Where is Kitezh grad located. Legends and traditions about Kitezh-grad When the city of Kitezh was built



"Little Russian Atlantis", "Nizhny Novgorod Shambhala".. Legendary ancient city was built in 1165 on the shores of Lake Svetloyar by the noble prince Yuri Vsevolodovich, who was amazed by the beauty of those places. A reliable written source has come down to us, "The Kitezh Chronicler", which says that the prince named the city Big Kitezh, and "the place was unusually beautiful, and on the other side of the lake there was an oak grove." Little was known about the city itself, except that six domes of churches towered in the middle of it, and the city itself was rebuilt from white stone, which symbolized spiritual purity.

And the city stood for a hundred years, until during the invasion of the Tatar-Mongol horde, Batu Khan heard about the wealth of the wonderful city and set out to take it. When the Mongols approached Kitezh-grad, they saw that the city was completely unfortified and not ready for battle. The inhabitants did not even think about defense: they all prayed. Stunned for a moment with amazement, the Tatars nevertheless moved forward, but immediately stopped. overheard bell ringing and fountains began to pour out of the ground, which began to flood the city, and soon it disappeared under the waters of Lake Svetloyar. The last thing the astonished invaders saw was the cross on the dome of the main cathedral. Seeing such a miracle, the Tatars rushed in all directions, and many died wandering in the forests. Locals say that the water did not harm the worshipers .. and the city itself did not go under water, but into another dimension, and continues to exist to this day.

I must say that repeated attempts were made to find the sunken city, but they were all unsuccessful. And at the same time, the water of the lake has healing properties, does not deteriorate for three years, and the lake itself is considered holy. Locals talk about strange aliens dressed in old Russian clothes and paying for bread with old Russian coins. "Isn't it time for Kitezh to rise up?" one such old man asked.

They also talk about a lost mushroom picker who returned a week later and reluctantly answered questions. However, being forced to explain his absence, he said that he was staying in Kitezh-grad. And as proof, he held out a piece of bread, which he was treated to there.

In one of the museums, a letter from a son to his father, written in Old Church Slavonic, is still kept. The young man writes that by some unknown miracle he ended up in Kitezh, but he is alive and well, and asks not to serve funeral services for him and not to be especially sad. He also said that the prayers of the inhabitants of this secret place are so pure and strong that they ascend into the sky like pillars of fire, and in this light one can even read and write.

From time to time, people disappear near Lake Svetloyar even in our times. Returning, they say that, wandering in the ravines, they came to a wonderful city inhabited by the righteous, where they stayed for a few days to stay. It has been noticed that not everyone can find the way to the invisible city, but only those who truly believe in the soul. Apparently, not all guests are ready to receive the residents of Kitezhgrad, but only those like themselves.

People pass from mouth to mouth that Kitezh-grad will appear before the end of the world, but even now one who is pure in heart can see it. It is believed that if you peer into Lake Svetloyar in clear weather, you can catch the image of the city with the domes of churches and hear singing and bell ringing.

By the way, the ancient chronicles do not say directly that Kitezh went under water. It says that the city will disappear and "Great Kitezh will be invisible until the coming of Christ, as it happened in former times." There are suggestions that he could descend underground or, conversely, ascend into the sky. But most often they say that he simply became invisible.

Think it's impossible? But the professor of the Penza State Technological Academy Sergey Volkov discovered some invisible plasma substances near Lake Svetloyar. And even captured their manifestations on photographic and videotape. The most surprising, in his opinion, is that these clots have a logic of behavior. For example, they try to approach a group of praying people. These studies have been confirmed by the Institute of Terrestrial Magnetism, Ionosphere and Radio Wave Propagation (IZMIRAN). According to them, right around us in the electromagnetic range there are millions of plasma clots. Maybe they represent for us " other world", which reveals itself only in special places like Lake Svetloyar.

Kitezh (Kitezh-grad) - in the legends, a mystical city that allegedly 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, not far from the village of Vladimirskoye, on the shores of Lake Svetloyar near the Lunda River.

