Kizhi Pogost is located on one of the many hundreds of islands on tranquil Lake Onega in the northern region of Karelia. The pogost, or enclosure, contains two spectacular wooden churches dating from the eighteenth century and a bell tower built in the nineteenth century. (...)
Kizhi Pogost is located on one of the many hundreds of islands on tranquil Lake Onega in the northern region of Karelia. The pogost, or enclosure, contains two spectacular wooden churches dating from the eighteenth century and a bell tower built in the nineteenth century. Remote religious enclosures like Kizhi Pogost were established to serve the far-flung communities of sparsely populated regions like Karelia. The Church of the Transfiguration within Kizhi Pogost, built in 1714, is an ascending composition of 22 cupolas, rising from an octagonal ground plan with cross arms to reach the height of a ten-story building. The onion-shaped cupolas are supported on slender drums and bochka vaults, traditional barrel vaults with a pointed, bulbous profile. The cupolas are covered with narrow, diamond-shaped aspen shingles, which have acquired a silver color with the passage of time. Wood construction is integral to Russian architecture, but the remarkable longevity of these monuments depends on the periodic replacement of decaying timber elements. Thanks to regular repairs, the Church of the Transfiguration survived into the twentieth century, but ceased to function as a religious site in the 1930s. In spite of a restoration effort following World War II, a steel scaffold had to be erected in its interior to protect the building from collapse. The building was closed to visitors in 1982, which also meant only minimal maintenance was undertaken, further contributing to the potential loss of the historic structure.
