Two wooden churches on an island in Lake Onega, and the frames of them were raised without a single nail. The Church of the Transfiguration went up in 1714, its altar laid on 6 June that year, and carries 22 domes at 37 metres; the Church of the Intercession, heated for winter use, was built between 1694 and 1764 with 9 domes at 27 metres. The nail-free claim applies to the structure, not the shingles, and there are about 180,000 nails in the roofs. A restoration between 1999 and 2014 replaced roughly 30 percent of the damaged timber using period techniques and materials rather than modern shortcuts. UNESCO World Heritage since 1990. Kizhi Island, Republic of Karelia.
Karelia, Russia
See it on the map
