Pskov developed at the western edge of the Russian lands, a merchant and frontier city on the Velikaya River whose builders created a manner of their own. The churches of the Pskov school are compact and whitewashed, their walls slightly irregular, their domes low, their belfries built as open walls pierced for bells and standing free of the church itself; porches and side chapels accumulate around the core rather than being planned in advance. The result is an architecture of great plasticity that has influenced Russian building well beyond the region, and that has earned these churches a place on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Filmed in 4K, the programme moves between the city's churches, its riverbanks and the remains of its defences, offering a coherent portrait of a place shaped by trade, war and faith.
