What Russian did not hear what Kizhi Pogost, Kizhi? Of course, associations familiar from childhood immediately arise: a museum of the unique peasant culture of the Russian North, a complex of distinctive Russian log churches, the walls of which were built without nails. The unique architectural ensemble of the XVIII century churches, built on the island of wood, is considered the property of the World Cultural Heritage according to UNESCO criteria. It should be recognized that in Russia nowhere else have such significant structures-works of folk wooden architecture been preserved (although they were quite numerous in the 19th century).
It is characteristic that among people who are little familiar with the history of Karelia, the name of the museum, as a rule, is puzzling. “And where does the word pogost?” - the young man will ask, admiringly looking at arched wooden entrances, ribbed log walls, magnificent scaly domes. “It's not about that!” - we will answer with the words of Zhvanetsky. We are talking about the original Old Russian sense of this ancient word. On the Karelian land in the XIII-XV centuries, the administrative center was once so magnified, spontaneously distinguished from several tens or even hundreds of surrounding villages. And just such a content corresponds to the status of Kizhi as the center of the vast Spassky Kizhi churchyard.
Further, the aforementioned concept began to fade and change its original meaning. It “grew”, as a characteristic, to a large village (not necessarily the administrative center, but with its church and cemetery.) And only from the end of the 18th century did they begin to call the lonely church with the cemetery near it.
Kizhi - a national, community phenomenon
According to history, Kizhi Pogost united about 130 roundabout villages. Moreover, the largest of them - the Great Guba, Kosmozero, Sennaya Guba, Tipitsy - and are currently active settlements. These historical villages are rich in present Karelia. The sights of the local architecture are purely national know-how. Until the 18th century, the decision to build on this land was made by no means by the sovereign bodies, but by the community, of which the merchants were the main patrons. The best folk craftsmen undertook the construction of temples for the villages that showed them confidence. These were, as a rule, people “with a concept” and with a name in construction, building as if they were singing a song. Only their purpose was not the approval of the jury or any casting. No, they had an incentive much more valuable: popular respect, unmistakably celebrating the most worthy. This period - the stage of "community architecture" - can be called the heyday of Russian wooden architecture.
The original nature of Karelia
Karelia is famous for its original landscapes and picturesque landscapes. The sights of this region are widely known. The local nature is called hard stone and lake-forest. Taiga grows from local rocky ground. Karelia possesses some of the most significant lakes in Europe - Ladoga Lake with an area of 17, 700 km 2 and Onega Lake (9900 m2).
Less than 70 kilometers from its capital, the city of Petrozavodsk, washed by the waters of Lake Onega, the island of Kizhi is located (in the old Russian “Kizhi” means “games”). The nearest village on the way to the architectural museum, territorially related to the Medvezhyegorsk district, is the village Great Lip.
Welcome to Kizhi!
Every day this architectural museum is open to all who wish to visit it: in the summer from eight to eight, in the winter - from 10 00 to 16 00. Historically, the Kizhi island can be called a cult place, which was used to celebrate Christian festivities. Peasants gathered here on holidays, and after that they organized public festivities.
The island nature harmoniously complements the works of human hands, captivating visitors with the intricacies of rocky islands with blue bays between them. If you use the services of cartography, you can see: Kizhi on the map of Russia are not connected to the mainland by roads. However, the island, thanks to water transport, is widely accessible. Hundreds of thousands of Russian and foreign tourists visit this amazing corner every year. By the way, the Kizhi historical and architectural complex is the very first open-air museum opened in Russia.
If you decide to take a boat cruise from St. Petersburg to the capital of ancient architecture, then you will get a map of Kizhi island as a gift. From May to December, you can get here by "meteors" and "comets", departing from Petrozavodsk from the Water Station.
Between the navigations of tourists from the Upper Guba (which can be reached by car), businessmen’s boats deliver them. Extreme people in the extra-navigation period, when the lake is ice-bound, use dog sledding for cross-country skiing and exotic transport.
