Kem (town)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For other uses, see Kem.
Kem (Russian: Кемь, Finnish: Vienan Kemi) is a historic town in the Republic of Karelia, Russia, located on the railroad leading from Petrozavodsk to Murmansk. Population: 14,620 (2002 Census). The town is located on the shores of the White Sea, where the Kem River enters it.
Kem was first mentioned as a demesne of the Novgorod posadnik Marfa Boretskaya in 1450, when she donated it to the Solovetsky Monastery (situated in the White Sea several kilometers off shore). In 1657, a wooden fort was erected there.
Also wooden is the town's remarkable cathedral, built in 1711–1717. It is a fine example of the tented roof-construction so popular in old Russian architecture. The cathedral's iconostasis features precious 17th-century century icons from Novgorod.
It has been the site of Poduzhemye air base, a key interceptor aircraft airfield covering Karelia during the Cold War.
[edit] See also
- Pomors—the local settlers.
- Solovki—a picturesque archipelago off shore from Kem.
- Kondopoga—site of another wooden church.
- Kizhi—museum of old Russian wooden archicture.
| Russian North |
|---|
| Historical locations: Arkhangelsk | Belozersk | Berezovo | Kargopol | Kem' | Kholmogory | Kizhi | Kola | Kondopoga | Mangazeya | Pustozyorsk | Shenkursk | Solvychegodsk | Totma | Veliky Ustyug |
| Monasteries: Antonievo-Siysky Monastery | Ferapontov Monastery | Kamenny Monastery | Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery | Kiy Island Monastery | Nikolo-Korelsky Monastery | Pechenga Monastery | Solovetsky Monastery |
 |
Cities and towns in the Republic of Karelia |  |
| Capital: Petrozavodsk Belomorsk | Kem | Kondopoga | Kostomuksha | Lakhdenpokhya | Medvezhyegorsk | Olonets | Pitkyaranta | Pudozh | Segezha | Sortavala | Suoyarvi |