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

Legends of Kitezh

According to legend, Prince Yuri Vsevolodovich built the city of Bolshoy Kitezh on the banks of the 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 unimaginable feat for forest Russia of that era. When the hordes of Batu invaded Russia, they captured and ravaged the city of Small Kitezh (or Gorodets) and, fleeing from the Mongol army, Prince Yuri took refuge in Big Kitezh, lost among the thickets of the Volga region.

But Batu found out the way to Bolshoi Kitezh and laid siege to it. Its inhabitants tirelessly prayed to the Mother of God to stand up for them. The defenders of the city stood to death, Prince Yuri was killed in battle. However, the forces were too unequal. Just about the enemies were supposed to break into Kitezh-grad, when suddenly a miracle happened. The city began to disappear before the eyes of Batu - Kitezh churches and buildings disappeared under water ... Frightened by the miracle that had happened, the enemy fled.

From time to time, according to legend, from the bottom of Lake Svetloyar and from under the hills the ringing of bells is heard, sometimes 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 the invisible city of Kitezh existed for a long time in oral form, passed down from generation to generation. In the 17th century, schismatic sketes began to appear in the forests of the Trans-Volga region - secret settlements of adherents of the old faith, not recognized by the official church. It was the schismatics who in the 18th century first wrote down 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 the righteous elders live, and only people who truly believe can see Kitezh and hear the Kitezh bells, 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 to enter the miracle city and stay there forever.” This is how a pilgrim who crawled around Lake Svetloyar three times on her knees described her meeting with the legendary city. As a reward for her spiritual feat, the heavenly city appeared before her, and the inhabitants 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 was preserved in the vicinity of Svetloyar and 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 - well, as if it would be like a ladle. It's just very hard to find it. AT winter time ice on Svetloyar is clean, clean. So you have 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 find it, not everyone will be able to find this hole.

The locals say they know cases when the people of Kitezh helped people in the most mundane matters. “To me, as a little boy, my grandmother told me that an old man lived alone here in a village by the lake. That old man once went to the forest for mushrooms. Walked and walked, and all in vain. Tired, he sat down on a stump... Then he thought: "If only the old men of Kitezh would help." No sooner had he thought about it than drowsiness overtook him. After some time, the old man woke up, opened his eyes, looked into the basket - and did not believe his eyes: there were mushrooms in it to the brim. Yes, even some - one to one, but all white!

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

1843 - the Moskvityanin magazine introduced the Russian people to this beautiful legend. She attracted the attention of scientists, inspired poets and writers. Rimsky-Korsak wrote an opera dedicated to Kitezh-grad, which had gone under water. And already a hundred years ago, the idea of ​​​​search 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. Searches are engaged only in our days. At first, archaeologists excavated Small Kitezh, that is, Gorodets. There were found traces of a powerful fire that 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 that part when it says that Small Kitezh was burned by the Tatar-Mongols. Well, what about Big Kitezh, which went to the bottom of Lake Svetloyar? 1959 - the first expedition of submarine archaeologists went to the lake. She was not successful. But, perhaps, we need to conduct a more thorough search?

1968 - the department of science of the Literaturnaya Gazeta organized a complex expedition to Lake Svetloyar. It included folklorists, an archaeologist, a historian, a geologist, a lake historian, 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 of Kitezh-grad, which has become a symbol of faith in undying Russia, in the incorruptibility of Russian culture, in the final victory over all disasters. Could the city really go to the bottom of the lake?

Research by submarine archaeologists

Geologist V.I. Nikishin came to the conclusion that Svetloyar is a "failure" of the earth's crust, which filled with water and became a lake. Having sunk to its bottom, scuba divers and hydrologist D.A. Kozlovsky was able to establish that the coastal slope of Svetloyar goes under 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 part of the lake, is submerged to a depth of 30 meters. According to Kozlovsky, the deep-water part of the lake was formed about 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 the formation of the second terrace surprisingly coincides with the date of his death, which is mentioned in legends ... Archaeologists-submariners began to study the bottom of the lake in detail. The “shallow” terrace was examined using a special waterscope. It is a sheet steel cone with a Plexiglas bottom. Its diameter is 60 cm. The rubber part of the mask was fixed on the narrow part of the cone of the waterscope, and the “viewing” began. The water in Svetloyar is very clean and transparent, visibility is excellent.

In the southwestern part of the lake, in shallow water, archaeologists have found the remains of piles. City of Kitezh No. The locals say that in XIX century there was a bathhouse built by a local landowner. Nothing could be found on the second terrace either. Scuba divers A. Gogeshvili and G. Nazarov went down under the water and passed the entire lake from north to south. However, there is no Kitezh-grad 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 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 analysis showed that the tree died 350–400 years ago. And this corresponds to the time period of the formation of a 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 proposed by Kozlovsky are accurate, then the second "failure" occurred in the era of the Mongol invasion - at the time associated with the death of the legendary Kitezh-grad!

The following year, submarine archaeologists arrived at Lake Svetloyar along with a group of Leningrad scientists armed with a geolocator. The ZGL device was hoisted onto a fishing boat. 62 echo-sounding lines were made at Svetloyar, the lake was cut along and across by “profiles”, which made it possible to penetrate through a many-meter layer of silt. In the northern part of Svetloyar, on the terrace of the "Batu" times, the sound sonar showed a certain formation of an oval shape. Traces of a fenced structure? However, this formation may also have a natural origin.

“A year later, in the middle of the lake, exploration geologists made 5 test drillings according to our instructions,” wrote the expedition leader Mark Barinov. - They removed 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. Did we find Kitezh? There is no answer to this question yet. The floor is up to the archaeologists, armed with powerful modern technology.”

The Nizhny Novgorod land is rich in minerals, except that geologists have not found oil and diamond placers 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”! Black crystals of irregular shape lay at a depth of one and a half kilometers. They turned out to be technical diamonds. These are found in the Arctic and Yakutia. These gems are lamellar, which is not the case with traditional diamonds. And scientists still do not understand how they arose. One thing is clear: no impact high temperatures and there were no geological underground shifts. Kovernin diamonds cannot be turned into diamonds, they cannot be cut because of their lamellar structure. But these stones have the same strength as ordinary minerals, and they can be used in manufacturing or in jewelry for polishing cubic diamonds. Experts believe that geological exploration in the north of the region should be continued, since, perhaps, these places are part of the Diamond Belt of Russia.

City next to the volcano

Where would diamonds with oil come from in the Volga forests? Their appearance depended on temperature changes in the bowels of the earth, in the movements of layers and rocks that took place in time immemorial. Subsoil and still "do not sleep."

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

Studies of rock samples told that this fire-breathing giant went out even when they were walking around the territory of our area. And before his death, the "dragon" spat out lava flows that crawled up to today's Balakhna. After the giant exploded, so much rock escaped from its bowels that it filled up the vent.

Did you know?

The only hints of the real existence of Kitezh can be found in the book "Kitezh Chronicler". This book, according to scientists, was written at the end of the seventeenth century

Vorotilov ledge

It is difficult to imagine this picture: huge stones weighing several tons and up to a hundred meters in diameter rolled down from the top. Then they were scattered across the territory of Chkalovsky, Koverninsky, Sokolsky and Gorodetsky districts.

All of them are safely buried under layers of soil along with the crater of the volcano. This formation is called the Vorotilov ledge. According to geologists, the ledge is very similar to the African volcano Cameroon. It is there that the largest diamond deposit on the planet is located.

Will we ever find something similar? Cameroon is also located on the plains, and not in the highlands, like most fire-breathing mountains. Is there a chance that the volcano will wake up?
- Not! geologists answer. The giant fell asleep millions of years ago in eternal sleep.

Did you know?

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

Shaking chandeliers, the house is dancing

Geologists find an explanation for strange tremors in the "sustainable" regions of central Russia. About forty years ago, Nizhny Novgorod residents looked with surprise and fear at the rattling dishes in their cabinets and swinging chandeliers.

A particularly strong poltergeist was seen in Sormovo and Shcherbinki. As it turned out, at that moment an earthquake was recorded in the city. Fortunately, the shocks turned out to be weak, more like the echo of some distant one. And then no one thought about why we began to shake (by the way, for the second time in recent times), what kind of cataclysm sent its formidable echo to our region? It turned out that they did not think in vain. There are no accidents in nature. According to geologists, the repetition of tremors is very likely in the future.

