The Church of the Intercession, 1764

As in many other northern parishes, the winter Church of the Intercession was built near the summer Church of the Transfiguration. The date of the winter church construction is unknown, but as far as it is known, it was finally completed in 1764.

Outwardly, the Church of the Intercession differs greatly from the magnificent church next to it. It is built in the form of an elongated rectangle consisting of several adjoining tetrahedral frameworks - "quadrangles". An octahedron is installed on the highest framework.

The combination of "octahedron on quadrangle" was the most widespread traditional type of northern wooden churches in the 18th century. According to canons, the church had to be built with a tent roof. But it is evident that under a tent roof the structure would have been heavier and squat. Besides, the tent silhouette would have not matched the one of the Church of the Transfiguration. The carpenters diverged from the tradition and crowned the octahedron with ten domes instead of a tent roof.

Both the Church of the Transfiguration and the Church of the Intercession were built according to the carpenters’ "golden rule", i.e. on the basis of three principles: function, strength, beauty. The structure of the winter church as a whole as well as its decorative details serve to protect the framework against rain and snow.

The upper rows of beams of the quadrangle and the octahedron form a gradual widening allowing the ends of the roofing boards to extend as far as possible from the walls. Under the domes there are special details ("slezniki") from which drops of rain are falling down to the lower roof. The frontal strip which is like a necklace around the octahedron, is not simply a decorative detail; it is part of the general water removal system: each pediment has a small spout to drain slanting rain off the framework logs.

In the late 18th and early 19th centuries the church was repaired: the walls were planked, the domes were covered with roofing metal sheets. The inner log surfaces were plastered. The windows were widened similar to the manner traditional to urban architecture of that period.

The present appearance of the church appeared as a result of the restoration carried out in 1950 - 1959. In the course of the restoration the planking was removed, the roof was renewed. Inside the church the plastering was removed and the late plywood iconostasis was dismantled. The work was performed by a team of local carpenters under the guidance of architector A.V. Opolovnikov.

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