The article presents the panorama of the wooden church architecture of the Russian North in the reign of Paul I. Basing on the numerous examples the research proves that at the end of the 18^th century there were no preconditions for crisis phenomena in this most traditional sphere of architectural construction. On the verge of the 18^th-19^th centuries, the Russian wooden architecture retained its adherence to the previous tradition. Throughout the short reign of Paul I, the sources documented a significant amount of the construction work of different nature. During the four summer construction seasons of 1797–1800 dozens of new churches and bell towers were built, repairs and renovations of old structures were made, and some of them were relocated. The research indicates that the former traditional building practices of wooden construction in the North were still preserved during the reign of Paul I. However, the decree of Paul I of December 25, 1800, prohibiting the construction of wooden churches throughout Russia, became a serious interference in the natural historical course of the progress of wooden architecture. The study with the help of archival sources reveals in detail the circumstances of the declaration of this important document, which ultimately had a decisive impact on the development of wooden church architecture in the 19^th century.