Kitezh-grad: an invisible city for the pure at heart. The legend of the death of Kitezh city 4 grade description of the painting the drowned city

In the Nizhny Novgorod region there is beautiful lake Svetloyar, similar to a giant mirror. It is precisely its dark, serene waters that have been hiding for many centuries. ancient city, about which there are so many legends and speculations, but there is practically no factual information. They say that this city opens its doors to those who are pure in heart. It is to such a person that Kitezh-grad will reveal all its secret miracles. Maybe you'll be lucky?

According to legend, Kitezh-grad was located in the northern part of the Nizhny Novgorod region, near the village of Vladimirskoye, on the shores of Lake Svetloyar near the Linda River. The city is mentioned in historical sources - “The Kitezh Chronicler” and “The Tale and Collection of the Hidden City of Kitezh”. In wide circles, this romantic legend became famous thanks to the epic novel “In the Woods” by P. I. Melnikov-Pechersky. Here is a quote from this book:

“That city is still intact - with white stone walls, golden-domed churches, with honest monasteries, with princely patterned towers, with boyars’ stone chambers, with houses cut from kond, rotting forest. The hail is intact, but invisible. Sinful people will not see the glorious Kitezh.”

And many became interested in the legend and went in search of the mysterious invisible city thanks to Rimsky-Korsakov’s famous opera “The Tale of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevronia.” Most researchers agree that the name of the city comes from the princely village of Kidekshi (from the Meryan “rocky bay”) near Suzdal, destroyed by the Tatar-Mongol horde in 1237.

The Legend of Kitezh City

Why did it happen one day that the beautiful white-stone city went under water for centuries? They say that it happened like this: Batu Khan found out about Kitezh and ordered to capture it. One of the prisoners told the khan about the wonderful city - he led the army along secret paths to the shores of Lake Svetloyar. The Mongols were very surprised by the fact that such beautiful city there was no protection. Its inhabitants remained absolutely serene in the face of certain death. They didn't even try to resist - they just quietly prayed. Naturally, the Mongols took advantage of this luck and attacked the city. This is where things got weird. Water suddenly gushed out from under the ground - a lot of water, a whole flood. It is unclear where the streams came from and quickly began to flood both the army and the city itself. The invaders had to quickly retreat. They could only watch in confusion as the city sank into the lake. They say that the last thing they saw was the cross on the dome of the main cathedral sparkling in the sun.

Here is how Melnikov-Pechersky talks about this event:

“He miraculously disappeared, by God’s command, when the godless Tsar Batu, having ruined Suzdal Rus', went to fight Kitezh Rus'. The Tatar king approached the city of Great Kitezh and wanted to burn down the houses with fire, beat the husbands or drive them away, and take the wives and girls as concubines. The Lord did not allow the Basurman desecration of the Christian shrine. For ten days, ten nights, Batu’s hordes searched for the city of Kitezh and could not find it, blinded. And until now that city stands invisible - it will be revealed before the terrible judgment seat of Christ. And on Lake Svetly Yar, on a quiet summer evening, you can see walls, churches, monasteries, princely mansions, boyar mansions, and courtyards of townspeople reflected in the water. And at night you can hear the dull, mournful ringing of Kitezh bells.”

By the way, both local residents and many tourists say that bells can still sometimes be heard from under the dark waters of the lake. And in calm weather you can hear people singing, also coming from under the water. Some travelers also talk about seeing church domes in the water.

It’s worth going to the shores of Lake Svetloyar to experience the miracle. There is a belief that if you walk around the lake three times clockwise, your wish will come true. cherished wish. They say that water taken from Svetloyar does not spoil for a long time. Naturally, scientists have repeatedly explored the lake up and down. And they found a lot of mysterious objects at its bottom. For example, underwater terraces - the shores go under the water like a ladder. A lot of ancient objects were found at the bottom of the lake, most of which date back to the thirteenth century.

How to get to Lake Svetloyar where, according to legend, Kitezh city was located

By bus. We need a route" Nizhny Novgorod- Voskresenskoye" from the Kanavinskaya bus station. Before reaching Voskresensky, you need to get off at the village of Vladimirsky. Then any local will tell you the way. Travel time to Vladimirsky is 2-2.5 hours.
By local train. Nizhny Novgorod - Semenov" or "Nizhny Novgorod - Uren" to Semenov, then take the Semenov - Voskresenskoye bus to the village of Vladimirskoye. Next - walk through the village of Vladimirskoye, past a large parking lot, along a birch alley, to the lake (1 km).
By car. Along the Kirov highway. Drive through Semenov, get to Bokovaya station, then make a right turn following the sign for Vladimirskoye and Voskresenskoye, get to the village of Vladimirskoye (turn right), drive through the village to a large parking lot. Next - along the birch alley on foot. Distance from Nizhny Novgorod - 130 km.

Kitezh (Kitezh-grad) - in legends mystical city, which supposedly became invisible and sank to the bottom of Lake Svetloyar during the Mongol-Tatar invasion of the 13th century. Also, it was believed that Kitezh was inhabited only by the righteous, and the wicked were not allowed there. According to legend, it was located in the northern part of the Nizhny Novgorod region, near the village of Vladimirskoye, on the shores of Lake Svetloyar near the Lyunda River.

For many years, submarine archaeologists have been trying to solve the riddle of Lake Svetloyar, where, as they say in folk legends, the magical city of Kitezh is buried.

Legends about Kitezh

According to legend, Prince Yuri Vsevolodovich built the city of Bolshoi Kitezh on the banks of Svetloyar. Particular emphasis is placed on the fact that the city was built in just 3 years - from 1165 to 1168 - and immediately made of stone, which was an unthinkable feat for forest Rus' of that era. When the hordes of Batu invaded Rus', they captured and destroyed the city of Maly Kitezh (or Gorodets) and, fleeing from the Mongol army, Prince Yuri took refuge in Greater Kitezh, lost among the Trans-Volga forest thickets.

But Batu found out the way to Greater Kitezh and besieged it. Its inhabitants tirelessly prayed to the Mother of God to come to their defense. The defenders of the city fought to the death; Prince Yuri was killed in battle. However, the forces were too unequal. The enemies were about to break into Kitezh-grad, when suddenly a miracle happened. The city began to disappear before Batu’s eyes - Kitezh churches and buildings disappeared under the water... Frightened by the miracle that had happened, the enemy fled.

