The monastery on the White See islands Solovki, where a prison camp was located in the 1930s (edifices are from the 16-19th centuries), has been largely restored and renovated by Moscow Patriarchy. The sad history of the monument is hardly recognizable now. Tickets for the ferry are more expensive for foreigners than for Russian citizens.
The same is true for the open air museum Kizhi on an island in the lake Onega, where some wooden churches, removed from their original locations, were built anew from old and new wood. In the course of restaurstion or rebuilding, some wooden churches underwent considerable changes (fig. 8-10): iron roof replaced by wooden, weatherboarding removed, wood carvings and mural paintings added etc. Also here, tickets for foreigners are more expensive than for Russian citizens; so that some foreign visitors, having made the whole trip to Petrozavodsk, leave without having seen the open air museum.
All images 2010
1-7 Solovki
8-10 Newly restored church (18th century) in the village Vorzogory on the White Sea shore.
Solovki: architectural monument changes its purpose
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- Sergei Jargin
- 06 September 2010