Russian Federation The St. Nicholas Church, Suzdal Kremlin

The wooden Church of St. Nicholas is located within the grounds of the Suzdal Kremlin, between the earthen rampart and the ensemble of the Nativity Cathedral and the Archbishop’s Chambers. Despite its stylistic difference from the surrounding stone structures, it blends into the setting quite harmoniously. The wooden Church of St. Nicholas (built in 1766) was relocated to Suzdal in 1960 from the village of Glotovo in the Yuryev-Polsky District. In fact, it marked the beginning of the creation of the Museum of Wooden Architecture in Suzdal, although the museum is now situated at some distance from the church, on the opposite bank of the Kamenka River.

The St. Nicholas Church belongs to a rare type of “cell” churches, constructed in a manner similar to traditional log houses. To the west of the main, taller structure is a vestibule chamber (trapeznaya), while to the east lies a faceted apse. The log structures of the main part and the trapeznaya are raised on a basement. On three sides, the church is surrounded by a balcony gallery, which is accessed via a covered staircase leading from a simple porch. Each section of the church is topped with a steep gabled roof. The quadrangular main body is crowned with a miniature dome covered in split aspen shingles (known as lemekh), weathered to a silvery hue.