Versions

There is still no consensus on how Lake Svetloyar arose. Someone insists on the glacial theory of origin, someone defends the karst hypothesis. There is a version that the lake arose after the fall of a meteorite.

Lithospheric plates move slowly over the surface of the mantle

In general, Nizhny Novgorod residents walk along their streets, roads, fields, confidently, believing that there is nothing harder 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 falls by 3-4 millimeters per year. This platform looks like a giant block wall, which lies horizontally and is covered with a thick layer of soil. The junction of its lithospheric plates passes under the Nizhny Novgorod region, along the Volga and Oka channels.

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

Legend

A variant of the legend says that 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 happened 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 bursting windows, doors slamming by themselves, and clocks stopping. No more.

However, even venerable scientists do not know all the secrets of nature, which gives people unexpected surprises. Strong fluctuations of bowels are not necessary to us also because of landslides. Many Nizhny Novgorod residents remember how one of the clay slopes of the Dyatlovy Mountains collapsed in 1974. The earth completely blocked the Oka congress.

Svetloyar lake. Voskresensky district

Neighbors from Kirov have long had problems 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 Big Kitezh became invisible and guarded by the hand of God - so at the end of our many-rebellious century and worthy of tears, the Lord covered that city with his hand."The Tale and the Penalty of the Secret City of Kitezh"

And such shocks are not limited to swinging chandeliers, they move furniture around the room, draw deep crevices and ravines on the surface of the earth, and destroy houses. And this does not at all look like a subsiding shock wave, which, allegedly, has reached the northern regions from the seismically disadvantaged southern latitudes.

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

Chroniclers have repeatedly noted such facts. Some hydrobiologists today even believe that famous lake Svetloyar was formed as a result of an earthquake in 1230.

Kitezh city. Legend, interesting facts

There are a lot of 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 Russia in those years. There were no merchants, no artisans, no nobility in the city, and exceptionally righteous people, philosophers, spiritual teachers lived behind its stone walls. The shrines of the Russian land were also kept here.

Legend

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

Prince Vladimir-Suzdal Yuri Vsevolodovich

In the thirteenth century, Prince Yuri Vsevolodovich encountered a horde of Tatars and entered into battle with them not far from another city with a similar name, Small Kitezh. The battle was lost by the prince, and he, with a small detachment, made his way to Bolshoi Kitezh by 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 to the sound 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 before on the site of the lake there was a settlement of the 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 scored, from which the 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 Forests". The lake was visited and written about by Maxim Gorky, Vladimir Korolenko, Mikhail Prishvin

Another option for the disappearance of the city is as follows. Batu Khan heard about Kitezh and became eager to conquer it. From a captured Russian warrior, the Tatars learned about secret paths leading to a 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 of the ground, under which the magical city hid.

People from parallel worlds. Data

Later and advanced versions say that a tunnel has formed in the lake that leads to. They tell stories to prove it. local residents who have seen more than once here people in strange clothes. The last such case was recorded in 2015. Some of them even went to the store, marveled at the outlandish delicacies in bright packages with pictures, but only bread and cereals dared to buy, trying to pay off with old silver coins.

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

But according to hydrobiologists, the city of Kitezh (if there was one) was destroyed not by the evil intentions of Batu Khan, but by two deep soil faults. At their node is the most mysterious body of water in the Nizhny Novgorod region.

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

N.K. Roerich "Battle at Kerzhents"

“He bloomed on fertile land until greedy enemies attacked him. The city was defended for three days. And when there were no more warriors capable of holding weapons, the enemies rejoiced. But the proud Kitezh did not surrender, and before the eyes of the astonished enemies, it slowly disappeared, sinking into the abyss of the sea. God made the city invisible to the human eye, but the time will come and Kitezh will return,” says the ancient legend.

According to another version of this legend the earth opened up and engulfed the city. Enemies fled in fear, and Lake Svetloyar appeared on the site of the city. That city is still intact with white-stone walls, churches, monasteries, princely towers, boyar stone chambers, cut down from kondovy not rotting forest houses. The city is intact, but invisible. Only the righteous and saints can see this city, only the true believer is worthy to hear the chime of its bells."

