Wooden Church Preservation in Northern Russia

Father Alexei Yakovlev, an assistant to the head of the Peter the Great Strategic Missile Force Military Academy, heads Obshcheye Delo (Common Cause), a volunteer organization helps preserve wooden churches in northern Russia.

Alexander Slepinin outside the Church of St. Nicholas, built in 1636. Slepinin has already started restoring the church all on his own. Slepinin, who is not baptized, realized that the bell tower would collapse after his death, just as neighboring churches have. He resolved to preserve the bell tower for posterity.

The Church of St. Nicholas (1636), seen here before restoration, is located in the village of Vorzogory in Arkhangelsk Region’s Onega District.

The Chapel of the Ascension dating back to the early 18th century is located in the village of Bereznik in Arkhangelsk Region’s Pinezhsky District.

A traditional village house in the village of Bereznik in the Pinezhsky District of the Arkhangelsk Region.

The Church of Prophet Elisha (1899) in the Podporozhye District of the Leningrad Region. The Church is located in the Yakovlevskoye Valley on the bank of Lake Sidozero.

The Sreteno-Mikhailovsky Church (1655), a federal landmark, is located in the village of Krasnaya Lyaga in the Kargopol District of the Arkhangelsk Region.

The Church of the Annunciation of the Holy Virgin (1719) is located in the village of Pustynka in the Plesetsk District of the Arkhangelsk Region.

The Church of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God (1757), a federal landmark, is located in the village of Podporozhye in the Onega District of the Arkhangelsk Region.

The Church of St. George the Victorious (1665), a federal landmark, is located in the village of Permogorye in the Krasnoborsk District of the Arkhangelsk Region.

The 18th century Chapel of St. Nicholas the Miracle-Worker, which was restored by Norwegian specialists, is located in the village of Vershinino of the Plesetsk District in the Arkhangelsk Region.

The Church of Archangel Michael (1715) is a regional landmark in the village of Arkhangelo (Shelokhovskaya) in the Kargopol District of the Arkhangelsk Region.