From time to time, according to legends, the ringing of bells can be heard from the bottom of Lake Svetloyar and from under the hills, and from time to time Kitezh old men appear, buy bread from the peasants, talk, and then disappear again. A righteous person can not only “see the vision” of Kitezh, but also get into the enchanted city and stay there forever...

The Legend of invisible Kitezh-grad for a long time existed in oral form, passed down from generation to generation. In the 17th century, schismatic monasteries began to appear in the forests of the Volga region - secret settlements of adherents of the old faith, not recognized by the official church. It was the schismatics in the 18th century who first recorded the legend of Kitezh in the work “The Book of the Chronicler.” In their presentation, the legend acquired a pronounced religious character. According to their idea, the underwater city is a monastery in which righteous elders live, and only people who are true believers can see Kitezh and hear the bells of Kitezh, as mentioned above.

“The fog cleared, and the domes of Kitezh shone with an unearthly light over the lake. The heavenly city of the righteous appeared in all its splendor. The main gates of the city opened, and a radiant old man appeared from them. He invited us to enter the miracle city and stay in it forever.” This is how a pilgrim described her meeting with the legendary city, crawling around Lake Svetloyar three times on her knees. As a reward for her spiritual feat, the heavenly city appeared before her, and the residents of Kitezh invited the old woman to their place. But she, frightened, refused to enter the monastery of the righteous.

Belief in the reality of the existence of Kitezh persisted in the vicinity of Svetloyar in a later period. 1982 - folklorists recorded the story of a local resident: “People say that somewhere in the middle of the lake there is a hole - not very big - it looks like it will be like the size of a ladle. It's just very difficult to find. IN winter time The ice on Svetloyar is pure and pure. So you need to come, shovel the snow, and you can see what is happening there at the bottom. And there, they say, all sorts of miracles: white stone houses stand, trees grow, bell towers, churches, chopped towers, living people walk... But not everyone will see it, not everyone will be able to find this hole.”

Locals say they know of cases where Kitezh residents helped people in the most ordinary matters. “When I was still a little boy, my grandmother told me that there was an old man who lived here in a village by the lake. That old man once went into the forest to pick mushrooms. I walked and walked, and all in vain. Tired, he sat down on a stump... Then he thought: “If only the old people of Kitezh would help.” Before he had time to think, he fell asleep. After some time, the old man woke up, opened his eyes, looked into the basket - and couldn’t believe his eyes: it was filled to the brim with mushrooms. And what kind of ones - one to one, and all white!”

They said that one lost shepherd even had dinner in the city of Kitezh and wanted to get there another time, but could no longer find the way there.

1843 - the magazine “Moskvityanin” introduced the Russian people to this beautiful legend. She attracted the attention of scientists and inspired poets and writers. Rimsky-Korsak wrote an opera dedicated to the city of Kitezh, which went under water. And already a hundred years ago the idea of searching for the legendary city at the bottom of Lake Svetloyar appeared.

Lake Svetloyar

Research

However, underwater archeology was not even dreamed of in those days. The search began only in our days. First, archaeologists excavated Small Kitezh, that is, Gorodets. Traces of a powerful fire were discovered there, which destroyed the city in the first half of the 13th century. It became clear that this was done by Batu’s army. This may mean that the legend is right in the part when it says that Maly Kitezh was burned by the Tatar-Mongols. Well, what about Big Kitezh, which sunk to the bottom of Lake Svetloyar? 1959 - the first expedition of archaeological submariners went to the lake. She was unable to achieve success. But perhaps we need to conduct a more thorough search?

1968 - the science department of the Literary Gazette organized a comprehensive expedition to Lake Svetloyar. It included folklorists, an archaeologist, a historian, a geologist, a lake scientist, a hydrologist and a group of scuba divers. The purpose of the expedition was to find out what is the connection with reality, with Lake Svetloyar, of the legend about Kitezh-grad, which became a symbol of faith in the undying Russia, in the incorruptibility of Russian culture, in the final victory over all disasters. Could the city really sink to the bottom of the lake?

Research by submarine archaeologists

Geologist V.I. Nikishin came to the conclusion that Svetloyar is a “failure” in the earth’s crust that filled with water and became a lake. Having descended to its bottom, scuba divers and hydrologist D.A. Kozlovsky were able to establish that the coastal slope of Svetloyar goes under the water in three ledges to a depth of 30 meters.

The first terrace, with a gentle slope, is located at a depth of 8–9 meters. The second, separated by a steep slope, is at a depth of 22–23 meters and, in the end, the “last bottom”, the deep-water part of the lake, is submerged to a depth of 30 meters. According to Kozlovsky, the deep-water part of the lake was formed approximately one and a half thousand years ago. Then, 700–800 years ago, a new “failure” occurred, and a terrace appeared at a depth of 22–23 meters. And already, 350–400 years ago, the last, shallow terrace was formed.

Perhaps the city of Kitezh once stood on one of the terraces? After all, the time of formation of the second terrace surprisingly coincides with the date of its death, which is spoken of in legends... Submarine archaeologists began to study the bottom of the lake in detail. The “shallow” terrace was examined using a special water scope. This is a cone made of sheet steel with a plexiglass bottom. Its diameter is 60 cm. The rubber part of the mask was attached to the narrow part of the waterscope cone, and the “viewing” began. The water in Svetloyar is very clean and transparent, and visibility is excellent.

In the southwestern part of the lake, in shallow water, archaeologists found the remains of piles. City of Kitezh? No. Local residents say that in XIX century there was a bathhouse built by a local landowner. They couldn’t find anything on the second terrace either. Scuba divers A. Gogeshvili and G. Nazarov sank under the water and walked the entire lake from north to south. However, there is no Kitezh city with fortress walls and gilded church domes at the bottom of Svetloyar!

True, the bottom is covered with a thick multi-meter layer of silt. On a shallow-water terrace, 50 meters from the shore, at a depth of 6–8 meters, scuba divers found the remains of trees. The top of one of them was cut down and sent for analysis to the Geological Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences. Radiocarbon dating showed that the tree died 350–400 years ago. And this corresponds to the time period for the formation of the shallow terrace, calculated by D.A. Kozlovsky!

