monks fleeing the crowds. In 1436, Solovetsky Monastery was founded, and it quickly became one of the richest and the most influential Russian monasteries. Other monasteries followed. For instance, Kozheozersky Monastery, founded in 1552, still remains one of the most remote Russian Orthodox monasteries. After the great schism in Russian Orthodox Church, known as Raskol, occurred in 1653, the area attracted many Old Believers, the defenders of one of the parties, who were persecuted by the state. Later, the Old Believers in Arkhangelsk Oblast are all but disappeared, fleeing to more remote locations like Siberia.
In 1703, with the construction of St. Petersburg, Arkhangelsk, which did not have an advantage of being close to Europe, nor being a non-freezing harbour (as Murmansk, built later) lost its significance as the main trading harbour of the Russian Empire. However, in the beginning of 20th century Arkhangelsk was a very important starting point for Russian Arctic expeditions. For instance, in 1830s Pyotr Pakhtusov sailed twice from Arkhangelsk to investigate and map Novaya Zemlya. In 1932 the Icebreaker Sibiryakov under the command of Vladimir Voronin, sailing from Arkhangelsk, crossed the Northern Sea Route in a single navigation.
In 1918 and 1919, Arkhangelsk Governorate became one of the most active battlegrounds of the Civil War in Russia. On August 2, 1918, Arkhangelsk was occupied by British and American troops, allied with the White movement. Administratively, they established Northern Oblastwith the center in Arkhangelsk. This episode of the Civil War is known as North Russia Intervention. The troops advanced to the south, occupied the station of Obozerskaya in September 1918, and moving along the Northern Dvina and the Vaga Rivers. The southernmost points occupied by the allies were Shenkursk and Verkhnyaya Toyma. The allies were hoping that the Aleksandr Kolchak's forces would move in the direction ofKotlas, however, the Whit Army was
