At the end of the 15th century, monk Athanasius, a disciple of the venerable Alexander, lived in the Valaam monastery. After parting with his mentor, who retreated into the forests of the Obonezhskaya pydina, Athanasius moved to him. He exhibited humility and obedience, and witnessed the divine visitation of his teacher by the Most Holy Theotokos.
After the death of the venerable Alexander in 1533, Athanasius went into seclusion in the forests of Karelia, where he founded the Syandemskaya desert. Others joined him, and he built a chapel in honor of the Life-Giving Trinity and eight cells. However, due to the envy of the local inhabitants, he was expelled from the desert.
Athanasius went to the Svirsky Monastery, where he was elected as the igumen. In 1577, he received permission to establish a monastery with a church in honor of the Life-Giving Trinity based on the desert. The monastery flourished, and the brethren worked the land.
Athanasius often conversed with the venerable Adrian of Andrusov, who founded a monastery on the shores of Lake Ladoga. According to tradition, he predicted the creation of a church in the village of Tuloksa, where the church of Saint Nicholas now stands.
In his last years, the saint lived in seclusion on one of the islands of Lake Syandem, which is still called Holy. Venerable Athanasius died in his desert and was buried on the cape of the Roshchinskoye Lake, where later a church was built in honor of Saints Cyril and Athanasius.
In the early 17th century, the invasion of Lithuanians and Swedes destroyed all written records of the saint's life. In the 18th century, the Syandemskaya desert burned down, but in 1720 the church was restored.
The Syandemskaya area is picturesque, surrounded by coniferous forest, and on the elevated isthmus stands a wooden church of the Assumption of the Mother of God. At this time, the holy relics of venerable Athanasius were discovered, which were incorrupt and buried in the former grave.
The memory of the saint is celebrated locally on January 18/31 and May 2/15.
