Malena, 7, looks at Belgian clown Lili Bellule at the pediatric department of the Hopital Erasme at the Universite Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), in Brussels January 27, 2015. The hospital offers performances by musicians and clowns as a form of therapy to help children cope with dealing with the stress and fear caused by hospitalization. (Photo by Yves Herman/Reuters)

While communism, collectivism, worms, dry rot and casual looting failed to destroy the majestic wooden churches of Russia, it may be ordinary neglect that finally does them in. Dwindled now to several hundred remaining examples, these glories of vernacular architecture lie scattered amid the vastness of the world’s largest country. Just over a decade ago, Richard Davies, a British architectural photographer, struck out on a mission to record the fragile and poetic structures. Austerely beautiful and haunting, “Wooden Churches: Traveling in the Russian North” (White Sea Publishing; $132) is the result. Covering thousands of miles, Mr. Davies described how he and the writer Matilda Moreton tracked down the survivors from among the thousands of onion-domed structures built after Prince Vladimir converted to Christianity in 988.

A golden pheasant is seen at Hangzhou Safari Park in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China, November 13, 2016. According to local media, the pheasant gains popularity as its golden feathers resemble the hairstyle of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)

Dancers resting on the rooftop of the SKD Theatre Asakusa, Tokyo, 1949. (Photo by Tanuma Takeyoshi/The Guardian)

A Tibetan artists wearing a traditional costume waits before their performance during the 82nd pre-birthday celebration of Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama at a Monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal, 05 July 2017. More than 1,000 monks and other Tibetans gathered at the Monastery compound to celebrate their spiritual leader's birthday. The Nepalese government has banned all kinds of Tibetan activities against the Chinese rule in Tibet so Tibetans have been changing the venue of the Dalai Lama's birthday celebration. The Dalai Lama will turn 82 on 06 July 2017. (Photo by Narendra Shrestha/EPA)

A staff member of a toy store wears a face mask as she invites customers to enter the store, in London, Tuesday, September 22, 2020. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has slammed the brakes on the country's return to offices, saying people should work from home if possible to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. Johnson on Tuesday announced a package of new restrictions, including a requirement for pubs, restaurants and other hospitality venues in England to close between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. (Photo by Frank Augstein/AP Photo)

Men ride a motorcycle carrying a fan in Havana, Cuba, Thursday, April 6, 2023. As Cuban citizens deal with the country´s many problems like electricity blackouts, empty stores and long lines for almost any service, they also have to manage with the lack of public transportation as there is a shortage of working buses and few privately owned vehicles. (Photo by Ramon Espinosa/AP Photo)

Afghan children play at a brick-making factory on the outskirts of Jalalabad city, eastern Afghanistan on November 13, 2019. (Photo by Reuters/Parwiz)