So, one of the terraces was actually formed as a result of a “failure”? And if the dates that were proposed by Kozlovsky are accurate, then the second “failure” occurred during the era of the Mongol invasion - during the times associated with the death of the legendary Kitezh City!

The following year, submarine archaeologists arrived at Lake Svetloyar along with a group of Leningrad scientists armed with a geolocator. The ZGL device was installed on a fishing boat. 62 echo-sounding tacks were made on Svetloyar, the lake was cut up and down with “profiles” that made it possible to penetrate through a multi-meter layer of silt. In the northern part of Svetloyar, on the terrace of “Batyev” times, a sound sonar showed a certain oval-shaped formation. Traces of a fenced structure? However, this formation may also have a natural origin.

“Another year later, exploration geologists made 5 test drillings in the middle of the lake according to our instructions,” wrote expedition leader Mark Barinov. “They extracted pieces of wood from under a 10-meter layer of silt, on which forensic experts in Moscow found traces of human activity. Thus ended our reconnaissance on Lake Svetloyar. Have we found Kitezh? There is no answer to this question yet. The word belongs to archaeologists, armed with powerful modern technology.”

In the very center of Russia, the Nizhny Novgorod region, there is Lake Svetloyar - a pearl of Russian nature. This lake is sometimes called the small Russian Atlantis: its history is covered in legends.
The main Svetloyarsk legend is about the invisible city of Kitezh. The legend says: there is a lake in the Vetluga forests. It is located in the forest thicket. Blue waters the lakes lie motionless day and night. Only occasionally a light ripple runs through them. There are days when quiet shores drawn-out singing can be heard, and the distant ringing of bells can be heard.
A long time ago, even before the arrival of the Tatars, Grand Duke Georgy Vsevolodovich built the city of Maly Kitezh (present-day Gorodets) on the Volga, and then, “crossing the quiet and rusty rivers Uzola, Sandu and Kerzhenets,” he went out to Lunda and Svetloyar to “very beautiful” the place where the city of Kitezh the Great was built. This is how the glorious Kitezh city appeared on the shore of the lake. Six domes of churches towered in the center of the city.
Having come to Rus' and conquered many of our lands, Batu heard about the glorious Kitezh-city and rushed to it with his hordes...
When the “evil Tatars” approached Kitezh the Small and killed the prince’s brother in a great battle, he himself hid in the newly built forest city. Batu's captive, Grishka Kuterma, could not stand the torture and revealed secret paths to Svetloyar.
The Tatars surrounded the city with a thundercloud and wanted to take it by force, but when they broke through to its walls, they were amazed. Residents of the city not only did not build any fortifications, but did not even intend to defend themselves. Residents prayed for salvation, since they could not expect anything good from the Tatars.
And as soon as the Tatars rushed to the city, abundant springs suddenly gushed out from under the ground, and the Tatars retreated in fear. And the water kept running and running...
When the sound of the springs died down, in place of the city there were only waves. In the distance shimmered the lonely dome of the cathedral with a cross shining in the middle. She slowly sank into the water.
Soon the cross disappeared too. Now there is a path to the lake, which is called the Batu Trail. It can lead to the glorious city of Kitezh, but not everyone, but only those who are pure in heart and soul. Since then, the city has been invisible, but intact, and the especially righteous can see the lights of religious processions in the depths of the lake and hear the sweet ringing of its bells.
Reference:
“Lake Svetloyar appears in the report “Notable natural landscapes USSR and their security." It is included in the group “Lakes of great aesthetic importance (lake-landscape reserves).” It is located, as the directory says, near the village. Vladimirskoye, Voskresensky district, in the basin of the Lunda River, a tributary of the Vetluga. The approximate area of the lake is 12 hectares, length – 210 m, width – 175 m. The legend about the city of Kitezh, which miraculously disappeared into thin air during Batu’s invasion, is connected with it.”

