As a building material, wood has been used since ancient times. Wooden architecture in Russia embodied a successful combination of benefit and beauty. Many construction and artistic techniques that fully met the conditions of life and culture of the people have been developed by Russian architects for millennia.
The wooden architecture of Ancient Rus originated in the northern regions of the country. It was there that the richest coniferous and deciduous forests were located. On the banks of Pechora, Onega, the Northern Dvina, unique monuments of Ancient Russia are still preserved. For thousands of years, the dynasties of Russian architects honed their skills, carefully kept professional tricks and passed them on to their sons.
The Northern Territory, which has long been famous for its forests, has grown up on its land the most talented architects, whose works we still have the opportunity to admire.
Not every tree was cut for construction. In advance, we chose a pine tree that met all the requirements of the craftsmen, and did the nooks on the trunk - we removed the bark with narrow stripes, leaving stripes to preserve sap flow. After that, the tree was left alone for five years.
During this time, she actively secreted tar, which abundantly impregnated the trunk. Only after that, in the cold autumn, they chopped it. Later, the old masters were not advised to chop - it will begin to rot. Aspen and other deciduous trees were harvested in the spring, during sap flow. At this time, the bark was easily removed from the trunk, and the log, dried in the sun, became strong, like a bone.
The wooden architecture of Ancient Russia is also unique in that, as a rule, the ax was the only weapon of the master. Despite the fact that saws were already known from the tenth century, they were used only in carpentry. It was believed that the saw tears wood fibers and leaves them open to water. Moreover, they tried not to use nails - around them the tree begins to deteriorate faster. If necessary, wooden crutches were used.
The basis of a wooden building in Russia was a log house - seasoned logs fastened into a quadrangle. A number of logs respectfully called the "crown". The lowest crown was often mounted on a stone base - a crib made of powerful boulders. Thus, the house became warmer and less rot.
The architecture of Ancient Russia was different from European in that there were no differences in the construction of the house and the temple. The oldest and simplest form was the “cage”. Thus, temples and chapels were built. These are three log cabins that are interconnected and located from west to east.
The wooden architecture of Ancient Russia began to develop rapidly in the fifteenth century, when the first wooden belfries appeared. The most ancient belfries were built on the Novgorod and Pskov lands.
It should be noted - the wooden architecture of Ancient Russia is not forgotten. Most of the monuments of this unique art are under state protection, and schools appear in the northern regions of the country, where the basics of the skill of Russian architects are transmitted.