welcome back you're watching our new live from moscow here's a look at the top stories of the week the drums of war be gladder in syria's rebel friendly power spearheaded by us step up here a military threat or against scare tactics against damascus. mass murderers breivik is sentenced to twenty one years behind bars as a judge declares he was mentally sound when executing dozens of people in cold blood. britain abandons its threat to storm the equip dorian mission and take julian assange by force the day after both america's rose up in support of quito. and a time out for athens european leaders remain on swayed by a greek p.r. blitz asking for more time to implement cuts and prop up its crumbling economy when

next we traveled to remote villages in russia's north to examine the intricate structure of ancient churches. can you just quickly tell me if this is all because i can't see without my glasses. something. his of his such a thankless of the. future because. there are two churches churches. and then the mentioned. my name is richard davis i'm an architectural photographer from london.

and i've been traveling in russia for the last ten years on a project to photograph wooden churches. i knew that you know to do a proper book you needed time you didn't create a book in a fortnight. you need a subject when you really believe in obviously i fell in love with the chances they are extraordinary objects they're beautiful of lives.

i'm going to read something here that richard shots liberated in the sixteenth century here didn't intend to come to russia he was actually looking for the northeast passage then there was a big storm of the ended up in the white sea and this is what he he wrote about the churches he said their church is a built of timber and the towers of the churches for the most part are covered with shingle boards at the doors of the churches they usually build some engines so foolish as we do.

we just arrive to put a name and i can show you our colleagues who is relaxing for in the coach here in the foreground. hey we've all had a really good it was it was wonderfully some it's form of. if you. got any ideas why should i do. such an. temporal i'm trying.

to win. fake a said that will not just have a little walk around the church with flash it for a name it was built they say in sixteen eighteen the way this could be summed it can see the roof here is pretty rough and needs a lot of work the timber has a an amazing texture through. this is the big camera anything in the hasselblad and it's called out and it's got a rising from which means that you when you take credit growth it doesn't look as though the building's falling over. because you're not tipping the camera just

lifting the lens. you. know what i suppose this church might have been build even before sixteen eighteen that was the year when the church was registered in the records of the sars archeological commission and it was dated soley on the strength of a survey among local clergy. who thought it was the st nicholas the miracle worker was the patron saint of all white sea manners and explorers they certainly needed his protection and indeed had it as they braved the perils of rough seas making their way from village to village girl knows them to death haunts

each time they head out to sea or reconcile it with the thought that they may be unable to come by it or for that reason they have a totally different perception of the face compared to people living far from the shore buildings on the white sea coast are filled with a keen sense of life that's typical of people living in the north. has some more graffiti on the wall more lovers and it might this is a big space. we can see. and on the wall here you can see where there were projectors there's the host of the projections so this was obviously used as a club in the cinema during soviet times so i guess there would have been a big screen with the where the i kind of stuff is was and this is in a pretty bad state as well. we've been to the church when i go trying to find somebody in the village who will maybe tell us something about the history of egypt

and hopefully find somebody who saw the film. in the church of the nativity. scene they did with the red heads go. something. that. you already just put it out i live a good three. minute. yeah but i know that i've got to put in the ocean like me. your job to go to the good which your thought for. my point was you go home. you're ok ok. you're. propaganda back then was focused against the church and everything it stood for communists and members of the young communist league were behind the campaign yet

this church here was really the only suitable place for clubs people ganske here every weekend and a couple supposed down in one thousand nine hundred three. in the churches is a religious monument obviously but it's also an object of wonder you know something that people can look at and and and opens their eyes that shows. what can be achieved by using your imagination and you know hopefully the religious activity will return but it still needs to be and still needs to be saved up since the break up of the soviet union obviously there have been other more important

things to do with your money like by ferrari's and expensive watches and things like that but i think i'm hoping that people will wake up to the to the fact that these objects are precious and you need to. need this. thread to fake a say well for venturing feeling to try face to face facing a long time face to face search your face frame of the file a smile for the camera fast. food there's a lot of waiting to do before we can be picked up the sea shore here is very very shy other folk. thank you.

i have a brother who's mentally handicapped and my mother spent her whole life trying to raise money to to support people who were mentally handicapped you know what my mother would do that maybe i feel that i should be doing something to to support something that i think is worthwhile now i could say that my mother was an inspiration because i saw her you know devoting life to the cause that she had i haven't done that i've devoted my life to you know myself and my family and and other things but you know the reserving at heritage this is a little moment when it might be possible to make a tiny difference in a tiny one tiny world with intentions.

