The biggest building in the world that’s made entirely from wood (even down to the nuts and bolts!)

Russian Orthodox Church buildings are more than 150 years old

Magnificent structures, in western isle of Kizhi, stand at 123 feet tall

It has withstood the Earth's elements for more than 150 years and yet this spectacular church remains the tallest wooden structure in the world.



The magnificent building is made entirely of wood, from the frame to the rivets and the stunning exterior, and shows just how resilient this construction material is.

Standing at 123 feet tall (37.5m), it is believed to still be the world's tallest entirely wooden building - a record it has kept its entire existence.

Incredible: This impressive Kizhi Pogost church, on Kizhi island, west Russia, is not only the world's tallest entirely wooden building , but it is also more than 150 years old

Stunning: Bathed in the sun, the aged wooden domes of the incredible church look silver and decadent

Craftsmanship: The sheer scale of the skill involved in creating such an enormous, beautiful snd purposeful wooden building is only fully appreciated up close

The Russian Orthodox Church buildings, called Kizhi Pogost, are 150-miles east of the Russian border with Finland. After pleas from churchgoers, the wooden buildings have undergone some renovation, but still without using any other materials.

The impressive domes of the two churches tower over the surrounding countryside and were designed to attract the Christian community of this remote wilderness to one spot on a small island called Kizhi on the waters of Lake Onega.

The churches were built in the 18th century and the complex was finally finished without hammering a single nail or other metal fastener in 1862 when the bell-tower was completed.

The vast size of the church is only appreciated once set against the tiny figures, beside the entrance on the left

Design: Few wooden structures have since been built to such intricate and eye-catching designs

To this day, the fully-wooden buildings on the small island of Kizhi, serve as a Russian Orthodox church for the surround rural communities

Topped with 22 domes called cupolas and an internal vault shaped like a pyramid there are 102 religious icons from the 17th and 18th centuries displayed inside the structure.

The bell tower was created by visionary carpenter Sysoj Osipov and the larger northern Church of Transfiguration was a mecca for pilgrims of the eastern Orthodox Christian Church.

The Kizhi Pogost is such a rare example of religious architecture that the churches, which are still regularly used, were listed as a world heritage site by UNESCO

Little appears to has changed on the inside of the church in the last 150 years, where basic needs are served for in basic ways

The tallest wooden structure in the world is said to be the 600-foot-tall ATLAS-I (Air Force Weapons Lab Transmission Aircraft Simulator) near Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. However this Cold War structure uses metal parts to hold together its huge wooden frame.

Kizhi Pogost is such a rare example of religious architecture that the site it was listed as a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1990.