When the pandemic shut down tourism, Finland’s only orthodox Christian monastery, Valamo, faced a one-third loss of its three million euro ($3.5 million) turnover, but the monks opted to cut down and sell four years’ worth of their trees at once, managing to plug the gap in its finances. Valamo is normally a spiritual retreat for 160,000 visitors a year, many coming from Europe and Russia to experience the peaceful surroundings and expansive orthodox library, not to mention Finland’s largest whisky distillery. The orthodox Christian church numbers 60,000 members in predominantly protestant Finland, about one percent of the population. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES