Enthusiastic crafter builds churches to last for ages

Russia’s Orthodox churches boast some of the most beautiful architecture in the country. One retired Russian  has devoted 30 years of his life to crafting scaled-down wooden models of structures.

Gregory Kazatsky is 81 years old. And for the past three decades he’s been a master at replicating some of the countries oldest churches. He works from his home in the southern Siberian city of Novosibirsk, using reference books as a starting point for his designs.

“There are working drawings and scale models [of Russia's ancient churches] in an encyclopaedia, and I use them for my models. And if I build something from the picture I just try to keep to scale,” the artist says.

Most of the church designs that Gregory uses are from the Russian Orthodox group, known as the Old Believers. They separated from the Russian Orthodox Church during the reformation of the 17th century. At that time the Greek and Russian Orthodox churches were brought closer together – which was heavily opposed by the Old Believers, who subsequently suffered persecution.

The Old Believers churches are commonly known for being made entirely out of wood and built without nails. Gregory says he makes his models so well they could last as long as the churches they pay homage to.

“These churches, the ones I build, will stand more than hundred years, and even more than that. First of all I use super strong glue. Then there is a nail in each tiny log, to strengthen the construction. And as a final touch I varnish them,” Gregory promises.

It takes time and it takes patience, but for the retired machine operator the effort is worth it. And he's not the only person who can admire his finished products. A number of his hand-crafted models are on display in local museums.