Kizhi is an island on Lake Onega in the Republic of Karelia, Russia with a beautiful ensemble of wooden churches, chapels and houses. It is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Russia and a World Heritage Site.

The island is about 7 km long and 0.5 km wide and is washed by the Onega waters. Its elevated central part forms a ridge dividing the island into two, the wider and lower western and narrower eastern parts. It is mostly covered with meadows, a thin forest belt borders its shores; there are also marshes with willow bushes. Great elmtrees feature in the scenery. It is surrounded by about 5,000 other islands, most of which are very small—some of them are about 2x2 meters, though some are as big as 35 km long.

In 1951 the island became an open-air museum of old Russian wooden architecture. Best wooden constrictions have been transferred here from nearby and distant villages. Noteworthy is St Lazarus’ Church which, according to the legend, was built by the monk Lazarus, the founder of the Murom Monastery. He died in 1391, which means that it is the oldest wooden church extant in Russia. It is very small: the nave is only 3 m long while the porch and altar part are simply tiny. Other relics of the past located here are two wooden houses, two windmills and traditional Russian bathhouses which stand on the shore.