RUSSIA'S AMAZING CAVE CHURCH

The Spassky Cave Church on the banks of the Don River, in the village of Kostomarovo, is one of many tourist attractions Russia has to offer. A bastion of Russian Christianity, this unique holy place welcomes thousands of pilgrims from all over Russia, every year. It has a rugged exterior that hints at Byzantine influences, but its interior is much more polished, featuring straight walls, rounded arches and Orthodox decorations (via).

It’s believed the first caves were dug into the cretaceous mounts of Kostomarovo before the adoption of Christianity in Russia. Hermit monks would use these austere cell-like spaces to hide from persecution, and it wasn’t until the 12th century that the first rock monastery was carved in the region. Those who have visited Spassky Church speak of a fantastic sense of easiness and divine bliss, and it also has a reputation for healing diseases and wounds, helping people make the right decisions and cleansing sins. In fact, there is even a Cave of Repentance inside the chalk church where condemned sinners were once confined to repent for their sins (via).

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RUSSIA'S PECULIAR GANGSTER HOUSE

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Russia’s glorified barn stands tall

The house of Nikolai Sutyagin, gangster an ex-convict, stands 13 floors tall and is an dramatic sight againts the barren Russian landscape. Arkhangelsk, Russia is home to the tallest wooden structure in the world. It was built in 1992 by Sutyagin, to show his neighbors who the wealthiest man in the city was.

This impressive house can easily accommodate 18 people and makes for the perfect love nest. Unfortuanetely for Sutyagin, fortune and fame was short lived, today, he and his wife is wife is broke, and his house ‘broken’. Sutyagin now lives in four poorly heated rooms at the bottom of his crumbling log cabin with his wife. The house is constantly threatened of being demolished by the government, according to authorities. The building spoils the town’s panoramic view, is a fire hazard and can become unsafe since it is falling apart.

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