History and ethnology. Data. Events. Fiction. Kizhi Island: Museum-Reserve of Wooden Architecture

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It is difficult to find an adult educated person in Russia who would not know about Kizhi island. Everyone knows that this is a fantastic monument. wooden architecture listed in the world cultural property UNESCO.

The Orthodox are convinced that the island in Lake Onega with its wooden churches is almost the most sacred place in the Russian North.

Linguists argue which of the northern peoples gave the name to the island of Kizhi - Veps or Finns. It's not even clear what it means. According to the Vepsian version, the name of the island comes from the word "kizh", that is, "moss". There is more than enough moss in these places!

Kizhi architectural ensemble. About 1900

But the same Veps also have another word - “kizi”, that is, “games, folk festivals”. Opponents believe that the island was named by the Finns or Chud, Merya or Karelians close to them in language. And in fact, before it was called Kizha-saari, which again translates as "the island of games." But we do not mean folk festivals, but prayers in sacred forests and on sacred shores to the Finno-Ugric gods.

Simply put, Kizha-saari was the center of a pagan cult. With ritual dances, chants and sacrifices. In ancient times - bloody.

This non-Russian land

The island became relatively Russian only in the 11th century, when Novgorodians came to these northern lands. They themselves, of course, did not live on the island, but they kept the “attached” population with a firm hand. Kizhi, like other islands Lake Onega, and the shores of this lake, were part of the Obonezh Pyatina - one of the administrative-territorial units of the Novgorod Republic.

Of course, Christian Novgorod sought to bring the light of the new faith to the lost Finno-Ugric souls. So the local people got on sacred place their games the Orthodox Church. It was in this unobtrusive way that Orthodoxy was introduced to the lands of the pagans.

True, what this church was - no one knows. It is clear that it was made of wood (it is not very good with stone on Kizhi), but we don’t know how it looked and whether it was similar to the current temples. Baptized local residents (probably, as in other places) willingly went to church and prayed to the pagan gods no less zealously. That is, "kizha" continued for quite a long time, even in the 17th century.

This, however, did not prevent the island from becoming a stronghold of Onega Orthodoxy. In 1478, the independent Novgorod Republic fell, and Moscow princes became the new masters of the northern lands. To strengthen their power, in 1496 they made Kizhi the center of a new administrative unit - the Spaso-Kizhi churchyard.

Now about 130 villages and villages on other islands and on the mainland, Unitskaya Bay and the entire south of the Zaonezhsky Peninsula were subordinate to Kizhi.

Settled in Kizhi local authority, people's meetings took place here, trade was conducted and litigation was dealt with. The cadastres of the end of the 16th century mention 12 villages on the islet and two wooden churches: "The Graveyard of Spassky in Kizhi on Onega Lake, and on the graveyard the Church of the Transfiguration of Spasovo, and another Church of the Intercession of the Holy Mother of God."

There were also two parish churches: on the Great Guba and on the Lychny Island of Lake Sandal. Both island churches were built on the so-called Maryanina Hill, where pagan games used to be held.

According to one of the legends, one day lightning struck them and burned the buildings to the ground. The legend probably didn't come out of nowhere. It is known that the Finno-Ugric peoples contrived to perform pagan rites in Orthodox churches!

The fate of the metropolitan

Through Kizhi in that era lay a pilgrimage route from Moscow to Solovetsky Monastery. The legend about the young years of Metropolitan Philip (Kolychev), who became famous for his dramatic confrontation with Ivan the Terrible, is also connected with Kizhi.

During the northern wanderings, Philip (then not yet a metropolitan and not even a monk yet) allegedly hired a worker for a wealthy peasant named Sidorko Saturday in the village of Zharenskaya. The peasant assigned him to herd the sheep. Local residents suffered greatly that year from snakes, they were even afraid to graze cattle near the village. The future saint drove away the snakes.

He also set up a fence that the wolves could not overcome. And once he caught a sturgeon in the lake waters and brought the peasant to Orthodox holiday. But he was a modest man, and when they began to say around him that he worked miracles, he immediately set off again on his journey to Solovki.

Two more legends are also connected with the name of Philip - about Svyat-pillow and Smol-pillow. These are two capes that look at each other. One is on the southern tip of Kizhi Island, the other is on the northern shore of Bolshoi Klimenetsky (Klimetsky) Island. Between them lies a never-freezing strait.

According to legend, when Kolychev approached the strait to cross to the mainland, he was transported by a local resident, nicknamed Smolyu for the color of his hair. The cape where Kolychev stood became known as Svyat-pillow, and the cape where Smol stood became Smol-pillow. The strip of non-freezing water was named St. salma or "holy polynya".

The name of Philip, who suffered from the ruthless Tsar Ivan the Terrible, was very loved in the Russian North. It is not surprising that the pilgrims who flocked to the Solovetsky Monastery connected it with the island of Kizhi, gradually acquiring a halo of holiness.