Russian hospitality
Guests arriving on the island have the opportunity to choose one of three options for two-hour excursions. The first is in the main architectural complex (small circle). The idea of the second is a review of Russian and Karelian folk wooden architecture (large circle). The third introduces the villages of the island. In the local villages there are three exposition areas “Pryazhinskiy Karely”, “Russian Zaonezhie”, “Russian Pudozhye”. The historic villages of Vasilyevo and Yamka also have unique architectural structures.
The administration of the museum also organized numerous additional panoramic, interactive, thematic excursions for all visitors to Kizhi. Architecture, of course, is the main local bait for tourists, not only Russian, but also from abroad. By the way, the ancient religious buildings of the island, starting from the 50s of the last century, were supplemented by restored and reconstructed log buildings necessary for housekeeping. Therefore, in addition to the main exposition, visitors can see in what environment the peasants' spiritual and economic life took place on this island. For a deeper immersion in the life of the Russian village of the XVII - XVIII centuries, the administration of the museum-reserve organizes "Days of crafts, folk fun and games", a folklore and ethnographic theater, a fair of handicrafts, and at the end of summer the Kizhi regatta starts.
Folk wooden architecture - the heritage of Karelia
Kizhi, as one of the largest architectural museums and reserves in Russia, Karelia is very proud of. The sights of folk Russian architecture of this region, however, are not determined only by the aforementioned exposition; here they are also represented on the island of Lake Ladoga (Valaam Monastery). It was once visited by Russian emperors. Alexander Dumas, father, paid a visit there. Many great Russian artists (Vasiliev, Kuinzhi, Shishkin), poets and writers (Tyutchev, Leskov, Shmelev) drew inspiration here. In a word, a map of Karelia with sights (and not only architecture - there are also nature reserves and national parks) will help tourists choose their program.
Ensemble of churches
But back to the main topic of our article. The uniqueness of the Kizhi churchyard is determined by the world's only multifaceted Transfiguration Church, erected in the traditional way for Russia - without a single nail. Next to it for the performance of services in winter (the north after all) is another multi-domed church, heated - the Church of the Protection of the Virgin. The third most important building of the magnificent ensemble is the tented bell tower of the Kizhi churchyard. Around these three objects of Russian folk architecture, a fence has now been restored, but not from logs, as it was originally, but from boulders.
The historically high powerful fence was an indispensable requisite of the Russian churchyard bordering Sweden. The other watchtowers, the Kizhi Island chapels, located in the iconic places of the surrounding island relief, form a single system with the above buildings.
Legend of the architect Nestor
I still want to start the story about this amazing lace architecture made of wood with a legend. After all, Kizhi Pogost is a land of legends, one of which introduces us to a man of amazing talent who created a real man-made miracle - an amazing 22-domed church. The ancient builders who built it had neither “glorious genealogical trees” nor state statuses. Erased in the thickness of centuries and their biographies, and surnames. But the name of the amazing Russian master Nestor still came to us.
According to popular legend, he himself determined the place for the construction of the Transfiguration Church, ignoring the instructions given to him, choosing a site right in the middle of juniper thickets. Here, breaking through thickets (inscrutable ways of creativity), bypassing the Kizhi churchyard, he found a holy book, which he spent day and night reading.
In the rays of the rising sun, the master, tearing his eyes from the book pages, right in the middle of the dewdrops on the grass, noticed a drawing of the future temple … Then he announced how he cut off: “We will build here!”
When the marvelous church was built from specially prepared planks of pine, spruce, and aspen without using nails, the admired Nestor did an eccentric act, as if drawing a line to acquired professionalism. On the eve of the consecration of his brainchild, climbed onto the dome with his faithful consecrated ax, looked around the Kizhi churchyard, tied a scarlet ribbon on the cross. Then he threw the ax into the lake and said that the Transfiguration Church is the most beautiful temple in the world, and there will never be anything like it. In the future, the architect did not erect more churches, despite numerous requests. So he decided - to leave creativity on the highest note. Isn't that what a true Master should do?
