Best of Kizhi

The Chapel of the Archangel Michael

The Chapel of the Archangel Michael is an elegant hipped bell tower with two wide plat bands over the hall. It is crowned with a light cut hipped roof. The elegance of the bell tower is accomplished with the decorations, carved decorations of the roof, bargeboards, and a small elegant top with a plat band over the bell tower and another top on the Chapel.

The Church of Lazar of Murom

The Church of Lazar is the simplest church judging by its arrangement, the first steps of architecture from the living building to the religious. The architecture of the Church is so simple, logistic and modest that neighbour Kizhsky Parish doesn’t prevent its perception. If one doesn’t know about this Church, you could pay no attention to it, but if one stop near this perfect and tiny monument, and admiring it.

The Church of the Intercession

The Church of the Intercession is built in the form of an elongated rectangle consisting of several adjoining tetrahedral frameworks "quadrangles". An octahedron is installed on the highest framework. The combination of "octahedron on quadrangle" was the most widespread traditional type of northern wooden churches in the 18th century. According to canons, the church had to be built with a tent roof.

Under the domes there are special details ("slezniki") from which drops of rain are falling down to the lower roof. The frontal strip which is like a necklace around the octahedron is not simply a decorative detail; it is part of the general water removal system: each pediment has a small spout to drain slanting rain off the framework logs.

The Church of the Transfiguration of the Saviour

The Church of the Transfiguration is magnificent and fantastic. Its pyramidal silhouette is decorated with numerous curves of the domes, "bochka"-roofs, carved boards and crosses. The church was built as a traditional many-domed round church, so-called "a church with twenty walls", crowned with 22 domes. There were many similar churches in northern Russia.

The merit of the local carpenters is in the fact that they managed to create an entirely unusual structure using well-known traditional elements and techniques.The church is based on a solid timber octahedron upon which a significantly smaller one is installed; the third smallest octahedron rests on the second one. These three octahedrons create a pyramidal basis of the church which is supported with four apses making the whole structure stable.

The total height of the church is 37 meter. So not without a reason, the church silhouette is a dominant structure of the neighbourhood. However, the height and the power of this huge log building do not overawe a man standing near the church. On the contrary, the church is in proportion to the man. This effect is achieved by the artistic combination of volumes. The volumes of octahedrons are different.

The Elizarov House

The house is divided into sharply defined architectural volumes; it is beautiful. It has rather a decorative importance than a practical one. All the windows are decorated with the carved beautiful surrounds. The construction of the northern part of the courtyard’s wall is typical for every house of this kind, the first floor of the framework is leant against massive, a little inclined columns. Various utensils are collected in a peasant’s house.

The elegant balconies are served as decorations; there is no exit into them. Carved window surrounds are not peculiar to the wood. The interior of the house is the pattern of the peasants houses - built in benches, Russian stove, massive shelves, chests. Various utensils (agricultural implements, toys and others) are collected in a peasant’s house.