Kovda, Murmansk Oblast Russia
Russian Orthodox
There is some debate as to the age of the log church, usually dated from 1705, may actually date from the end of the 1500s that would make it the oldest surviving wooden church in the White Sea area. The church was covered in plank siding, removed during Soviet preservation. The church was closed in 1960 and slated for restoration as a cultural monument in the 1990, begun in 2003. Kovda, above the Arctic Circle, was one of the oldest and largest villages on the Kola Peninsula, thought there are very few people remaining. It is popular place for summer holidays.