Without a single nail

In the XVII century, after the reign of Ivan the Terrible and the end of the Time of Troubles, the island's churches fell into some decline. Local legend even says that they were deserted and began to collapse. It was then that lightning burned them to the ground. However, a century later, Peter the Great ordered the restoration of the temples.

In 1714, the construction of the Church of the Transfiguration began, but not on Maryanina Hill. One of the legends says that Peter personally designed this temple. Allegedly, he sailed past Kizhi, saw how everything was deserted there, moored to the shore and drew a plan of the future temple with a cane on the coastal sand.

Another legend says that the project of the church belongs entirely to the carpenter Nestor - he designed the church and built it himself. And without a single nail. And when the construction was completed, Nestor threw an ax into the waters of the lake and said: "Never happened, never will." That is, no one has built anything like this before, and no one will build anything like this again.

Both legends have nothing to do with historical truth. And Peter had nothing to do with the construction of the Church of the Transfiguration, and the carpenter Nestor did not exist. And in general, six years before the construction in Kizhi, a similar wooden structure was erected in the village of Anhimovo, which is located very close to Kizhi.

The legend that the many-domed northern churches were built without a single nail is also incorrect. Yes, the main structures were interconnected with the help of grooves, like the details of the designer. But the wooden scales on the domes had to be properly strengthened, otherwise the domes would have “bald” and lost all their beauty in the very first year. They were fastened with iron pins, that is, they were practically planted on nails.

In addition to the Church of the Transfiguration, the Intercession Church was erected, as well as a hipped bell tower. But the Church of the Intercession of the Virgin was built half a century later - in 1764. And the hipped bell tower - and at all in 1863, on the site of an earlier building that had fallen into disrepair and had fallen into disrepair.

In ancient times, the complex of church buildings was surrounded by a wooden fence, which was supposed to play the role of a fortress wall. The fence, of course, was not preserved. The one that exists today is a modern reconstruction.

However, in ancient times the fence was of little use. The invaders of Kizhi did not even need it for nothing. Even with the Swedes there were no military clashes. But behind this fence in 1769-1771, the Kizhi authorities hid from the rebellious ascribed peasants.

Soldiers had to be sent to put down the rebellion. Perhaps this was the only serious protest of the inhabitants of Kizhi against their superiors. For the most part, life on the island was peaceful and quiet.

From the 17th century, the island was mastered by industrialists for the smelting of copper, and then iron. Over time, the Spaso-Kizhi churchyard turned into the Kizhi volost. Neither two Russian revolutions, nor two world wars touched Kizhi.

Kizhi has never been blown up and never bombed. So the wooden buildings managed to be preserved in the form in which they were from the moment of construction. So they still delight our eyes today.

There are places on Earth where social energies have no power over you, where the soul of a person acquires such confidence that nothing can break it, where fear leaves you, and you forget that there is such a feeling in the world - a feeling of fear. This is such a state of mind - when you are, and inside there is such peace that you are not. Pinch yourself at this time and you will not feel pain. When such concepts as hatred, envy, etc. fall out of your consciousness, when there is no fear of tomorrow and there is no tomorrow or yesterday at all, when you are only in that minute, second, moment when you turn on your intention of something then create. Heaven on Earth is in you!
Waldemar Shubin

I repeat a little. For each person, the choice of direction to a particular place of power is purely individual. And it depends on what the person wants to get. After all, goals can be different: improving health, healing, creative disclosure, inspiration, transition to an "altered state of consciousness", awareness of one's destiny, etc. Therefore, first of all, you need to understand why you are going.

The first part of the review was devoted to places of power in India, Nepal, Tibet. This article will discuss about the places of power of the Republic of Karelia.

Journey to places of power. REPUBLIC OF KARELIA

Located Karelia in northwestern Russia. In the west, Karelia borders on Finland, in the north on the Murmansk region, in the east - on Arkhangelsk region, in the south - with the Vologda and Leningrad regions, in the northeast it is washed by the White Sea.

Karelia is the most beautiful landscapes. On the territory of Karelia there are two largest lakes in Europe - Onega and Ladoga. Here is the location and ancient monuments human civilization, possessing strong energy.

The Republic of Karelia is entirely holy places. It is with them that the mysterious healings of people from various ailments that were beyond the control of medicine are associated. The power of holy places has a special energy, which has one or another effect on the human body. But for lovers of esotericism, there are also interesting places and legends. Most Orthodox churches were built on the sites of former sanctuaries of pagan gods, so the places in Karelia are truly magical. All kinds of psychics talk about energy faults in the earth's crust, Orthodox - about divine power. Both are right, only they call these "places of power" differently.

One of the first researchers A.V. Barchenko assumed that the knowledge of ancient civilizations was encoded here. He believed that they could be deciphered. And his studies of a number of places in Murmansk region and Karelia showed that there are places in which people fall into an unusual state, similar to mass psychosis, which has received the name "measuring". At such moments, people began to repeat each other's movements, unconditionally carry out various commands ...

