You have probably heard of Kizhi Pogost on Lake Onega. This architectural complex, which includes wooden churches and a bell tower, is located in the Republic of Karelia, quite far from here. However, there is no need to be upset: the residents of Tver Oblast have their own Kizhi, known as Tver or Seliger. We are talking about the unique Shirkov Pogost.

There are two versions of how the church appeared in this place. According to one legend, it was built in honor of the victory over the Lithuanians at the site of their defeat. According to another version, merchants from Novgorod, passing with two icons of John the Baptist, stopped on the shore of Lake Vselug. Unable to lift the icons, they left them there, and later the Shirkov brothers built a church here with the funds from the parishioners.

The walls were constructed using logs of unusual thickness, up to 70 centimeters. As a result, the wooden church was erected without a single nail due to a lack of iron, following the principle of 'four corners on four corners,' and was topped with eight-pitched roofs.

This church, built using seemingly incredible technologies, stood for over three hundred years, enduring much. In the early 20th century, its condition became dire: it was cramped and uncomfortable, without a stove, while the number of parishioners increased to nearly three thousand people. As a result, in 1913, a stone temple was built next to the wooden church, which is still in operation today. The need for the old church diminished, and the authorities intended to sell it for demolition to improve the new temple. However, local residents decided to preserve the heritage: in April of that same year, priest Ilya Ilyinsky and deacon Mikhail Golubev sent a petition to the Imperial Archaeological Commission with the signatures of twenty-two other representatives of the parish. The letter stated: 'It is impossible to sell it for demolition. It would be an unforgivable sin in relation to such a monument of antiquity.' Thanks to this, the church has been preserved to this day.