Transfiguration Church
This 37-meter high temple, founded in 1714, is classified as an eight-tier church. It was built in place of the wooden predecessor church, burnt from a lightning strike. The base of the building is the “octagon” - an octagonal log cabin with four cuts directed in all directions of the world. On top of the lower “octagon” are two more, but smaller in diameter. The lower log house is located on a primitive foundation - a stone block. External corners were cut “into the cloud”, internal ones were “cut into the paw” of pine. The plowshares and "barrels" of domed chapters are made of aspen. All these are local species of wood growing on the island of Kizhi. Karelia is also famous for the special icon painting of the “northern letter”. In this technique, a pair of the earliest icons of the Transfiguration Church (“Veil” and “Transfiguration”, XVII century) is made, which were the first to decorate the altar, located in the eastern ice-hole and having the shape of a pentagon. It is a four-tier and decorated with one hundred and two icons.
The refectory in the form of a log house adjoins the main building. The roofs of the ice-holes and eights are decorated with twenty-two chapters. The outlines of this building are familiar to every resident of the Republic of Karelia. Kizhi island is literally inspired by this church, which is equally beautiful from all sides.
Church of the Winter Intercession of the Virgin
This temple was created half a century later, after the Transfiguration Church - in 1764. The idea of its construction is to continue the cycle of Orthodox service for the winter season (the church is heated). Its building was erected by folk architects as a natural continuation of the architecture of the summer temple. It is multi-domed: eight of its chapters are located around the ninth, main. However, in all its appearance it is felt that this temple is an architectural reflection of Preobrazhensky. With his rather sophisticated elements, he only echoes, emphasizes the uniqueness of the dominant architectural complex.
This church on the island of Kizhi was built in a more pragmatic and simple style. It is decorated, perhaps, only with a gable belt having a toothed structure.
The entrance to the temple is traditionally located on the western side, respectively, the altar is on the eastern side. Those who enter are first in the hallway, then in the refectory. The purpose of this room is to isolate the place for mundane conversation of the flock about pressing economic and other matters, which allows you to reach a significant number of people. Here the jury trials took place, the decrees of the king were announced. It is followed, in fact, by the very premises of the church, intended for the performance of prayer services - a chapel. It is the most spacious and roomy, its volume is formed by log cabins, connected according to the scheme below - “four”, at the top - “octagon”. It is equipped with a fishing iconostasis. The altar is arranged as the fourth, easternmost room. It is a pentagonal log house, over the height of which an elongated structure is built - a barrel ending in the ninth head of the Church of the Protection of the Virgin. In all the premises of the temple there are windows: in the hallway and the altar - two; in the chapel and the refectory - four (for natural lighting). The interior is decorated with cut through carvings, the central element of which is the Orthodox cross.
Bell tower
The architectural ensemble of the Kizhi Pogost is harmoniously supplemented by the third building - the tent bell tower. The scheme of its construction is traditional for wooden architecture: from the bottom is a “quad”, from above is an “octagon”. Three tiers (through ceilings) divided its internal structure. The Chetverik is cut from the north and south by entrances, each of which is equipped with a porch. From the east and west there are arched pseudo-portals, repeating the shape of the existing ones. The lower tier, the “four”, is divided into a canopy, a five-flight staircase and a closet. Above the "octagon" is a bell tower, inside of which there are 9 pillars. The building is crowned with a ploughshare cupola with an Orthodox cross on top.
Ongoing restoration
Kizhi Pogost is currently undergoing restoration, dedicated to the three hundredth anniversary of the Transfiguration Church, celebrated in 2014. By this time, about 70% of the project has already been completed. Its end is planned in 3-4 years. Manages the architectural center "Zaonezhye", producing work, Vitaly Skopin. Together with this company, the carpentry center of the museum and the St. Petersburg company Alekon also work. Last year, the UNESCO Commission, which arrived at the site, praised their quality, qualifying it as international, which inspired workers.
Previously, the church was reinforced with a metal frame. Which, in fact, saved her from destruction. Initially, builders strengthened the foundation and lower belts, the largest, because the refectory is at their level. Currently, the work is carried out at the fourth to fifth levels. Whenever possible, builders preserve historical logs, replacing only those that have failed as a result of decay or erosion. There are only 35% of these, which means that the restored Preobrazhenskaya Church will comprise 65% of the historical tree.