The legend circles over the lake

The fog cleared, and the Domes of Kitezh shone with an unearthly light over the lake. The heavenly city of the righteous appeared in all its splendor. The main gates of the city opened, and a radiant old man appeared from them. He invited to enter the miracle city and stay in it forever. This is how a pilgrim described her meeting with Kitezh, crawling around Lake Svetloyar three times on her knees. As a reward for her spiritual feat, the heavenly city appeared before her, and the residents of Kitezh invited the old woman to their place. But she, frightened, refused to enter the monastery of the righteous.
This is the story of one of the pilgrims who visited the miracle city, which is 130 kilometers from Nizhny Novgorod, near the village of Vladimirskoye. What's wrong with this mysterious lake that pilgrims from all over Russia are rushing to it, foreign tourists are traveling in droves, and local residents, on the feast of the Vladimir Mother of God on July 6, hold a procession of the cross around the lake with candles. This year the number of people was so great that a string of lights entangled the entire lake, their reflections glided across the water, and people kept walking and walking...
The mystery rests for centuries
Summer 2003. The film crew of the film studio "Gran" under the leadership of Evgeny Troshin, Dmitry Sokolov and Yuri Suvorov decided to understand the amazing legends hovering around the lake. To what extent are the words of the pilgrims who supposedly saw an amazing city true, and to what extent is it fiction?
The material for filming was selected long and carefully; it was necessary to collect all existing legends. Ask eyewitnesses who have been to the lake, study materials from books and articles already written about amazing place and its secrets. There are a huge number of legends and stories. There were people who claimed: if you walk around the lake three times or crawl around it on your knees, any wish will come true. And especially believers even saw the city itself or heard the amazing ringing of bells from the bottom of the lake. The only thing where people’s opinions differed was in assessing the nature of the phenomenon: some considered Kitezh a pagan shrine, others an Orthodox shrine, and others even visited the lake and did not note any miracles, except for the beautiful nature and amazingly clean air.
IN printed publications the legend of Kitezh was represented much more widely. The oldest and most respected legend turned out to be the “Kitezh Chronicler”. The legend told in this chronicle is considered official.
It was the 13th century of the last millennium. Hordes of Tatars devastated the Russian land, and the turn came to the Nizhny Novgorod lands, which at that time were ruled by the Vladimir-Suzdal prince Yuri Vsevolodovich. It is to him that the chronicler attributes the founding in 1164 of Little Kitezh, now called Gorodets on the Volga, and Greater Kitezh on the shores of Lake Svetloyar in the Volga region. Particular emphasis is placed on the fact that the city was built in just three years from 1165 to 1168 and immediately made of stone, which was an unthinkable feat for forested Rus' of those years. But it was not just the city that the ancient builders built. As the legend tells, in this city there were no artisans, no traders, no nobility; it was intended for the life of righteous people, sages, and spiritual teachers of Rus'. It contained the shrines of the Russian land, ancient books and secret knowledge.
The Tatars advanced, and the prince, not wanting to obey the foreign invaders, gave battle near Small Kitezh on the Volga and lost. After defeat in the battle, miraculously, only the prince and his closest warriors were saved. Not wanting to give up, they made their way through secret forest paths to Bolshoi Kitezh on Svetloyar. There, according to the official version, in 1239 the prince was killed by the Tatars who set off in pursuit.
But the Kitezh chronicler thinks differently: When the Tatars approached the City of Kitezh, the prince ascended to the city and it disappeared into the air to the sound of bells. But here there are also two versions; on the second, the hail sank to the bottom of the lake, where it remains to this day.
However, this version is not unique, there is another, fabulous legend about the origin of the amazing city: Kitezh is not a city at all, but an amazing, hidden country, a fabulous three-tenth state, the habitat of the ancient gods, the guardians of Mother Rus'. As this legend says, in Kitezh there was a storage place for ancient books and relics, strange plants, everything that Slavic Rus' had accumulated since the beginning of time. According to this legend, the first mention of Kitezh is contained in the legend about the god Veles. During the struggle with the dark forces, his soul hardened, and he decided to go to heavenly Svarga in order to cleanse himself of anger and sorrow. Heavenly Svarga is the abode of the gods who protected Rus'. In this monastery there flows a spring with living and dead water. There is the Irian Garden with strange animals and plants. To get to Svarga, you need to go up the Ra River and then down the Smorodinka River, the legendary river of Russian fairy tales. In ancient times the Volga was called the Ra River. And Svarga, according to legend, is Kitezh city - the city of the gods.
The last, third legend says that in the dense forests of the Volga region there lived a people who prayed to the mighty goddess - the heroic maiden Turk. One day these people angered their goddess, and her huge horse hit the ground with its hoof. A spring gushed in this place, and later Lake Svetloyar was formed.
Scientists go to Svetloyar

Svetloyar has always interested people. But not only believers and ethnographers. The lake attracted scientists: hydrologists, chemists, and researchers of Russian fauna. Svetloyar, first of all, attracted researchers with its amazing structure. The lake is of a regular round shape, slightly flattened at the edges. When photographed from a helicopter, it looks like a circle drawn with a compass.
The first scientists to show interest in the lake and its depths from a scientific point of view were students of Kazan University. At the end of the 19th century, young people went to the lake to study its nature. They had to set up tents, squeezing among the numerous pilgrims who flocked to the lake from all over Russia. Unfortunately, their reports have not survived to this day. But they marked the beginning of numerous expeditionary studies of the lake. Later, throughout late XIX and throughout the 20th century, Svetloyar was studied by a variety of groups of scientists. Excerpts from their reports have been published in the press more than once: “The lake is definitely of karst origin,” believes V.V. Dokuchaev. His studies of Svetloyar date back to 1882. The scientist made his conclusions based on the high southern and western shores of the lake. Its amazing depth is 29.2 meters. Despite its small size, it has a regular round shape. His version is refuted by geologist G.I. Blom, he considers Svetloyar a lake of glacial origin and is a remnant of the ancient bed of the Lunda River. This version is supported by studies of the Gorky geological exploration expedition; it states: “karst rocks are absent to a depth of 250 m, and those lying at greater depth limestones, gypsum, anhydrites are not affected by karst processes, which indicates its glacial (aeolian) origin.”
From the middle of the 20th century, “literary” studies of the lake began, they were undertaken by the magazine “Smena” and “Literary Gazette”. Their reports are not much different from previous studies, complementing them rather than introducing anything new.
An expedition conducted by the magazine “Smena” came to the conclusion that “the basin of the lake lies at the intersection of deep faults in the earth’s crust, which led to the subsidence of rocks and the formation of a lake at this place. An indirect reason for this process could have been the earthquake in 1596, which was noted in Nizhny Novgorod."
The lake’s water is amazing in its composition; it can be stored for many days without spoiling. This property, according to chemists, is given to it by springs with bicarbonate-calcium water gushing from the bottom of the lake. According to believers, the holy city of Kitezh, resting at the bottom of the lake, makes its water holy. As you know, consecrated water can not spoil for up to a year.
The largest expeditionary research was carried out by Literaturnaya Gazeta. For several seasons in a row, newspaper enthusiasts together with scientists studied the lake. They were joined by scuba divers from the Red Etna plant, but, unfortunately, Kitezh City was never discovered by them.
The materials have been collected, but there is still no clear answer to the question about the existence of the legendary city. This can only be provided by your own research of the lake. Maybe we'll get lucky and we'll see the famous city of Kitezh.
The lake greets you with Miracles

