Bogoslovka Museum of Wooden Architecture

The Bogoslovka Museum of Wooden Architecture is located 20 kilometers southeast of the center of St. Petersburg, near the village of Metallostroy. The estate is located on the right bank of the Neva River in a park area. The Bogoslovka Museum was founded on this site in 2004, it recreated the lost masterpieces of wooden architecture of the north of Russia.   

There are many museums of wooden architecture in Russia, where beautiful churches and residential buildings from various villages of the Russian north gather. The most famous of them are Kizhi on Lake Onega and Vitoslavlitsy in Veliky Novgorod. The Kizhi Museum is even included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Lists. These museums contain the original churches of the 18th and 19th centuries, which are provided with the necessary care. It is necessary, as the wood rots and decays in the northern climate. In addition, there is a great danger of fires. 

Many beautiful churches in Russian cities were destroyed by fires. Among them is the Intercession Church in the village of Ankhimovo. This small village is located on the shore of the Vytegorsky reservoir, near the town of Vytegra, Vologda region.  

The Intercession Church with 20 domes is very similar to the famous Transfiguration Church in Kizhi. Both churches were located on Lake Onega. Perhaps they were built by the same artel of builders. The Transfiguration Church in Kizhi was built in 1716, and the Intercession Church in Ankhimovo 6 years earlier – in 1708. The original Intercession Church in the village of Ankhimovo can be seen in the color photo of Prokudin-Gorsky. There it looks like a stone one, but in fact, it is covered with boards and painted white. 

In 1963, the Intercession Church in the village of Ankhimovo burned down during a fire. However, a few years before the fire, the architect Alexander Opolovnikov, who created the Museum in Kizhi, made detailed measurements of the church. He wrote in his book Treasures of the Russian North: "The churches in Vytegra and Kizhi are outstanding monuments of Russian wooden architecture. They are so strongly connected by ties of genetic kinship that they can be considered blood sisters." Based on his drawings, the architects of the Bogoslovka Museum were able to recreate an exact copy of the Intercession Church from the village of Ankhimovo. The church has been consecrated and now services are being held there. 

The reconstruction of such outstanding architectural monuments is very important for the preservation of the cultural heritage of the country. Thus, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow, blown up by the Bolsheviks in 1939, was recreated. The Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral, destroyed by fire in 2019, is also being restored.  

In addition to the Intercession Church, there are several other wooden buildings in the Bogoslovka estate. Entering the Holy Gates, you can see the Chapel of the Savior. To the right is located the two-story house of the merchant Kostin. In the courtyard of the house there is an exposition of the forge. Next to the Intercession Church stands a wooden bell tower.