In general, the north of Russia and Karelia also store a lot of esoteric knowledge. The roots of this knowledge are often associated with mysterious Hyperborea. There are ancient maps that depict the disappeared polar continent - Hyperborea. The maps of Gerhard Mercator, the most famous cartographer of the 16th century, have survived to our time in copies. One of them (1569) reproduces the outlines of the North most fully. If you superimpose his map on the map of today's Scandinavia, striking correspondences are found: the southern border of Hyperborea passes through Lake Ladoga and Onega, through Valaam and Vygoretsia.

1. VALAAM - a place of power

Valaam archipelago is located in Karelia, in the northern part of Lake Ladoga. largest island archipelago - Valaam. Valaam is famous for its monastery, many of its sketes, amazing nature and miraculous influence on people.

There are many theories about the origin of Balaam. One of them is this. The name of the island is associated with the name of the pagan god Veles. The legend about Valaam says that the north of Ladoga is the good land of Veles, without which the existence of the World is impossible. The very existence of this earth crushes the world's evil and forces hostile to life. In ancient times, Valaam was a pagan sanctuary. It was replaced by an Orthodox monastery. Valaam Monastery from its very foundation by St. Sergius and Herman, it became a spiritual center, which was known far beyond the borders of Finland and Russia.

Important. If you are going to Valaam, it is worth going at least for a few days. Otherwise, your journey will be meaningless.

The best time is summer. Autumn storms, snow drifts in winter and melting ice in spring - all this makes it almost impossible to get to Valaam at these times of the year.

In connection with its controversial history, the places of power here are different for everyone. For pilgrims and tourists - one, for people seeking to discover some secrets of life - others.

People often talk about icons painted in the unusual Valaam style. In addition, one of the icons is miraculous. It is told about by the monks "The Legend of Finding the Image Holy Mother of God, called "Local Valaamskaya":

One pious woman (peasant N.A. Andreeva from St. Petersburg) in 1878 caught a bad cold, she developed acute rheumatism of her hands and feet. The disease caused terrible suffering, no treatment helped. Doctors advised to go to warm waters, but there were no funds for this, and when she was already on the verge of despair, some inner voice told her: "Go to Valaam, you will recover!" With the last money she bought a ticket, but on the eve of the trip she was overcome by strong doubt. And at night Natalia Andreevna had a vision: “A tall Woman in a robe of crimson velvet with a Baby in her arms approached her bed; She was all surrounded by some kind of wonderful light. “A thought flashed through me: is this the Mother of God! - said N.A. But I didn't dare call her that out loud. I wanted to touch Her, but She stepped back and said: “Do not cry, the Savior is on the way and I am on the way to you! You will see Me on Valaam,” and disappeared.

Fortified by wondrous vision Mother of God the ailing Natalya the next day with a joyful soul set off on a holy pilgrimage. It was in 1887 on the feast of finding the relics of St. Sergius and Herman of Valaam. However, the first visit to Valaam only strengthened hope, but did not bring complete deliverance. The suffering woman was honored to recognize her Visitor in the Assumption Church in the icon on the left column. But at that very moment a whistle blew from the steamer ready to sail.

Natalya Andreevna barely had time to light a candle, but when she returned to St. Petersburg, she felt a significant relief. Then she made a promise to definitely come again soon and give thanks to God and His Most Pure Mother of God before the revealed icon. However, her second visit in 1896 was unsuccessful: she did not find the icon in place. But on the third occasion, on the feast of St. Sergius and Herman in 1897, the healing was complete.

Before that, Natalya Andreevna, with tears, fervently prayed before the relics of the Valaam miracle workers for the acquisition of the icon of the Mother of God. And she had two more blessed dreams: in the first, an old man in a kamilavka (apparently, St. Sergius of Valaam) said to her: "Wait, you will find the Queen of Heaven!"; in the second, already preparing for Communion, she clearly saw how the newly acquired icon was being brought into the cathedral. And after the early liturgy, the picture she saw came true in all its details: at the direction of Andreeva, the image was indeed found in the pantry in the corner, wrapped in canvas. Where did the strength come from, where the strength came from: barely walking, she, along with everyone else, almost ran to the cathedral, where the icon was already standing on the table. "Is this an icon?" asked Father Pafnuty. "This one!" she exclaimed in excitement.

After finding it, they found out that this icon in 1878 (in the same year when N.A. got a bad cold, which eventually served to glorify the Mother of God) was painted by Fr. Alipy, Valaam painter.

Until 1940, she remained on Valaam, which after 1917 was ceded to Finland, but after the annexation of Ladoga to Soviet Union together with the Valaam icons, she went to Finland, where the Valaamians, led by hegumen Khariton, founded a monastery, which they called "New Valaam", the main shrine of which was the Valaam Icon of the Mother of God. Now the revealed icon is in the Transfiguration Cathedral of the New Valaam Monastery in Finland as its main shrine.

On the old Valaam, there was a list of this icon, which was formerly in St. Petersburg on the Valaam Compound. In 2000 His Holiness Patriarch Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II blessed the construction of the first church in honor of the revered and miraculous icon of the Valaam Mother of God, and in the place where it was found. Then he established the celebration of the icon of the Mother of God "Valaam" on the first Sunday after the day of memory of St. Sergius and Herman, the Valaam wonderworkers.

