Kizhi Natural Museum-Reserve

The unique wooden buildings of the Kizhi Pogost, an enclosure that includes two 18th-century churches, is a UNESCO World Heritage-listed site.

The Kizhi site is famous not only in the Republic of Karelia in northern European Russia but also all over the world. It is located on an island of Lake Onega.

The architectural ensemble includes two churches, which is traditional for pogosts in the north (pogost is a settlement with a church and a graveyard). The Church of the Transfiguration (summer) was built in 1714 and the Church of the Intercession (winter) was built in 1694 and rebuilt in 1764. Photo: Church of the Intercession (left) and Transfiguration Church (right) in Kizhi.

The complex also includes a bell-tower (built in 1862 and rebuilt in 1874)… Photo: view from Lake Onega to the Church of the Transfiguration (left) and a bell-tower of the Kizhi Pogost (right).

…and a fence (a stone fence was built in 1800 and the wooden fence was rebuilt in 1959).

In northern Russia there are many wooden complexes which are the centers of major administrative districts. The Kizhi Pogost with its multi-domed churches is one of the most beautiful of them.

The Church of the Transfiguration represents the pinnacle of wooden construction in Russia. It exemplifies the experience and best achievements of the centuries-old carpentry skills.

The main instrument of the carpenters was an ax. The traces of axes are well seen on the face ends of crowns and inside the walls. All the sophisticated constructions are also made by an ax, with no nails used.

The modern look of the ensemble evolved slowly - its construction spanned 265 years from 1694 to 1959.

Each century made a contribution in its construction and only when the wooden fence was rebuilt did it obtain its modern look.

The Kizhi Natural Museum-Reserve on Lake Onega in Karelia.

The Kizhi Natural Museum-Reserve on Lake Onega in Karelia.