(soft chiming music)
- On a small island in Russia stands a 300-year-old
multi-domed church that was built entirely without nails.
Kizhi Island is home to two wooden churches
and an octagonal bell tower that exemplify
18th century Russian architecture.
The largest building on Kizhi Island is the
Church of the Transfiguration.
One hundred and twenty feet tall and covered in 22 domes, the church
sparkles like silver when the sun hits it.
It was a tradition in Russian carpentry to build
using only wooden logs with interlocking corners
and no nails or steel reinforcement.
The structure was sturdy enough to survive
until the 19th century when it underwent restoration
to return it to its former glory.
In 1990, the island was listed as a
UNESCO World Heritage site, and today the island is
a national open-air museum.
It might just be a legend, but upon completion
of the structure, it was said Kizhi's main builder
cast his ax into the water and proclaimed
there was not, and will not be, another one to match it.