THE NORTH CHURCHES
The wooden triple complexes (troinik in russian) are the few remaining monuments of church wooden architecture in the Russian North. These temple ensembles, which can still be seen in the Arkhangelsk, Murmansk regions and the Republic of Karelia, consist of a bell tower and two churches: summer and winter. The spacious summer church was used for worship in spring and summer, while the warm winter church was built on a small scale to make it easier to heat.
“Troinik” was the spiritual center of the village. High churches and bell towers served as a guide both for locals and for fishermen and sailors, so they were built on hills, along the banks of rivers, at a distance from residential buildings. Also there was a center of social life, a meeting place for residents of many northern Russian villages.
Most of the temple ensembles disappeared in the 20th century, out of 150 monuments, 6 solid ensembles remained. With the advent of Soviet power, churches began to be closed, destroyed, used as warehouses or clubs. Some temples burned down from lightning and natural wear and tear of wooden structures. In many villages, only parts of the triple comlexes have been preserved: a church or a church with a bell tower. For the last 10 years, monuments have been restored by volunteers with the money of private investors. The locals say that as long as the “troinik” is standing, the village will live.
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