| Kizhi Pogost* | |
|---|---|
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
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|
| State Party |  Russian Federation |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | i, iv, v |
| Reference | 544 |
| Region† | Europe and North America |
| Inscription history | |
| Inscription | 1990 (14th Session) |
| * Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. † Region as classified by UNESCO. |
|
Kizhi (Russian: Ки́жи, Кижи́[1]) is an island on Lake Onega in the Republic of Karelia (Medvezhyegorsky District), Russia with a beautiful ensemble of wooden churches, chapels and houses. A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex As of 2008 there are a total of 878 World Heritage Sites located in 145 "State Parties" Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex This is a list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Europe. Asia Minor, Cyprus, all of the Aegean Islands, the Canaries A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex Russian ( transliteration:,) is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages An island (ˈaɪlənd or isle (/ˈaɪl/ is any piece of land that is completely surrounded by water in two dimensions above high tide and isolated from other significant Lake Onega (also known as Onego, Онежское озеро Onezhskoe ozero, i The Republic of Karelia (Респу́блика Каре́лия Respublika Kareliya; Karjalan tazavaldu Karjalan tasavalta Karjalan Tazovaldkund is a federal Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending Wood is hard fibrous lignified structural tissue produced as secondary Xylem in the stems of Woody plants notably trees but also shrubs House generally refers to a Shelter or Building that is a Dwelling or place for Habitation by Human beings. It is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Russia and an UNESCO World Heritage Site. A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex
Kizhi island is about 7 km long and 0. 5 km wide. It is surrounded by about 5,000 other islands, most of which are very small—some of them just rock outcroppings (called "skerries"), though some are as big as 35 km long. Access to Kizhi is by hydrofoil across Lake Onega from Petrozavodsk (numerous trips every day in the summer), by snowcat (in the winter), or by cruise ship. There is no lodging on Kizhi for overnight guests.
The Kizhi Pogost, as it is known in Russian, is the area inside the perimeter wall or fence and includes 2 large churches and a bell-tower. Pogost (погост from Old East Slavic: погостъ is a historical term with several meanings in the Russian language. But the entire island of Kizhi is a museum with many historically significant and beautiful wooden and log structures including windmills, chapels, boat- and fish-houses, saunas, barns and graneries, and homes. There are two small villages on the island that are home to a few local fishermen. Museum staff also live in the old log homes found in these villages.
The jewel of its architecture is the 22-domed Transfiguration Church (1714), with a large iconostasis—a wooden screen covered with religious portraits, featuring much gold leaf. Year 1714 ( MDCCXIV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a In Eastern Christianity an iconostasis (the plural is iconostases) also called the Templon, is a wall of Icons and religious paintings This iconostasis is in Petrozavodsk until restoration of the Transfiguration Church is completed (scheduled completion is 2014, the 300th anniversary of this monumental church). The massive Transfiguration Church (also known as the "summer church") is about 30m tall, making it one of the tallest log structures in the world. The smaller, nine-domed Intercession Church (also known as the "winter church") was built in 1764, and its iconostasis is intact and can be seen by visitors. Year 1764 ( MDCCLXIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a The third structure inside the Pogost is the belltower which was built in 1874. Year 1874 ( MDCCCLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The belltower is also constructed with walls of horizontally-fitted logs, though they are covered by exterior wooden planks and cannot be seen. These structures were erected without any nails or other metal, and were made of scribe-fitted horizontal logs, with interlocking corner joinery—either round notch or dovetail—cut by axes. The pine trees used for wall construction were brought to Kizhi from the mainland nearby—a notable transport feat for the 18th century.
A museum of Russian wooden architecture was created in Kizhi by Soviet authorities in 1960. Year 1960 ( MCMLX) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Wooden structures were transported to Kizhi from various parts of Karelia, notably the 14th century St. Lazarus church from the Muromsky Monastery, which is the oldest wooden church in Russia. Other notable specimens of Russian wooden architecture may be found in Kondopoga and Kem'. Kondopoga (Кондопога Kontupohja Karelian: Kondupohju) is a town in the Republic of Karelia, Russia. Kem ( Russian: Кемь Finnish: Vienan Kemi) is a historic town in the Republic of Karelia, Russia, located on the railroad
Footnotes
- ^ In spoken Russian the name is frequently pronounced with the accent on the ultimate syllable, which is also noted in some dictionaries. The local Karelian pronunciation places the accent on the first syllable, as noted by a gramota.ru consultant.
External links
- Official homepage
- Orthodox shrines in Kizhi
- Russian page on Kizhi
- English Travel Guide to Kizhi
- Satellite picture by Google Maps
Images
The Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kizhi.
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 Transfiguration church |
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 Wooden miracles in Kizhi |
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