that. were just having a little walk. in the village now you can see that the house. and everything there's just one one family in the village at the moment and they're just here for the summer my sign of life very beautiful. and. then. but then you could sort of and here you can see st nicholas church. it was built in the eight hundred twenty s. today it serves as a reminder of the fate of many other russian wooden churches. back in the old days

churches were form of spiritual support not only for the villages but also the whole surrounding area people used to flock to them on sundays and major holidays. it's fair to say that now the villages are dying in much the same way as the churches. neighbor is quite late. since one thousand it. stays seen this extraordinary village. on the way see. came.

this is the said trip and we've just. had lunch after seeing the church. captain is worried that it's getting too would be forced to move on say we're sitting here lying on the rocks getting the sleep that we didn't get last night until. two pm that we will be able to continue. a we all will me if you feel you can just be out. in the fifty's. getting rough rough there with. you out of.

the ok face it could. be any day with. russia would be soon much brighter if you. sung from funds to pressure.

from stunts on t.v. don't come. destroyer here. here take this stick. remember no stones here looks like it's about a metre deep. you

will find here we see examples of early and late architecture standing side by side belfry serves as a connection between these two times it's all in harmony with the village. that raises the idea on the bus through a building a wooden church is like a writings the whole a tree stick with what he know perfect work of poetry seems to involve much effort on the part of it's also brought in fact each verse takes a good deal of effort and so does each one of the logs that go into a wooden church but what of that i wouldn't churches are said to have no nails in them this is not a figure of speech it's simply the most convenient way of building a wooden church with the joints are very firm as a result of the fact that the logs weigh down on each other.

what will keep you. if gaming is true. for you. with sam if you can. construct it. if you have no way this is where the collective stories great you. pull down soon after the revolution. young people in the country believed in god nor in the devil of the time you know that he had other ideals. ropes would be fixed to the pretty good crowds of youngsters will pull up to bring the dimes down. the roof would then be covered up to put on a church next door was used as a clubhouse throughout the years of soviet government on. that stage. featuring just.

say. is the view from the church. the clubhouse was brought into existence is a place where villages could get culture of a specific source in clubhouses professional coach or boat nicky coach or workers were charged with planning activities in the remote village areas including celebrations of the new savior tallent is dunces plays agitation of saving at ideals and atheism and importantly keeping watch over the success and failures of the co-ops. could be just for a quarter of the say half from the shore. to the bay which. the bush wasn't

really skeptical even here with the fronting away. until that is enough for him to turn on the self-proclaimed q. how are you getting all the fish out of the room to run out. to see. you.

again and without you i feel the weight. of it. all mother. three o'clock in the morning and we're looking for some food. we've been up. all night. because we've been singing the full songs

so we've now come down to the beach before we go to sleep for a couple of. as we're on the the island of condo ostroff which was part of the gulag i thought i'd read something on the bolshoi sort of x.p. the main island of this white sea are prepared to go there is a fortified ministry it was founded in four hundred twenty nine until the nineteenth century this was the only official state prison in russia and house many important religious and historical figures these magnificent built for the glory of god witnessed monstrous events over hundreds of years they do like archipelago the network of camps and stretched across the vast territory. started life on this move cluster of before island set in what soldiering it's in right a matter of. three

cents a day without the crew the crew from the university went off to another church for the white suit. to the chance of seeing the people of the chester is being restored. and when did the chapel visit us a long time again sometime. yeah no one knows exactly yeah all of. us are. you. if you. can.

as you can see it's an absolutely wonderful church it's huge and and when i first came here it was in a terrible state and nobody seemed to be really interested in in restoring it so to any any wreckage to hear. that we met alexei sixteen whose mother is from the village and he's very involved in trying to restore the village and raise raise funds to going inside you can see that they are getting things you know it's looking much cleaner a much nicer it's being tied it up but there is still a hell of a lot of work to do here somewhere along if i you know if you. think it will miss you pretty young for the fishing it was this this war was just says to.

you there will be in the first eclipse of the species. which is to feed it we've only just started when it will be finished is scarce but i'm not doing it alone i couldn't have cut without help from the others and you wish for. in fact i might have given up on it if this. if this. if. soon for thirty six. states you just. see the serious differences in. her truth last years a good saying. faith will deal is death maker heinies not sure we need to finish

the job if only for the sake of those kids sitting on the benches you when you have called as a book or a maid if they see we're trying to do something to restore all this ever lost in treasure. but you're good with us kids on the basis. of goodies i'm only doing what i think is right i'm not out to pursue any special goals just what i think is right. i'm sure some will say that i'm doing this without god's blessing. well if i think it's right under that somehow things of all was well down in the past month. just pound back. the landscape in

a very very beautiful hatfield russia and i'm just going to. swing the camera around and. say you're. on something opposite side of the bank. this is serious thing you're actually on its glory. grasps. i mean i'm happy for them to carry exists but i see. which flushes i feel. guilty i am. again.