Kizhi, an island in Lake Onega in northwest Russia, is known for its extraordinary collection of wooden buildings, several of which are 18th-century, multi-domed churches. The ensemble has come together over a 250-year period, with many new additions since the 1950s. The highlight is the Church of the Transfiguration, built in 1714 out of pine wood. It has a string of onion domes and four apses, each of which faces a cardinal point. Wood is definitely the word here, and fishermen and museum staff live in the island’s log-cabin villages.
The Church of the Transfiguration (Russian: Церковь Преображения Господня) is the most remarkable part of the pogost. It is not heated and is, therefore, called a summer church and does not hold winter services. Its altar was laid June 6, 1714, as inscribed on the cross located inside the church.