Salekhard to Reconstruct First Orthodox Church in 3D
Archaeologists and IT specialists will digitally recreate the 18th-century Vasilyevskaya Church and produce interactive materials for museums and online platforms.
The Institute of Northern Archaeology has received a grant from the governor of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug to study the Vasilyevskaya Church—the first Orthodox church in Salekhard, built in 1745 by decree of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna.
The project combines historical and architectural research with archaeological excavations. Specialists will prepare detailed measurement drawings and develop digital 3D models of the church at each stage of its existence, reflecting structural changes over time. Based on this data, visual reconstructions will illustrate how the church’s appearance evolved.
Augmented Reality and an Online Exhibition
Developers plan to launch a mobile application featuring augmented reality elements. Users will be able to view the church in its historical form directly on a smartphone screen. The project also includes an online exhibition, a series of graphic works, and artistic reconstructions.
In 2024 and 2025, archaeologists conducted large-scale excavations in Salekhard, refining historical data on the church’s construction. Dendrochronological analysis will help determine the building’s precise construction date based on the year the timber was felled. The findings will be added to an international paleoclimate database.
Research results will be transferred to the I. Ya. Slovtsov Museum and Exhibition Complex, the Museum of Orthodoxy, and the Obdorsky Ostrog museum complex. The digital models are expected to assist physical restoration efforts while preserving the historical structure in a virtual environment.
