Standing Without Nails: The Churches of Kizhi Island

Two wooden churches and a bell tower have proudly stood on Kizhi Island in Russia for hundreds of years, weathering the test and tumult of time with only a tree-born tenacity. That's a dramatic way of saying that these impressive and ornate structures were built in the traditional Russian carpentry style, using only wooden logs with interlocking corners—no nails or metal supports here whatsoever. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Church of the Transfiguration, the Church of the Intercession and their corresponding bell tower are a reminder that craft and ingenuity really are what building's all about.