The Monastery of the Saviour's Transfiguration (the XIVth century), Valaam Island
Obverse
in the centre – the Emblem of the Bank of Russia [the two-headed eagle with wings down, lower – the semicircular inscription – «БАНК РОССИИ» (BANK OF RUSSIA)] framed by a circle of dots and inscriptions along the rim: at the top – «ДВАДЦАТЬ ПЯТЬ РУБЛЕЙ» (TWENTY FIVE RUBLES), at the bottom – the year of issue «2004», the letters to the left indicate the metal sign and the fineness, to the right – the fine metal content and the mint trade mark.
Reverse
in the centre, against the background of the stylised image of the Valaam Archipelago islands in the Ladoga Lake – the view of the architectural monuments of the Monastery of the Saviour's Transfiguration, to the left – the Church of St. John the Precursor with the belfry, lower – the semicircular inscription: «ПРЕДТЕЧЕНСКИЙ СКИТ» (THE SKETE OF ST. JOHNTHE PRECURSOR), to the right – a belfry, a church and a tower, lower – the semicircular inscription «СКИТ ВСЕХ СВЯТЫХ» (THE SKETE OF ALL SAINTS), at the top – a church with the bell tower, lower – the semicircular inscription: «НИКОЛЬСКИЙ СКИТ» (THE SKETE OFNICHOLAS),at the bottom – a cross, lower – the semicircular inscription: «СКИТ АЛЕКСАНДРА СВИРСКОГО» (THE SKETE OF ALEXANDER THE SVIR). The inscriptions along the rim: at the top – «СПАСО-ПРЕОБРАЖЕНСКИЙМОНАСТЫРЬ» (THE MONASTERY OF THESAVIOUR'S TRANSFIGURATION), at the bottom to the left – «ВАЛААМ» (VALAAM), to the right – «ОСН. в ХIV в.» (FOUNDED in the ХIVth century).
Authors
The artist: A.V. Baklanov.
The sculptors: A.S. Kunats.
St. Petersburg Mint (СПMД).
The edge: 252 corrugations
The architectural ensemble of the Monastery of the Saviour's Transfiguration founded in the XIVth century includes the Cathedral of the Saviour's Transfiguration with the belfry (1887-1896, by architects A.N. Silin and G.I. Karpov), the Assumption Church and the Church of SS Apostles Peter and Paul both framed by the bulks of the internal (1801) and external (1838) squares.The Valaam Monastery is the most important Russian spiritual centre. Famous people of Russia like I.I. Shishkin, A.I. Kuindji, N.K. Rerikh, F.I. Tyutchev, N.S. Leskov, P.I. Chaikovsky, M.N. Miklukho-Maklay, D.I. Mendeleyev, and thousands of pilgrims visited it.