Kizhi Island - The Transfiguration Cathedral

In the 1700s, increasing numbers of craftsmen began to leave the island for work in St. Petersburg and the island entered a decline in the 19th century from which it never recovered. Today, Kizhi Island is an open-air museum. Its most spectacular ornament is the 1714 Transfiguration Cathedral, with its 22 domes shingled in weathered aspen wood that gleams like silver in the sun. The Cathedral is, unfortunately, closed today and in serious need of restoration.