The journey took about ten hours. We flew past Vladimir, leaving Nizhny Novgorod behind. Finally, turn to the village of Vladimirskoye. Driving through the village you involuntarily pay attention to the friendly local residents, you are surprised at the antiquity of some of them. Does the lake really grant immortality? Later we learned that many residents of this village, located directly next to the lake, live to be one hundred years old, and some even to one hundred and twenty. A beautiful sandy path leads from the village to the lake, with slender birch trees along it. Enchanted by the beauty of this place, we go to the lake. But our path is blocked by a pine forest. While our driver Ilya Belkin was looking for a way to drive directly to the lake and place camping, we, eager to meet Svetloyar, go straight through the forest. Suddenly the director walking in front of us stops and says: “Listen.” Our team is listening. From the side of the lake, “ship bells” sound three times. We hear three strikes of the bell, its sound clearly and loudly echoes over the forest. Is it really true that Kitezh exists, welcoming guests with its ringing?
We overcome the last hundred meters. View legendary lake beautiful. It has a regular round shape and is surrounded by high hills on the west and south. Century-old pines sway their crowns over it. A wall of trees hides legendary place from the careless glance of a stranger. If someone decided to build a city of the gods - best place he can't find it. On one of the hills we notice a bell tower. With bated breath we rush to her, was it really her bells that showed us the way to the lake? So this means that there is no secret, and it was not Kitezh that called from the bottom of the lake. We go up the hill to the bell tower. We look at its doors with surprise. They are locked with a padlocked, rusty padlock. Clearly the bells of this church could not have been ringing a few minutes ago. This means that Kitezh city exists! Because there is no other church near the lake. It turns out that we heard the bells of Kitezh on the approach to the lake.
Near the church there is a huge stone dug into the ground. Upon closer inspection, a footprint is visible on it. Either a child or a fragile woman stepped on him. It’s strange how could a light girl or child leave a bare foot print in a stone? Around the stone, the trees are hung with various ropes and ribbons. “This is a sled stone,” says the all-knowing Yuri. They are found near holy places, and the mark on it is usually attributed to the Virgin Mary. Ribbons, as a rule, are left by pilgrims so that their request is heard and they themselves return to this place again. Later, during filming, a woman, a local resident, approached us. She said that the stone we saw was really a footprint, and the footprint on it was the footprint of the Virgin Mary. She also spoke about last year’s filming of Svetloyar by Nizhny Novgorod researchers, who, after developing the film, discovered in one of the photographs a bell tower with its base sinking to the bottom of the lake. Now, according to her, this photograph is stored on Nizhny Novgorod television.
Camp
The camp was set up on a picturesque hill overlooking the lake. We were haunted by the hope that the city would appear before us at dawn. After the ringing of the bell, one could safely count on this. If the legend about the bell ringing was completely confirmed, then why couldn’t the city rise to us from the bottom of the lake? Night has come. The weather suddenly turned bad and it blew strong wind. The pines swayed, risking breaking at any moment. How to interpret this sign, maybe the lake is unhappy with our appearance or we have somehow angered the elders inhabiting the mysterious Kitezh. Everything was explained in the morning. When we woke up, it was beautiful sunny weather. Kitezh never appeared, but the area radiated kindness and hospitality. During the day we photographed views of the lake. Around him there were still quite a few interesting places. There was a spring with holy water in the hills. Then we saw three crosses, with huge tombstones, the size of which was amazing. They were clearly not of human origin. Wooden walkways were laid around the entire lake by someone's caring hand. This was most likely done to prevent the numerous pilgrims intending to crawl around the lake from having to overcome the marshy swamp, steep hills and tall grass.
Is the mystery solved?
The filming is over, but there are no fewer questions. The lake exists. Amazing bells actually ring from the bottom of the lake. But which of the legends is true is still not clear. Who lives in the mysterious Kitezh, and does anyone even live?
Just about to return to Moscow, we accidentally learn about a local history museum located in the village. Maybe there they will give us an answer to our questions. We're going to the museum.
Local guides refused to be on camera, citing their natural modesty as the reason for this action, but in return they happily gave an interview that explained all our contradictions.
“The main and most reliable, according to the guides, is the legend told in the Kitezh Chronicler, although it is given there with some omissions. In fact, when Batu’s warriors approached Kitezh and laid siege, the city held out for three days.
Its inhabitants tirelessly prayed to the Mother of God that she would come to their defense. Three days later, a miracle happened. The Mother of God descended from heaven, covered the city with her veil, and it disappeared from the eyes of the astonished Tatars, saving all its inhabitants. The place where the Mother of God stepped on the earth turned out to be the same stone that we saw near the lake.
Now this stone is considered holy. Already in our time, a church was built near it, named Kazan, in honor of the Kazan Mother of God. A stone with the footprint of the Virgin Mary is one of the few physical confirmations of the real existence of higher powers helping people. For centuries, pilgrims have been drawn to Lake Svetloyar; some of them, according to legend, are taken in by the elders of Kitezh, and the rest are simply helped. The graves we saw on the hills near the lake belong to three heroes who came out from the city of Kitezh to the people. According to legend, they were of gigantic height, twice the height of an ordinary person.

Lake Svetloyar is associated with several legends about the sunken city - Kitezh-grad. They have a lot in common, but they are separated by a gulf of time. Let's consider the most famous legends, using modern knowledge and logical reasoning, we will imagine the events that led to their formation, as well as their further transformation up to the present day.

Lake Svetloyar is located 130 km from regional center Nizhny Novgorod near the village of Vladimirskoye, Voskresensky district. Age - 10,000 years. Origin unknown. Lake size: 500 by 300 meters. Depth more than 30 meters. Numerous land and underwater expeditions have not confirmed the existence of Kitezh City or any other coastal settlements. There are only legends...

We will begin our consideration of legends with those closest to us in time and gradually dive into the depths of eras and make a bold assumption.

The first legend is Christian

Founding of Kitezh City: Prince Yuri Vsevolodovich loved to travel. Once, in 1164 (6672 from S.M.), he sailed along the Volga, saw a good place, landed on the shore and founded the city of Maly Kitezh (presumably Gorodets) there and continued his journey across the dry land. He passed through forests, rivers and came to the shore of Lake Svetloyar. The prince was struck by the beauty and harmony of this place. And Yuri Vsevolodovich ordered the founding of the great Kitezh - the legendary Kitezh-grad - in this place. The foundation of the city supposedly took place in 1165.

The city was built in three years. Its size is 200 fathoms long and 100 wide (~300 by 160 meters). There were many churches there with golden heads and pious people.

Grand Duke George Vsevolodovich was born in 1187 and participated in numerous military campaigns against the surrounding principalities. To hold the captured Chuvash and Mordovian lands, he founded Nizhny Novgorod (Nov Grad) and a number of other fortresses in 1221. He believed that it was easier to defend against the Tatars alone. As a result of subsequent battles with the Tatar-Mongol invaders, he lost his family and died himself in 1238. He took an active part in the spread and strengthening of the Christian faith. Built many churches in Ancient Rus'. For their deeds pleasing to God and the torment they endured Orthodox Church canonized in 1645 as the Holy Blessed Prince George Vsevolodovich.

Neighborhoods of Svetloyar 1238

Having defeated the lonely Ryazan residents, the Tatar-Mongols came to Vladimir-grad. Yuri Vsevolodovich was not happy with uninvited guests and refused to pay tribute. The fighting began.

Suzdal fell, Vladimir fell, where the entire family of the Grand Duke died. The prince himself retreated to Little Kitezh, again gathered troops and continued the fight for the freedom of the Russian Land. Near Gorodets he was defeated and captured. But he didn’t give up, didn’t lose heart. At night he fled through forests and rivers to Great Kitezh.

In the morning, Khan found out about the prince’s escape - he got angry, executed the guilty rogues and began to torture the remaining prisoners about the whereabouts of Yuri Vsevolodovich. Everyone was silent, only one traitor was found. It was the hawk moth Grishka Kuterma. He told and led the enemy to the beautiful city of Kitezh.

The prince came out with a new squad to defend the city and heroically laid down his wild little head on the battlefield. Three heroes also fought in that battle. The forces were not equal, and they also died. At the site of their death, the Kibelek spring began to flow, next to which their graves are located - the graves of three saints. It is not completely known: were the saints heroes or were the heroes canonized?

The ruthless khan saw that the city was left without protection and wanted to put it to fire and sword. Suddenly, bells began to ring from all the bell towers, and the believers began to pray together and sing beautiful prayers.

The Most Holy Theotokos heard the cries and pleas for salvation and performed a miracle: she saved the entire city and all its inhabitants from abuse and inevitable death. There was a city and it disappeared, melted, ceased to exist, disappeared before everyone’s eyes.

The meaning of the words “missing” and “disappeared” does not always mean a favorable outcome for the missing person.

Then the legends diverge. According to one version, Kitezh-grad sank into Lake Svetloyar, like Atlantis, although everyone died there, but fortunately, on the contrary, we were saved. In calm weather, pure souls can see the domes of churches in the depths and hear the ringing of bells.

According to the second version, the city fell underground. The proof is the testimony of the peasants. When they plowed the land, they sometimes hooked the plow onto the tops of the crosses. According to a third version: the city became invisible. Also, only pure-hearted people can see and enter it.

There are obvious contradictions in this legend: not everything agrees with the dates of the life of the founder and the founding of Small and Big Kitezh, the place of death of the prince, etc., and the Tatar-Mongol invasion itself is a big question.

Have any traces of a large Tatar-Mongol army been found on the shores of Lake Svetloyar? Anything belonging to the ruthless invaders? We asked these questions to an employee of the Kitezh Historical and Art Museum in the village of Vladimirskoye, Nizhny Novgorod Region and received a comprehensive answer. There is confirmation: two beads presumably of Tatar origin were found. Draw your own conclusions.

A beautiful and wonderful legend about the strength and purity of the Russian soul.

Ancient Slavic version of the legend

The next legend associated with Kitezh-grad and Lake Svetloyar takes 3000 years from Grand Duke Yuri Vsevolodovich, to those ancient times that we now in Rus' are not accustomed to remember, back to approximately 2358 BC.

Tales of that time were preserved in the legends of the peoples inhabiting these lands - the Mordvins, Mari, Chuvash. At one time they were written down and have survived to this day.

Veles is a Slavic god, sage, patron of the arts, lord of sorcery, etc.

And friends became enemies. The beauty chose Perun and married him.

God Veles did not accept this and resorted to magic. He took out a unique flower, Lily of the Valley. Anyone who smells it will immediately fall in love with the first person he sees after that.

I went to visit Dodola when Perun was on a long business trip. And he said, in passing, that her husband was not bored in distant lands... The Diva got angry and chased after the offender on her miracle horse, thundering with lightning. Where this horse hit the ground with its hoof, a lake was formed. Veles quickly turned into the Lunda River, and stuck a magic flower on the shore. The beauty saw an amazing flower, could not resist, picked it and smelled it, and Veles was right there, and Dodola fell in love with it more than life itself. After the allotted time, their son Yarilo was born, and the lake was named Svetloyar.

Then Veles called on the builder god to build him a miracle city on the shores of the lake. Which is what he did. He named this city Kitezh-grad.

The ruler of the city, Veles Sureevich, owned a ring with a magic ruby. He could transport entire cities to another world. Somehow, unfriendly gods fired lightning at Veles Sureevich. She hit the magic ruby and was reflected in the city of Kitezh-grad. After which the city disappeared. Veles Sureevich got upset, became confused, and left for Belozerye. There he became famous and became known to us under the name of Father Frost.

There is another ending to this lyrical story: Perun returned after a long absence and he did not like what he saw. Perun decided to punish the treacherous Veles. They fought for three days and three nights. As a result, Veles was expelled from the Slavic Olympus.

The legend of the angry goddess and the giant horse.

There is another short legend about Kitezh-grad and Lake Svetloyar. In ancient times there were many different gods. People revered them and brought gifts. One small but proud tribe, for an unknown reason, stopped worshiping the goddess of forests and animals. This goddess's name was Maiden-Turk. The goddess became very angry and sent her huge and merciless horse at the rude people. The horse hit the human settlement with its hoof, the ground collapsed and the hole filled with water. Thus the village of forest people disappeared and Lake Svetloyar was formed. And proof of this is the shape of the lake, similar to a horse’s hoof.

Unexpected continuation...

When writing this article, I became familiar with the works of A. Koltypin and P. Olekseenko on nuclear and thermonuclear conflicts in the past, tektites. Their works echo and are complemented by Alexey Artemyev’s materials on round lakes. This information unexpectedly helped to present a viable picture of what happened on ancient Earth and to find in it a place for the legends about Kitezh-grad and tales about Lake Svetloyar.

Funnel Svetloyar. There have already been nuclear wars on Earth

Ancient sources from various nations describe numerous conflicts between gods using weapons of enormous destructive power, capable of pulverizing entire cities. If such conflicts actually happened, then their traces should remain on the surface of the Earth, for example, in the form of craters.

Modern people also have weapons of enormous destructive power. It is capable of destroying cities, which was clearly proven in practice by the United States in 1945. After its use, huge almost circular craters remain on the surface of the earth, sometimes filled with water.

