Kizhi Island

#Kizhi_Island_Churches

The island is famous for its open-air museum of wooden architecture of century old churches all constructed without nails
They were built onsite using horizontal logs of pine that interlocked by using joining techniques which showed the skillset of the local craftsmen

The Methods;
A) Round notches was used for the exterior corners which added stability and helped drain water away from the building
B) The dovetail notch system was applied on the interior walls which provided a strong mechanical connection that prevented tension or twisting
C) Scribing was the practice of tracing the natural contours of the lower log onto the underside of the next log to be placed above it which resulted in an exact fit
This creating a tight seal that helped insulate the structure from the harsh northern climate
D) For weight distribution the timber were stacked plus interlocked so that the force from the upper tiers and domes was distributed across numerous joints
Also the length of the lumber were kept between 3 to 6 meters ( 9 to 19 feet) to avoid bending 

Early History

A) It was a trade route for the local iron-ore deposits from Novgorod Region to the White Sea (14th Century) which at this time was of an economic importance 
B) Spassky Church was built here plus other forms of settlements in the area, which then turned into a religious center during the 16th Century
C) Early 1700s a Defense Post was established to fend off Swedish and Polish invaders
 But there were also issues on the island itself, as the peasants revolted over the harsh, mostly forced labor that was thrust upon them
D) By the 1950s most of the residents left the island leaving behind the remarkable wooden structures
E) Finally in the 1960s the open-air museum was established 

The Church of the Transfiguration was built in 1714 (as legend would say) by the carpenter Master Nestor with only with an axe and after he was finished threw the tool into the lake declaring no one could build another one like it
The church has 22 domes (as the story goes) to represent the 33 years of the life of Christ as there are additional 10 domes on a second church nearby to get to that number

Onion Domes
There are to resemble flames to symbolize the holy spirit and the light of God
To be interpreted as representing the heavens with a connection to the divine realm

The Numbers;
A) One; it symbolizes Jesus Christ
B) Three; for the Holy Trinity
C) Five; representing Christ and the Four Evangelists
D) Twelve or Thirteen; The Apostles and Christ
E) Fourteen Plus; may include prophets or other significant religious figures

Practical Purposes
A) Because of the sloping sides it allows the snow to slide off easily
B) Gives the building an inherent structural strength

The island now hosts workshops and training programs to focus on the past traditional skills of the wooden architecture to show how to carry on with the conservation / restoration expertise

You will get a hands-on experience here as the Church of the Transfiguration is an ongoing project

The Island of Kizhi in the northwest part of Russia and while not Siberia it is situated in a region with a similar climate
There were bitter cold winters here (the homes were constructed to shelter both humans and livestock which provided warmth from the animal heat)
also isolation because of being an island with the closest settlement of Petrozavodsk 70 kms (43 miles) away, plus a short growing season and of the hard physical labor 

There was a resilience and sense of community despite all the challenges as Kizhi was a thriving spiritual / administrative center for itself plus all the surrounding villages

There is now over 80 wooden buildings that are on the island plus some of the structures where moved here like the church from the Murom Monastery that was on the eastern shore of Lake Onega
(same body of water that Kizhi is found on)

Church of Lazarus

Originally built by the monk Lazarus in 1391 as a place for pilgrimage plus it also had a rumor to miraculously cure illness
It was disassembled and relocated to Kizhi Island in 1959 with a small restoration that included replacing a few rotted portions of the structure

To compare, this is a hand man wooden frame that took many weeks to complete with the traditional methods here on the island
 Where in an industrial setting would be days and certainly not as stylish 

Kizhi was included on the UNESCO list of Word Heritage sites at the same time as the historic center of St. Petersburg and the Moscow Kremlin