Forerunner Skete

The most “energetically strong” place on Valaam located at some distance from the cathedral, monastery and sightseeing routes. This is a skete on Predtechensky Island, where the monks lived in deep asceticism (a kind of spiritual practice, deliberate self-restraint).

The monastic tradition dates the existence of skete life on this island back to the Middle Ages, as evidenced by the surviving Karelian name of the island - Sernichan (Monastic). The ascetics of the Forerunner Skete lived according to the most severe charter in the monastery - it forbade visits to the island by both pilgrims and the brethren themselves: "Here is eternal fasting, silence and prayer" (N. S. Leskov). The brethren now live in the skete, but it is still not accessible to pilgrims.

The skete is located four kilometers from the monastery, but it can only be reached by water.

Despite the fact that Valaam is known in the world for its Orthodox shrines, it also attracts fans of magic and esotericism. Often occultists come here.

The most famous pagan significant place are Divnaya Bay and neighboring islands, especially Divny Island. There is a version that the name of the island comes from the "wonderful, wonderful phenomena" often observed here both in the past and in the present. And another theory: in ancient times, “divine people” lived here (most likely, the same as the “people of knowledge”).

There are many rumors about Divny, it is known as a zone of anomalous, unusual phenomena. People hear strange sounds here, and during sleep they feel strange tremors. Some say that the impact on the physical body is clearly felt here. In general, this bay and island is a place where you can see traces of pagan cults. Or rather, offerings to the gods as idols. Naturally, such offerings have a clearly ritual purpose.

I would like to note that staying on Divnoye is not a harmless walk. Often it ends for a person psychologically not painlessly. There is enough evidence that Divny Island imposes certain obligations on a person, however, like any other “place of power”.

In general, there are many legends and stories around Valaam: megalithic walls, the temple of Veles, a lake of fear, a rune stone, Celtic crosses on the rocks ... Ghosts roam the alley leading to the Igumen cemetery. Photographers tell me to shoot chapels, icons, and cemeteries there not the first time: the images are blurry.

2. KIzhi

Kizhi Island on Lake Onega in Karelia. Famous for the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord. This is the most famous and outstanding building on the island. National Monument, Monument cultural heritage RF (especially valuable object). The church was erected on the site of the old one, burned down by a lightning strike. The real names of the founders of the church are unknown.

Although the old-timers say: “Here, a truly holy place is different, not where the churchyard is now. When someone is sick with us, we take him to the same hill with the chapel and leave him for the night.” As it turned out, there was an ancient pagan temple on the hill. The first church in Kizhi, in defiance of the pagans, was placed there, and when it burned down, the churchyard was moved to another place - not so “strong”.

There is an opinion that it is geoactive sacred place. In translation from the Karelian Kizhi is the "island of merrymaking". Where does this name come from? Apparently, everything is again connected with paganism. Although the Orthodox Church is trying to forget about the facts of the population of this land by pagans, many traditions and legends still persist.

For example, Mount Devil's Chair It is considered the place where the pagan sanctuary used to be. Excavations have shown that pagans performed rituals on the top of the Devil's Chair - they guessed by the deer shoulder blades burned in the fire.

Another place of power - Red Shchelga. It is necessary to come to the sacred rock and carve on it the image of a diseased organ, signing it with a family name or surname. Then health will return.

3. SOLOVKI

Monasteries on Solovetsky Islands also erected on the sites of ancient sanctuaries. On Solovki, this is evidenced by the surviving labyrinths. Big Famous “ northern labyrinths located on Zayatsky Island. Presumably they were built by the ancient Celts. People who have penetrated into these structures seem to “align” the functions of the body: for example, in 10-15 minutes, increased pressure returns to normal and at the same time a surge of vitality can occur. Moreover, in men there, the brain “thinks better”, and women can be cured of infertility.

Solovki, like Valaam, is a place of pilgrimage for the Orthodox, as well as lovers of everything mysterious. Some people feel unwell here, vomiting, nausea. In addition, it is accompanied by a depressed psychological state. It goes away in a day or two. If we explain this from the point of view of shamanistic traditions, the body and consciousness are cleansed.

4. VOTOVARRA ("KARELIAN STONEHENGE")

Mount Vottowarra- this is the highest point of the West Karelian Upland (417.1 m). One of the oldest places of worship. It is located in the Muezersky district, twenty kilometers from the village of Sukkozero. The name of the mountain is often associated with Sami beliefs. They believed that evil forces were concentrated here, that this was the “Death Mountain”. Local residents and expedition members tell a lot of blood-stirring stories. UFO-like phenomena are observed here, psychics and magicians see ancient shamans here, people lose consciousness, nose bleeds, visions begin. … There is a lot of evidence for this. The locals themselves avoid it.

Mount Votovarra is indeed an energetically strong place. First, it is located in a geoactive zone, a special zone. In addition, here are megalithic structures which are known to conserve some energy. Here are the additions of stones, called "seids" (from the Lapp - "deity"). The places where seids were located were considered sacred. The Saami believed that this was the home of spirits. There are more than 2500 such stones here.

