The search for isakiy’s island on Lake Vygozero

This study presents, for the first time, an attempt to localize an island on Lake Vygozero, historically associated with the settlement of Isakiy Bogomolov, where an Old Believer chapel was later established. Through the analysis of historical documents, two potential search areas for the island were identified: (1) at the northern tip of Lake Vygozero, near the village of Koikinitsy, and (2) opposite the mouth of the Sigovets River. The research also determined the approximate distance between the sought-after island and the Vygozero Pogost, situated on modern Pogost Island. Given the landscape alterations resulting from the construction of the White Sea-Baltic Canal, the study reconstructed the historical environment using archival maps dating from 1727–1728, 1745, 1788, 1896, and 1930, complemented by the sailing directions of the White Sea-Baltic Canal from 1959. Cartographic analysis enabled the restoration of the former names of certain islands and rivers. Additionally, a landscape reconstruction of the Vygozero district prior to 1932 was conducted. Based on this comprehensive analysis, it is hypothesized that the island located opposite the former mouth of the lost Sigovets River corresponds to the modern-day Maly Babiy Island.