Not in the first photo big lake at the scene of the first explosion atomic bomb at the test site in Semipalatinsk, at the second - traces of further improvement of nuclear weapons in the USSR. The third picture shows a lunar landscape in Nevada (USA).

All these craters are united by the same round shape and the obligatory formation of tektites.

Tektites are molten formations that arose during short-term exposure high temperatures about 2000 degrees and pressures ~ 400,000 atm.

When examining the surface of the Earth on all continents, you can find round lakes and craters of various sizes.

One part of them occurred from the collision of asteroids (meteorites) with the surface of the planet. Their formation is confirmed by the obligatory discovery of meteorite fragments, as well as the absence of tektites.

The other part has a foggy origin, the absence of meteorite dust and the presence of tektites, which means high temperatures and pressures during formation, i.e. have all the signs of the use of nuclear weapons at this site in the past. Official science does not see these coincidences and does not comment on the information.

Funnels in photographs: Lake Lonar (India) - the place “where a star fell to Earth”, Lake Chukhlomskoye (Kostroma region), Lake Svetloyar Nizhny Novgorod region (RF), peat lakes Penza region (RF), Zhamanshin crater (Kazakhstan).

Kitezh-grad - the emergence of a legend

From the above, it can be assumed that in ancient times, nuclear explosions occurred in places where lakes and round craters were located in the presence of tektites. Since the number of such places is large, there was an exchange of nuclear strikes - a global nuclear war. The largest group of such craters closest to our time is 10 - 12 thousand years old.

The age of Lake Svetloyar is exactly 10 thousand years. Origin - unknown, conveniently meteorite-karst. This is what modern science thinks. It has an almost perfect round shape. No meteorite fragments, not even dust, were found on the shores or in the surrounding area. But they had to find it. The search for tektites was either not carried out or the finds were hidden so as not to spoil the usual picture of the World.

Therefore, I assumed that about 12 - 10 thousand years ago there was some kind of locality, town, military unit, or any other object that deserved a low-power nuclear strike. The blow was struck, the city (object) ceased to exist.

Surviving people from neighboring settlements told the younger generation that there was a city nearby and it was destroyed. He simply disappeared. A massive exchange of nuclear strikes between warring parties led to environmental disaster, cooling, destruction of technology and knowledge. The development of society was set back thousands of years.

The legend about the disappeared city was preserved in the memory of people, but the level of development became lower and gods appeared in the ancient legend: Veles, Perun, etc. Not a worldwide nuclear conflict between two superpowers, presumably the Aryans and the Atlanteans, but a rivalry between the gods for a beauty. This was more understandable to people, and they passed it on from generation to generation.

Thousands of years passed, the era of Christianity began.

American science fiction writer Robert Heinlein, after reading the works of K.E. Tsiolkovsky, wrote one of his best novels: “Stepchildren in the Universe.” Only now I understand that we are the heroes of his novel, we are all people on planet Earth.

Reading about legends and traditions about Kitezh-grad, about Svetloyar we unexpectedly touched upon serious topics. True story humanity lies behind seven seals, it is hidden under the husk of hoaxes, a touch of fiction. But the Truth is alive, its light glimmers in tales and legends, in rumors, in echoes, in reflections on the water...

I do not have data on tektites from areas of round lakes located on the territory of the Russian Federation, but I assume that they were found, as in similar places abroad. I would be grateful if someone would share the information they have.

The Nizhny Novgorod land is rich in minerals, except that geologists have not found oil and diamond deposits in it for the time being. However, three and a half decades ago, a geological exploration party from Yaroslavl, while drilling a well near the village of Vorotilovo (Koverninsky district), discovered “pebbles”! At a depth of one and a half kilometers there were black crystals of irregular shape. They turned out to be technical diamonds. These are found in the Arctic and Yakutia. These gemstones are flake-like, which is not the case with traditional diamonds. And scientists still do not understand how they arose. One thing is clear: this could not have happened without the influence of high temperatures and geological underground shifts. Kovernina diamonds cannot be turned into brilliants; they cannot be cut due to their lamellar structure. But these stones have the same strength as ordinary minerals, and they can be used in manufacturing or in jewelry to polish cubic diamonds. Experts believe that geological exploration in the north of the region needs to be continued, since these places may be part of the Russian Diamond Belt.

City next to a volcano

Where would diamonds and oil come from in the Volga forests? Their appearance depended on changes in temperature in the bowels of the earth, in the movements of layers and rocks that occurred in time immemorial. The subsoil “does not sleep” to this day.

Geologists can tell a lot of interesting things about phenomena that still affect our lives today. Thus, Volgogeology specialists from Yaroslavl, along with diamonds, discovered a volcano in the Kovernin wilderness. More precisely, a volcano crater at a depth of fifty meters.

Studies of rock samples have revealed that this fire-breathing giant went out even when people were walking around our area. And before his death, the “dragon” spat out streams of lava that crawled to today’s Balakhna. After the giant exploded, such an amount of rock burst out from its depths that it covered the crater.

Did you know?

The only hints about real existence Kitezh can be found in the book “The Kitezh Chronicler”. This book is believed to have been written at the end of the seventeenth century.

Vorotilovsky ledge

It is difficult to imagine this picture: huge stones weighing several tons and with a diameter of up to one hundred meters rolled from the top. Then they found themselves scattered throughout the Chkalovsky, Koverninsky, Sokolsky and Gorodetsky districts.

All of them are securely buried under layers of soil along with the crater of the volcano. This formation is called the Vorotilovsky ledge. According to geologists, the ledge is very similar to the African volcano Cameroon. This is where the largest diamond mine on the planet is located.

What if something similar happens to us? Cameroon is also located on a plain and not in a mountainous area like most fire-breathing mountains. Is it possible that the volcano will wake up?
- No! - Geologists answer. The giant fell asleep millions of years ago in eternal sleep.

Did you know?

The length of Lake Svetloyar is 210 meters, width is 175 meters, and total area water surface - about 12 hectares

Swinging chandeliers, the house dances

Geologists also find an explanation for the strange tremors in the “stable” areas of central Russia. About forty years ago, Nizhny Novgorod residents looked with surprise and fear at the rattling dishes in their cupboards and swinging chandeliers.

