What kinds of obedience are there on Valaam? 

The monastery is virtually autonomous, economically speaking. It has its own dairy farm, cheese workshop, apiary, bakery, fishery, agricultural lands, and workshops. The farm complex includes a cowshed, sheepfold, cheese-making facility, greenhouses, a carpentry workshop, administrative and residential quarters for the brethren, a refectory, a raccoon house, and enclosures for goats and alpacas. A lay worker may undertake their poslushaniye (assigned service) in practically any of these locations.

Physically demanding manual labor is performed primarily by men; this may involve unloading cargo from ships, cleaning fish, shoveling snow, or working at the sawmill. Women may fulfill their poslushaniye as kelars — essentially, secular-style administrators — managing food storage and warehouses, or overseeing the preservation and canning of produce. They may also work in the kitchens and refectories, in the bakeries or sewing workshop; care for certain animals; labor in the gardens and greenhouses; or assist in preparing the church for services and cleaning up afterward.

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