5. ANZER ISLAND

Since ancient times, this island has been considered a special place. Anzer belongs to the islands of the Solovetsky archipelago. There are opinions that this region is the heart of mythical Hyperborea. On Anzer there are also stone labyrinths, and pyramids of stones, whose age is estimated at 4 millennia.

There is even an opinion that the Mystery of Solovki is so significant and great that it pushes even the Jerusalem appearance of Christ into the past. The re-creation of the world took place on Solovki.

According to legend, a long time ago, on the shore of one of the lakes located in this area, there was an ancient pagan temple, built of numerous stones. Now this monument is completely destroyed. Legends also say that this temple was built of stones with runic signs carved on them. These stones carried a great magical function. And also semantic.

In the 15th century, monks Savvaty, Herman and Zosima erected an outpost of the Russian Orthodox Church on the White Sea coast. Tradition says that back in the 18th century, the Mother of God appeared to the schema-monk Jesus, who lived on the island of Anzer in the Solovetsky archipelago, in a dream and told him to call the mountain on Anzer the Second Golgotha, erect on it the Church of the Crucifixion of Her Son and Lord and established the Crucifixion Skete.

Now, after the secular authorities exiled many people there, the Solovki are even more important. On the one hand, a holy place, on the other, an ancient pagan temple, on the third, a place of terrible tortures of human bodies and souls (terrible in its cruelty). And again in our time a holy place. Doesn't this speak of the ability to forgive, love, live ...

6. ALDER WINTERLAND

Extreme place of power. In place of the Force is a mountain of crystalline white quartzite that attracts lightning streamers. The forest in the district is scorched by terrible electric discharges. Alder Wilderness - the place of the feminine northern land. Here everyone, whether a man or a woman, can take what he came for.

And these are far from all the places of power in Karelia, and in general the north of Russia as a whole: Seydozero, the Chardonnay archipelago, Syargilakhta, Kochkoma ... There are many secrets and mysteries here to this day. Until now, new petroglyphs are found (ancient images carved on the walls and ceilings of caves).

One thing is clear, if you are going for power - think carefully, are you ready for this?! After all, Karelia is famous for its very strong places, which not only positively, but also negatively can affect a person unprepared for a meeting with power.

Kizhi is an island in Lake Onega, 68 km from the capital of Karelia - the city of Petrozavodsk.

On the island there is a museum of traditional peasant culture of the Russian North, one of the largest and most famous museum-reserves in Russia under open sky. It contains architectural monuments, icon paintings and household items that were created in Karelian, Vepsian and Russian villages over the centuries.

Hundreds of thousands of tourists from all over the world come to the museum to admire its main attraction - the ensemble wooden churches XVIII century - the object of the World Cultural and natural heritage UNESCO.

Kizhi Island is located in an amazing beautiful place with a natural labyrinth of hundreds of picturesque islands and bays. Winding coastlines and rocks with pine trees growing on tops, multi-colored meadows framed by the blue waters of Lake Onega - all this makes the Kizhi skerries one of the most beautiful places in the Russian North.

OPENING TIME AND COST OF VISITING THE KIZHI MUSEUM ON THE ISLAND

The museum on Kizhi Island is open to the public all year round.

In the summer - from 08:00 to 20:00. In winter - from 10:00 to 16:00.

Museum ticket (entrance fee and excursion): adults - 300 rubles, students - 100 rubles, pensioners - 200 rubles. (the price is indicated taking into account the discount for Russian citizens).

HOW TO GET TO KIzhi ISLAND

From May to September, you can get to Kizhi Island from Petrozavodsk by hydrofoils ("comets" and "meteors") - regular departures from the Water Station, travel time - 1 hour 15 minutes (one way).

During the inter-navigation period, helicopters fly to Kizhi Island and boats go "on air cushion". Winter events are also organized. extreme tours on snowmobiles, dog sledding and skiing.

The closest accessible settlement to the Kizhi Island is the village of Velikaya Guba, Medvezhyegorsk District, where it is possible to use the services of local entrepreneurs for delivery to the museum on boats. To the village of Velikaya Guba can be reached on the highways M-18 and R-17(Petrozavodsk - Medvezhyegorsk - Velikaya Guba, 315 kilometers).

Also, the Kizhi Museum-Reserve is included in the programs motor ship cruises- with departure from St. Petersburg and Moscow.

During the summer period:

Motor ship on hydrofoils from Petrozavodsk

Transport company "Kizhi necklace". Address: Petrozavodsk, emb. Gyullinga, 2, hotel "Karelia". Phone: (814-2) 63-40-60, 73-34-33, 56-08-70 (tourist department). Website: www.tourholding.ru

Tariffs (children under 5 years old are served free of charge)

LLC "KareliaFlot" Address: Petrozavodsk, Karl Marx Ave., 1a. Phone: (814-2) 77-50-70, +7 921 800-45-40. Site: kareliaflot.ru

Delivery to the island of Kizhi from the village of Velikaya Guba (Medvezhyegorsk district)

On the boat MV-Marine 5400 HT. Contact phone: +7 921 625 9988. Email: [email protected], website: vkizhi-ptz.ru

IN winter period:

Helicopter

Airport "Sands". Inquiries and ordering tickets by phone (814−2) 74−75−66.

