Tucked away among the vineyards of North Carolina, this small…
Tucked away among the vineyards of North Carolina, this small wooden chapel stands as a testament to perseverance, memory, and sacred tradition. Built in 2014, it crowns the Russian Chapel Hills Winery – a vineyard founded by Andrey Medvedev, a former Spetsnaz officer and veteran of the Soviet-Afghan War. His dream of winemaking brought him to these Appalachian foothills, where he not only planted vines but also rooted the memory of fallen comrades.
Originally envisioned as a handcrafted log chapel from Arkhangelsk, the project faced a major financial setback after a bank collapse.
Undeterred, Medvedev turned to a local American log-building company to realize his vision — a decision that subtly shaped the architectural language of the structure.
While the chapel follows canonical Orthodox proportions, several architectural features stand out. Most notably, the onion dome is covered with wooden shingles (лемех) — a hallmark of traditional church architecture in Northern Russia. The dome rests above an open belfry, completing a rare composition known as "izhe pod kolokoly" (иже под колоколы), where the bell tower rises directly over the main volume of the building.
Interestingly, despite its Russian inspiration, the log corners are executed in the saddle-notch style typical of North American craftsmanship, rather than the traditional Russian "oblo" or "lap" joints. This quiet hybridity reveals the chapel's journey: from an idea rooted in Russia to its physical realization in the American South. #molodin #orthodoxamerica #woodenarchitecture
