Wooden Churches: Travelling in the Russian North
When I saw this church, I started trembling with reverence! I was sorry that I was not a giant who could pick up this sweet architectural work of art and take it far away to a safe place…Ivan Bilibin
Between 1902 and 1904 Ivan Bilibin travelled across Northern Russia to study local art: he drew and photographed wooden architectural structures and wrote articles about them for the World of Art magazine. A century later Richard Davies came across Bilibin’s photographs and decided to travel to Russia to find out which churches have survived.
Wooden Churches recounts the trip he made with Alexander Popov, Professor of Atmospheric Physics at St. Petersburg University and Matilda Moreton, who recorded local tales and stories in her travel diaries. It is a beautifully crafted book, with a stunning variety of images backed up by fascinating insights into both historic and contemporary Russia. The book also features an array of poems and drawings by Russian writers, artists and early travelers.
In producing this book, Richard Davies is trying to raise public awareness of the state of decay of these wonderful structures and hopefully attract funding for much-needed restoration projects. If these buildings are not given the urgent attention they require, this book may become the best record of cultural layer lost through neglect.
For more information and to buy copies of the book please visit Richard Davies' website: richarddavies.co.uk