Hovercraft "Khivus-6"

Contact phone: +7 921 625-99-88. Email: [email protected] Website: vkizhi-ptz.ru

To organize a trip, we recommend contacting the travel agencies of Petrozavodsk. Detailed information can be obtained from the information service of the tourist portal "Karelia": (8142) 33−33−33, ticrk.ru or on the official website of the museum: kizhi.karelia.ru.

WHERE TO STAY

There are no hotels and guest houses on the island of Kizhi due to its reserved status. But not far from the island there are many guest houses, whose owners are always happy to help tourists combine visiting the unique monuments of wooden architecture with outdoor activities, tours of protected islands and forests ethnographic villages and archaeological sites.

The list of guest houses in Zaonezhye is posted on the museum's website kizhi.karelia.ru.

· Entrance fee to the museum and excursion services are not included in the fare.

· Information about accommodation and transport services is provided by third parties - the museum is not responsible for its accuracy. Please specify the conditions, schedule and cost at the specified contacts.

· Preliminary applications for excursions are accepted by phone (814−2) 53−57−22 (summer), 76−57−64 (winter) (excursion department of the Kizhi Museum).

· To moor private boats, you must obtain permission from the Museum Security Service: (814−2) 53−57−29.

· For security reasons, it is forbidden to pitch tents, use open fire, and stay on the territory after the museum is closed on Kizhi Island.

Russia- land with unique monuments folk art, history, architecture. And the main among them is the absolutely fabulous northern island of Kizhi, located in Karelia on Lake Onega. Here, in the center of the Russian North, seventy kilometers from the city of Petrozavodsk, there is an authentic museum-reserve of Russian wooden architecture "Kizhi", which is deservedly considered the largest open-air complex in our country. Historical and architectural museum-reserve "Kizhi" covers an area exceeding ten thousand hectares, is the most visited place in Karelia and the most popular excursion route among tourists. To see amazing ancient buildings created without a single nail, not only Russians, but also Foreign tourists.

wooden museum"Kizhi" formed over two and a half centuries and today, the concentration of objects historical heritage on its territory, has no equal in Northern Europe. The local wooden collection of great architectural monuments of Rus' includes seventy-six buildings and eighty-two historical monument. In the list of the most interesting buildings Kizhi, includes a completely unique "Kizhi Pogost", included in the UNESCO list, as well as the most valuable wooden exhibits brought from the remote villages of the Karelian land.

- this is a place where tourists can get acquainted with fabulous towers, churches and houses, which the craftsmen made only with the help of an ax, without using nails at all. But for the sake of justice, it is worth saying that during the restoration of many buildings of the museum, nails and other construction devices were used, since the unique technique of antiquity was practically lost. Nevertheless, the island of Kizhi remains great and famous all over the world. architectural ensemble Russia, including churches, chapels, houses, outbuildings, peasant household items, icons created by Russian, Karelian, Veps masters. There are several ancient villages on the territory of Kizhi, stunning natural attractions and outstanding archaeological sites.

The unique museum of wooden art in Russia - "Kizhi" is divided into zones. Most interesting architectural monuments are on the territory historical villages in the northern part of Kizhi Island. There is a lecture hall on the territory of the reserve, where tourists can get acquainted with interesting facts about the history of Russian northern architecture. The fact is that in the museum, Special attention is given to the conduct of educational and enlightenment work. It should be understood that not all buildings were originally on the island of Kizhi, since many of them were delivered from other places, nevertheless, they all organically fit into the Karelian landscape. About some structures stacked interesting legends and beliefs, for example, about the beautiful Church of the Transfiguration, they say that after the master created it with the help of one ax, without using nails or other improvised means, he threw that ax into the waters of the lake so that no one could surpass his talented brainchild.

Architectural ensemble "Kizhi Pogost"- a unique artistic combination of a pair of multi-domed openwork churches, with a bell tower, located in one beautiful fence, as well as an indescribable harmony with other wooden buildings. Together, they create a unique colorful image of Kizhi Island, delighting anyone who sees them.

- an outstanding religious Orthodox building, created by Russian craftsmen in 1714. The church evokes sincere and completely genuine admiration for the skill of unknown creators, being the pinnacle of wooden architecture in the Russian North. The church was built instead of an earlier structure that burned out after being struck by lightning. This thirty-seven-meter church is a "summer" temple, because it is not designed to hold services in the cold winter period. The Church of the Transfiguration has a very peculiar appearance; according to its type, it can be attributed to the octagonal tiered churches. The temple is decorated with onion domes, in the amount of twenty-two pieces. Despite the fact that wood is a rather complex material in the construction of buildings of exquisite and unusual forms, the Kizhi craftsmen were true experts in their field. The interior design of the church is also interesting: tourists are especially impressed by the magnificent iconostasis, which includes one hundred and one icons, decorated with an openwork gilded frame. The painted ceiling is delightful: in the center is a medallion depicting the New Testament Trinity, seraphim, cherubim, angels, forefathers. Scientists have established that the frame of the iconostasis was created in the period from the end of the eighteenth to the beginning of the nineteenth century, and the icons were painted in the period from the seventeenth to the eighteenth centuries. The Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord is the very first building that welcomes tourists who arrived on the island of Kizhi, it is the pride of the museum-reserve and just a beautiful building, amazing imagination.

