Two remote villages in the Russian North are home to some of the country’s best preserved log churches. Two very distinctive examples are located at opposite ends of the port of Arkhangelsk: the Church of St. Nicholas at the village of Liavlia, on the high right bank of the Northern Dvina; and the Church of the Intercession at the village of Zaostrovye, located among the islands of the extended Dvina River delta to the northwest. The village of Liavlia is situated near the confluence of the small Liavlia River with the Dvina. Because of persistent erosion of the riverbanks, the inhabitants of Liavlia eventually retreated to the neighboring village of Khorkovo, which serves as the alternative official name of the settlement. Fortunately, the local Orthodox churches were built on an elevated, unassailable location, which has contributed to their preservation. Liavlia boasts one of the oldest log structures in the Russian North. Thanks to its ancient trading ties to the medieval commercial city of Novgorod, Liavlia became the site of a monastery dedicated to the Dormition of the Virgin in the 14th century.