Comprehensive Restoration of the Church of the Transfiguration of the Kizhi Churchyard (Russia)

Project
Comprehensive Restoration of the Church of the Transfiguration of the Kizhi Churchyard

Category
Best Implemented Project for Restoration of Religious Building in Russia

About the project (provided by the applicant)
Since the mid-20th century, leading architects and restorers have been seeking ways to save the church, as the deformations and degree of wood decay had become increasingly threatening.
In 2000, a preliminary restoration project was developed, providing for work to be carried out in seven technological tiers. Each tier was successively lifted and suspended using a specially designed lifting system; its elements were dismantled, restored, and reassembled in the log structure. The project also included additional strengthening and reinforcement of the structural framework. A modern restoration complex was built, enabling year-round restoration work.

During the process, a unique method for restoring historical elements was developed and applied. The carved gilded iconostasis and interior furnishings of the church were also restored. The restoration was carried out under the close supervision of ICOMOS and UNESCO.
In 2021, the restoration was completed — the structural stability of the church was restored, and the interior was renewed.

Location
Medvezhyegorsk District, Republic of Karelia, Russia

Project implementation year
2023

Extra visual materials
Photo album about the restoration of the Church of the Transfiguration:
https://vk.com/album-50943719_267415892

Selected posts about the iconostasis:
https://vk.com/kizhi_museum?from=groups&w=wall-50943719_14934
https://vk.com/kizhi_museum?from=groups&z=album-50943719_266810144
https://vk.com/kizhi_museum?from=groups&w=wall-50943719_15539

Applicant
Federal State Budgetary Institution of Culture “State Historical, Architectural and Ethnographic Museum-Reserve Kizhi”
One of the largest open-air museums in Russia, a unique historical, cultural, and natural complex, and a site of special cultural value for the peoples of Russia. The core of the museum’s collection — the ensemble of the Kizhi Pogost — is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The monument is exceptional in its architectural and artistic design, with no analogues in Russian or world wooden architecture. The museum preserves more than 80 monuments of traditional wooden architecture.

Author of the project
Author and Chief Architect — Vladimir Stepanovich Rakhmanov (Research Institute “Spetsproektrestavratsiya”, St. Petersburg)

Visualization
Igor Georgievsky

Customer
State Historical, Architectural and Ethnographic Museum-Reserve “Kizhi”

Other participants
ARC “Zaonezhye” (Petrozavodsk) — major work on restoring the log structure, domes, crosses, roofs, and other elements of the church
Alekon LLC (St. Petersburg) — installation of the lifting system for all seven technological tiers
MNRHU (Moscow), restoration companies Gotland LLC and NPO “Nauka – Stroitelstvu” (St. Petersburg) — major restoration of icons and the iconostasis frame
Carpentry Center of the Kizhi Museum-Reserve — restoration of historical wooden elements of the monument

Status of the project
Implemented

Comprehensive Restoration of the Church of the Transfiguration of the Kizhi Churchyard (Russia)

Project Comprehensive Restoration of the Church of the Transfiguration of the Kizhi Churchyard

Project
Comprehensive Restoration of the Church of the Transfiguration of the Kizhi Churchyard