- This is a "winter" temple, where services are held in the cold season: from October 1 to the Easter holiday. The Intercession Church was erected in 1764, unfortunately, the name of the masters who created it has also been lost for centuries. The Church of the Intercession organically complements the Church of the Transfiguration, located next to it, being its "architectural echo". The Church of the Intercession has nine domes, and its domes are very expressive, have refined proportions, but at the same time, modest, so as not to obscure the grandeur of the main and most important temple of the Spaso-Kizhi Compound - the beautiful "Church of the Transfiguration". The building of the pediment of the church is decorated with a jagged carved belt, and this is practically the only decorative element of the temple. Unfortunately, the first table church iconostasis has not been preserved, and many of the original icons have been lost. The modern carved iconostasis was created in the middle of the twentieth century. As for the icons, many of them were painted by local residents, and the Zaonezhsky icon created in the seventeenth century “The Miracle of Flora and Lavra” is considered especially valuable. Inside, the walls of the Intercession Church are covered with plaster. The simplicity of the interior and the small size of the Church of the Intercession, the high porch leading to the vestibule are characteristic features of all the northern churches of Karelia. Entering the Church of the Intercession, tourists have the opportunity to attend a church service, listen to monastic chants and a stunning bell ringing.

- grew in 1863, instead of an older bell tower. But the new building of the bell tower was constantly undergoing external changes and improvements. According to its compositional component, the bell tower was built according to the “octagon on a quadrangle” scheme, which is traditional for Rus': a high quadrangle occupies two thirds of the height of the entire frame. The belfry of the bell tower stands on nine pillars, located above the octagon. To climb the belfry, you need to overcome five steps of the stairs.

The original fence of the Kizhi Pogost, unfortunately, has not been preserved; it was reconstructed in 1959. But the traditional northern wooden fortifications of the Ilyinsky Pogost on Vodlozero were taken as a model. The "new" fence is a powerful gate, reinforced with corner watchtowers. Due to the deliberate roughness of the work and the massiveness of the wooden log cabins, the churchyard looks stern and resembles ancient fortresses.

It was created in the second half of the fourteenth century. This is one of the most ancient monuments of Russian wooden architecture, not only in the Kizhi reserve-museum, but throughout Russia. According to legend, the church was built by the Monk Lazar, it is known that this man lived up to one hundred and five years, dying in 1391. The Church of the Resurrection of Lazarus is the very first building of the future Murom Monastery, standing along east coast Lake Onega, and the main attraction of this monastery. Locals say that since its construction it has become amazing place, where all the sick, through their prayer, received miraculous healing from all ailments of the soul and body. The Monk Lazarus became a locally venerated saint, the church he built and the relics associated with him became an object of Orthodox worship and mass pilgrimage. Previously, every year from the twenty-third to the twenty-fourth of June - on Ivan's Day, pilgrims from different corners Rus'. Externally, the Church of the Resurrection of Lazarus has a miniature, simple, but very elegant form. It is interesting that the temple is devoid of a foundation, since its log house is located on large stone boulders. The interior of the church is decorated with a beautiful two-tiered iconostasis of seventeen icons, the work of the sixteenth-eighteenth centuries. The monument of ancient architecture was reconstructed in 1961 by the architect Opolovnikov, according to earlier measurements of 1876, which made it possible to restore the old church with amazing accuracy.

- a small building with a vestibule and a modest bell tower, built at the beginning of the nineteenth century in the village of Lelikozero, located at the northern tip of Lake Onega, and then transferred to the Kizhi Island Museum-Reserve. The Chapel of the Archangel Michael is a building characteristic of the wooden architecture of the Russian North, it has a feature - a hipped belfry towering above the entrance hall. Seni can be seen in all religious northern structures Russia. The church inside is decorated with a unique two-row iconostasis, created in the eighteenth century, which, rising up, closes with twelve ceiling images of saints and “heaven” - a magnificent ceiling icon of Jesus Christ, in the corners of which there are four more icons depicting the symbols of the evangelists.

- was erected in 1928, and the building underwent the last restoration in 1976. This is one of the few windmills still standing in Karelia. The mill - "pillar" has eight wings. At its base there is a square barn, in the center of which there is an axis-pillar, buried by the base in the ground. The body of this barn is knocked down from boards, it is located on top of a log turning circle, called the "swivel", on the circle there are logs-levers of the "big man". Millstones move thanks to a wooden gear. On the ground floor there is a chest for flour and a device for adjusting the grinding of grain. The mill has a gable symmetrical roof.

