attended the celebrations. Together with the Archbishop, they visited the monasteries of Valaam and Konevets, arriving from there in Kexholm on 19 October 1933. At the celebratory event, Pastor Gavrilov reminded the audience that had they arrived 300 years earlier, they would not have had to travel through an autumn storm to the monasteries of Lake Ladoga, as Kexholm had three monasteries at that time and more in the surrounding area.
Käkisalmi parish received the archbishop's visitation visits in 1931 and 1936. Representatives of the Lutheran parish and the town were also present at the celebratory events. In speeches given by both sides, the good and sincere relations between the parishes were emphasised. The town's representatives recalled the influence of members of the Greek Catholic parish, such as Andrejev, Paulov and Poljakov, on the town's history. The chairman of the church council also rejected claims that the Greek Catholic denomination was not national in both spirit and language.

Konevitsas Monastery
The Konevitsaint Monastery had a property at 3 Kaivokatu in Kexholm. In the early 19th century, this old house was home to the so-called Nameless One, Bezimennij, who was a mysterious liberated prisoner. He was believed to be Ivan VI, whom Empress Catherine II had sent to Kexholm Castle. Emperor Alexander I visited Kexholm in 1802 and treated the prisoner with respect. Shortly after this, the prisoner was released, and he lived the rest of his life in the monastery house without ever revealing his true identity.
In the decades leading up to the wars, a monk named Neofit lived in the house. He was known among the children as the ”Little Monk” and the ”Apple Monk”, and he used to hand out delicious apples to them. The monastery sold exceptionally good apple varieties, as was advertised in the Käkisalmi Sanomat on 10 October 1933.

Coexistence and food heritage
Käkisalmi food culture was strongly influenced by eastern culinary traditions. The Russian Orthodox liturgical year's diet was familiar to non-Orthodox residents as well. Local delicacies included cabbage soups, borscht, solyanka, buckwheat and millet, sauerkraut, mushrooms, quark, and jam-filled pies.
Clergy wives were known as excellent cooks, and vicarages were hospitable places. For example, Provost Anninskij’s roots extended to Schleswig-Holstein and near St Petersburg, and his wife was from St Petersburg. They brought with them their own culinary traditions, which their daughters continued. Similarly, Provost Gaurilov’s wife Maria, who was born in Terijoki, brought influences from both Novgorod and Riga in the Baltics to their culinary traditions.
Although the Greek Catholics lived partly in their own community, they had an established relationship with the Lutheran majority. There was mutual influence between the cultures, but at the same time the orthodox cultural heritage remained a strong part of the history of Kexholm.

Source: MA Paula Koho (1994): THE GREEK CATHOLIC PARISH OF KÄKISALMI AGAINST THE BACKGROUND OF KÄKISALMI'S 700-YEAR-OLD CASTLE AND THE TOWN AROUND IT