Kizhi Island

Kizhi is one of the major islands located in Republic of Karelia. The island is famous for its wooden churches, houses and chapels. It is a major tourist spot in Russia and a part of UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Kizhi Island measures about 7 km and it is bounded by 5000 small islands where most of them are rock outcroppings that measures about 35 km. The island features a bell-tower, 2 massive wooden churches and a museum that houses the collection of wooden structures belonging to the historical times.

The island features a number of wooden structures such as boats, fish-houses, graneries, homes, saunas, windmills, barns and chapels. In addition there are two villages within the island with wooden homes where the majority of people here are farmers.

The major attraction in the island is the transfiguration Church that was built in the year 1714. It is a wooden church with 22 domes and it is covered with golden leaves and religious portraits. The church measures 37 meters tall and it is one of the world’s tallest log.

The bell-tower in the church was added in the year 1874 and the walls feature horizontally fitted logs being covered with wooden planks. Later these wooden planks were removed in the 1950s and new horizontally fitted logs have been added. In the present days the church is being modified as a part of its 300th anniversary that is to be held in the year 2014.

Kizhi Island