A particularly strong poltergeist was noticeable in Sormovo and Shcherbinki. As it turned out, at that moment an earthquake was recorded in the city. Fortunately, the tremors turned out to be weak, more like the echo of some distant sound. And no one then wondered why we began to shake (by the way, for the second time in recent years), what kind of cataclysm sent its menacing echo to our region? It turned out that we shouldn’t have thought about it in vain. There are no coincidences in nature. According to geologists, repetition of tremors is very likely in the future.

Versions

There is still no consensus on how Lake Svetloyar came into being. Some insist on the glacial theory of origin, others defend the karst hypothesis. There is a version that the lake appeared after a meteorite fell

Lithospheric plates move slowly along the surface of the mantle

In general, Nizhny Novgorod residents walk along their streets, roads, fields, confidently, believing that there is nothing firmer under their feet. After all, at one time everyone read in a geography textbook about the stability of the platform on which our region is located.

However, geologists know: it inexorably drops by 3-4 millimeters per year. This platform looks like a giant block wall that lies horizontally and is covered with a thick layer of soil. The junction of its lithospheric plates passes under Nizhny Novgorod region, along the bed of the Volga and Oka.

This is clearly visible to the ordinary eye: the right bank of the water arteries is high, and the left bank is low, flat. This joint gradually diverges, very slowly turning into a crack. The lithospheric plates themselves are dotted with small cracks. The entire structure moves and causes mild earthquakes in our area. Many years ago these natural phenomena were destructive.

Legend

A variant of the legend says that St. George the Victorious himself descended to earth to help the defenders of Kitezh. But George's horse stumbled. Then the saint realized that saving Kitezh was not his task and retreated

After one of them, which occurred in 493, frightened people left the territory of the Volga-Vyatka region.

Now earthquakes are much weaker, but still noticeable, judging by the events of the beginning of the century. During the new century, Nizhny Novgorod residents are threatened only - in extreme cases - by breaking glass, doors slamming themselves, clocks stopping. No more.

However, even venerable scientists do not know all the secrets of nature, which presents people with unexpected surprises. We also don’t need strong vibrations of the subsoil because of landslides. Many Nizhny Novgorod residents remember how one of the clay slopes of the Dyatlov Mountains collapsed in 1974. The earth completely blocked the Oka congress.

Svetloyar lake. Voskresensky district

Kirov neighbors have long had problems associated with earthquakes. Natural disasters haunted them five times over the past century. One of the earthquakes was a magnitude six on the Richter scale!

Legend

And this city of Greater Kitezh became invisible and is protected by the hand of God - so at the end of our century of rebellion and tears worthy, the Lord covered that city with His hand.“The Tale and Request for the Hidden City of Kitezh”

And such shocks are not limited to the swinging of chandeliers, they move furniture around the room, draw deep crevasses and ravines on the surface of the earth, and destroy houses. And this is no longer at all similar to the fading shock wave that supposedly reached the northern regions from seismically unfavorable southern latitudes.

Involuntarily the thought comes that the source of the tremors is somewhere nearby. By the way, the territory was shaking middle zone Russia before.

Chroniclers have noted such facts more than once. Some hydrobiologists today even believe that the famous Lake Svetloyar was formed as a result of the earthquake of 1230.

Kitezh city Legend, interesting facts

There are a great many legends about the city of Kitezh, on the site of which Lake Svetloyar is located today. According to one of them, it was built in just three years; it was completely made of stone, which was an unprecedented phenomenon for Rus' in those years. There were no merchants, artisans, or nobility in the city, and only righteous people, philosophers, and spiritual teachers lived behind its stone walls. The shrines of the Russian land were also kept here.

Legend

According to legend, Kitezh should “appear” on the day of the Last Judgment. On the day when the dead rise from their graves, Kitezh will rise from the water

Prince of Vladimir-Suzdal Yuri Vsevolodovich

In the thirteenth century, Prince Yuri Vsevolodovich encountered a horde of Tatars and entered into battle with them near another city with a similar name, Maly Kitezh. The prince lost the battle, and he and a small detachment made his way to Greater Kitezh along secret paths. By official version there he was killed by the enemy, who overtook him. However, the Kitezh chronicler claims that the prince survived. He entered the city, after which he heard the ringing of bells.

According to another version, Kitezh did not dissolve, but sank to the bottom of Svetloyar, where it remains to this day.

The third legend tells that previously on the site of the lake there was a settlement of people who worshiped the goddess Turka. But after Turka became angry, her horse hit the ground with its hoof. At this place a spring immediately began to flow, from which a lake was formed.

Did you know?

The legend of the city of Kitezh excited the minds of writers, musicians and artists. The writer Melnikov-Pechersky told his legend in the novel “In the Woods”. The lake was visited and written about by Maxim Gorky, Vladimir Korolenko, Mikhail Prishvin

Another option for the disappearance of the city is this. Khan Batu heard about Kitezh and became eager to conquer it. From a captured Russian warrior, the Tatars learned about the secret paths leading to the wonderful city. When Bata's army approached the place, they saw that the city was not fortified. In anticipation of a quick and easy victory, the khan moved the horde to the walls. But immediately jets of water burst out from under the ground, under which the magical city disappeared.

People from parallel worlds. Data

Later and more advanced versions say that a tunnel has formed in the lake that leads to. As proof, they cite stories from local residents who have seen people in strange clothes here more than once. The last such case was recorded in 2015. Some of them even went into the store and were surprised by the outlandish delicacies in bright packages with pictures, but they only dared to buy bread and cereals, trying to pay with ancient silver coins.

They also claim that the lake is mysteriously connected with Shambhala. One way or another, every summer thousands of people from different countries and different cities. They say that the water here is holy and cures many diseases.

Did you know?

Lake Svetloyar was painted by artists Nikolai Romadin, Ilya Glazunov and many others. The poets Akhmatova and Tsvetaeva mention the city of Kitezh in their works.

But according to hydrobiological scientists, it was not the evil intentions of Batu Khan that destroyed the city of Kitezh (if there was one), but two deep faults in the soil. The most mysterious body of water in the Nizhny Novgorod region is located at their junction.

This version sounds very plausible. Everyone knows that during a strong earthquake, sinkholes swallow up entire blocks of modern cities. And a small settlement with wooden houses could easily disappear from the surface as a result of a natural disaster.