The village Zágubie is situated on the ancient Russian Novgorod's lands, in the very picturesque place of the south-east part of the lake Ladoga, in the 200 kilometres to the north-east of Saint-Petersburg. The nearest big villages are the port Sviritsa (about 15 km.) and the railway station Pasha (about 20 km.).

   There are two channels, which are passing through Zagubie. One of them: the "old" one, was made in the middle of XVIII century. It joins the great Russian rivers: Neva and Svir' and passes along the south shore of the lake Ladoga. Nowadays old channel is navigable only for small boats and cutters. "New" channel was made in the end of the XIX century. It passes parallel old channel, but it's deeper and wider. Nowadays it's a shipping canal. The lake Ladoga is biggest freshwater lake in the Europe, in the ancient times it had the name "Sea Névo". Sometimes it has storms, like in the sea, and isn't navigable. But channels have calm and are navigable in the any weather; that is a reason of their building.

   There is shop in Zagubie, where visitors are able to buy necessary provisions and some other things. In Zagubie is possible to buy a natural fresh milk (cow's and goat's) very cheap.

    The place, where village Zagubie is situated, is far from the big industrial towns and factories, and hasn't essential pollution of the environment. Almost there are no places in the modern Europe, where the nature would be as well untouched, as in Zagubie. The air and the water are particularly clean, that is very well for health. It's possible to drink channel's and lake's water, even without boiling. There are wells in Zagubie, where is a most clear water. There are a lot of edible berries and mushrooms in the Zagubie's forests. Also there are wild animals: elks, wild boars, bears, wolfs, foxes, squirrels, wild birds, snakes and others, which aren't dangerous in the summer time, if to be a cautious. But visitors must be ready to meet them in a forest, despite it is happening very seldom. There is fish in the channels and in the lake. Zagubie is a finest place for hunting and fishing.

   The shore of the lake Ladoga on that place, where we want to go, is 15 kilometres almost uninhabited sandy beach and very beautiful coniferous forest. There they could hear a very rare effect of the "singing sand". 

    The region, where Zagubie is situated, was almost uninhabited in the ancient times. There were just rare pristine Finno-Ugric tribes of Vepses. Slavonic people (pre-Russian) hunters-colonists came to these territories from the ancient Russian cities Staraya Ladoga and Novgorod in the VIII-IX centuries. In the same time people from Scandinavia began to visit this lands. They all (Finns, Slavonic and Scandinavians) built a lot of little huts in the East-Ladoga forests, where they might live, wait till nasty weather would be over, keep the bag and the provisions. Later, some of these huts grew into the villages. One of them is Zagubie, which is situated on the very important way from Novgorod to the White Sea's coasts in the mouth of the river Svir'.

Officially Christianity came to these lands in the Oriental tradition - in the end of the X century from Byzantia through Novgorod's Orthodox Christians. Although there is legend, that Saint Apostle Andrew in I century passed through these lands, when he went from Crimea to Scandinavia and Britain. (There are data that first Christians could come to this region in IX century from Scandinavia with disciples of St. Ansgar, or even in VII - VIII centuries with Celtic monks).  Later, in the XII-XIII centuries a lot of monks-ascetics rushed to the uninhabited forests of this region, which got the name "East Priladozhie". Nowadays this is a real holy land. There are 3 ancient monasteries on the nearest territories around Zagubie: Alexandro-Svirsky and Cypriano-Storozhensky for the monks and Vvedeno-Oyatsky for the nuns. One of them - Cypriano-Storozhensky  is situated  about 18 km. of Zagubie, was founded in XVI century by Saint Reverend Cyprian on the place of the modern village Storozhno on shore of the Ladoga lake. The village Zagubie is nearest to Storozhno. Saint Cyprian is a protector of this lands. Alexandro-Svirsky is a famous Russian monastery of XV century, it was founded by Saint Reverend Alexander Svirsky. Vvedeno-Oyatsky monastery is the most ancient: it was founded about XIV century. There was another ancient convent. It was on the place of the temple in the name of Nativity of our Lord and God Jesus Christ in the village Nadkopánie (about 15 km. of Zagubie). This monastery was destroyed in the XVII century by Swedes.

In the 1917 there were revolutions in Russia, when there was dethroned the last Russian Emperor Nicolas II, and communists-atheists came into power. The communistic ruling couldn't help adversely affecting to the spiritual state of the people, living in this region. There were churches almost in every village on this territory before the communistic revolution of 1917. But nowadays there are 26 officially registered Orthodox Communities (there was just 2 during Soviet communistic era). Churches are ruined almost everywhere. People die without Spiritual help. A lot of people are depressed for the reason of despair, hard drinking, murders, suicides, fornication, ribaldry and other human vices thrives, as fruits of the Spiritless life.

The church in the village Zagubie is dilapidated. It was built in 1718 and consecrated in the name of the Transfiguration of our Lord, God and Saviour Jesus Christ (Mtth. 17,1-9; Lk. 9,28-36). In 1824 the wooden church was lost in the fire. In 1825 - 1829 it was built again of bricks. In 1839 there was added another one side-altar in the name of the Saint Megalomartyr George. After the building of the channels, until the revolution of 1917, Zagubie became a big merchants village. There was 11 shops, where it was possible to buy everything, "both Atlantic herring and Chinese parcel". In 1936 the last priest Pachom was arrested repressed and exiled, nobody knows where, together with a lot of inhabitants-merchants. Zagubie has become small and poor village. The revival of the church has been began in 1997. Inhabitants realize, that state of the village depend on the state of the church.  The church was prepared for the first Divine Liturgy, since 1936, which took place 19 August 1998, in the day of the memory of the Transfiguration of our Lord and God Jesus Christ.  Later we served another Liturgies, but we have been sensed, that we are not able to restore the Transfiguration's Church. We took decision, to build another one small wooden church in the name of st. martyr Panteleimon (IV century) and serve there. At the end of July 2005 the new church was almost completely built. You can see the photos of those both churches on the main page.

   Now Zagubie is a small village. There are about 100 people, living there. It also has about 70 people, living there, having Saint-Petersburg's official registration, but living there, because they get pension, though. In their flats in Saint-Petersbug live their sons, daughters and grandchildren. During the summer time, with summer residents, they come to they parents to Zagubie. It's about 500 people live in Zagubie during the summer time.