- was delivered to the island of Kizhi in 1975 from the village of Na Khvost, located on the island of Volkostrov. Shchepin's house is a vivid example of a peasant dwelling in Zaonezhie, built in the early twentieth century. By type, the house is “four-walled”, covered with a gable roof. The residential part is a single hut located on a high basement, plus a canopy that you get into by climbing a high porch with two exits. In the hallway there is a partition that separates the place for a pantry, where traditionally the peasants kept the objects of labor and everyday life. The stove in the hut is a little unusual for such a building - in the center of the back wall. There are four windows in the hut: three in the central facade, one on the north side. In the hut there are items necessary for practicing cooperage.

- was transported to the territory of the museum-reserve in 1961. Previously, he stood in the village of Potanevshchina on the island of Bolshoy Klimetsky, which is next to the island of Kizhi. This is another interesting example of a peasant hut. The house is one-story, on a high basement, with a single asymmetrical roof. The hut includes a dwelling, a canopy, two closets. The exterior of Elizarov's house is notable for its laconicism, however, it is decorated with a decorative promenade-balcony located on the main facade. True, access to the balcony was not from the room, but from the attic. The house is built of heavy logs and decorated with beautiful architraves. There is a modest atmosphere in the hut: on the wall opposite the stove there is a beautiful painted cabinet where the owners kept festive dishes, which they took out when there were guests in the hut. There is a self-spinning wheel, with the help of which women made linen threads. In the basement of the hut there is a small barn for storing grain.

Of course, on the territory of Kizhi there are many other interesting buildings, which we do not describe, but this does not mean that they are less attractive for acquaintance. The museum-reserve has more than two dozen peasant houses, chapels, barns, baths, barns. All huts are furnished, according to ancient times, there are tools, utensils, furniture. In Kizhi there are half a thousand original northern icons, valuable collections of ethnographic objects, manuscripts, as well as early printed books, samples of ancient painting, photographs, drawings. The fund at the museum-reserve of Karelia "Kizhi" is large, there are temporary and permanent exhibitions. Exhibitions are divided into sections. In the department "Orthodox iconography" - original icons are stored; in the "Decorative and Applied Part" - there are samples of weaving, collections of paintings, embroidery and wood carvings; in the "Archival Documents" - there are drawings of the architect-restorer Opolovnikov, old postcards, photographs local residents made before 1940. According to the decree of the President of the Russian Federation, the collection of the museum-reserve "Kizhi", located in Karelia, is "Especially valuable objects cultural heritage of the peoples of Russia.

Museum "Kizhi" open to guests all year round. In winter, it works from ten in the morning to four in the evening, in summer - from eight in the morning to eight in the evening. There are no hotels on Kizhi Island itself, but tourists can stay on one of the neighboring islands in guest houses. For visitors to Kizhi, there are a number of rules: the inspection of architectural monuments is strictly accompanied by an employee of the excursion department of the museum; it is forbidden to come to Kizhi with pets; parking of any vehicles must be carried out with the permission of the museum administration; tourist parking allowed only in specially equipped places.

The main monument is the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord, founded in 1714. Unique building: 102 icons in the iconostasis, 22 chapters. Beauty. It is she who is depicted on most modern postcards. It was cut down by an unknown master on the spot old church burnt out by a lightning strike. According to the legend, unique temple built without nails at all, in reality there are still nails - in domes at a 37-meter height.

According to legend, having completed the construction of the Church of the Transfiguration in Kizhi, the master threw an ax into the waters of Lake Onego and said: “Never happened, never will!” - thereby denoting that the second such temple will not appear anywhere else. Indeed, today it is simply impossible: there are no more such carpenters who can build at least something similar. Fortunately, there are masters who are able to support historical appearance reserved Kizhi, because wooden architecture is not eternal.

The iconostases of the Kizhi churches could be seen not only Russian tourists, but also Europeans, even without coming to Russia: painted skies, according to all Zaonezhsky canons, were exhibited in Italian museum in the province of Potenza.

There is also the famous hipped bell tower built in the 1860s. For 60 years, its bell has never struck - since 1929, bell ringing has been banned, and in 1989, the magical music of 12 bells again swept over Kizhi.

Kizhi Pogost earned the status of a UNESCO World Heritage Site immediately in three categories: this is a masterpiece of human creative genius, and a building in harmony with the surrounding landscape, and the pinnacle of carpentry. Such beauty as in Kizhi is nowhere else in the world. Therefore, the ensemble can be called one of the wonders not only of Russia, but of the whole world. And this splendor is spread not so far from St. Petersburg!

Today, the Kizhi Museum-Reserve is an open-air island-museum, where 68 buildings from all over Karelia are collected, which make it possible to understand all the splendor of Russian wooden architecture. One of the most interesting buildings is considered to be the house of Oshevnev (XIX century) from the village of Oshevnevo. This is a large two-story house, decorated with elegant galleries and patterned architraves. This is a residential building and utility rooms under one roof.