This legend became an inspiration for Rimsky-Korsakov, who wrote the brilliant opera The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevronia, to which Nicholas Roerich made a picturesque curtain.

Did this city really exist? If yes, where? There is such a book "The Kitezh Chronicler", created in the 80-90s of the 18th century by the Old Believers, which says: "Grand Duke Vladimir Georgy Vsevolodovich set the city of Small Kitezh on the banks of the Volga. And then he moved deep into the forests, across the Kerzhenets River, on the banks of a beautiful lake Svetloyar, he ordered to build the city of Great Kitezh. And the city of that Great Kitezh was two hundred sazhens wide, and a hundred sazhens wide. And they began to build it on the first day of May, and they built that city for three summers. If Kitezh is just a legend, then where did these details come from? The conclusion that the book appeared in the 18th century was made by linguists.

In the forests of Nizhny Novgorod, 40 kilometers from the city of Semyonov, there is an amazing beautiful lake called Svetloyar. There is a belief that it is here that the invisible city of Kitezh is located. They say that on a quiet summer morning it can be seen reflected in the water with towers and domes. And from somewhere below comes the quiet ringing of bells.

The lake has long been considered sacred. Many pilgrims have always flocked to it and are now flocking in the hope of either being healed by washing there, or atoning for their sins by crawling along the shore. Near the lake there is a chapel, a bow cross. A few kilometers away is the village of Vladimirskoye, which has become tourist center. It is now called Russian Shambhala, and Kitezh - Russian Atlantis. In general, the place is popular. Kitezh became such an Orthodox fetish, a spiritual center, a symbol of the heroic struggle of Orthodox Russia against the "Mongol-Tatar hordes".

The persistence of this tradition is amazing. Maybe it really has some basis? It often happens that legends reflect the distant past. For example, the legends of the peoples of the north reflect the events of the flood, when there was no land, and the supreme god Nomi-Torum got it from the bottom, etc. Or maybe it's still a beautiful legend that has become popular thanks to poets, a composer ...

For more than a hundred years, scientists have been trying to prove or disprove the existence of a mysterious city here. That's what's weird. By its origin, Svetloyar cannot be attributed to any of the known types of lakes: neither glacial, nor karst, nor meteoric. How did this come about amazing lake? Amazing case occurred in 1903 in the neighboring Kazan province not so far from the lake. Here is a newspaper report from that time: "Recently, the inhabitants of the village of Shari were terribly frightened by the crackling and noise, incomprehensible to them, coming from somewhere out of the ground. The inhabitants rushed in the direction of the sounds and saw that a huge hole had formed in the middle of the forest, into which mature trees easily entered. And even more it is surprising that water immediately came out from under the ground, and a lake formed at the site of the failure.

Maybe something similar happened here? Maybe there was a city on the shore and it sank to the bottom of the failure?

In 1968, an expedition was organized to Svetloyar and she made a strange discovery. With the help of a sound geolocator, an anomaly was found at the bottom. The image of one section of the bottom differed sharply from the others. The expedition named this zone the "K" zone. To determine what is in anomalous zone, several wells were drilled in it. Unexpectedly for everyone, they turned out to be a lot of small wooden chips. But how did they get there? For some reason, not a single scientific institute undertook to study these pieces of wood. Nobody wanted to waste time studying legends. And then the police helped. Forensic experts have compiled a document stating that 6 out of 10 pieces of wood they examined have traces of cutting tools. This means that they were processed by human hands.

Enthusiasts planned to continue research at Svetloyar in the 70s. However, these plans were not destined to come true. Already in our time, specialists came to the lake with a unique device - a ground penetrating radar. Its capabilities allow using electromagnetic radiation to literally enlighten the bottom of the lake. The depth of the lake turned out to be very large - 37 meters. Of these, more than ten make up a layer of silt. Georadar detects many small objects in the thickness of the silt. They certainly do not look like any buildings. But what kind of anomaly was discovered in 1968? Then the sample samples showed that the silt layer of zone "K" was different from the others.

Geologists have suggested that these samples contained a large number of mineral substances, that is, zone "K" was the bottom of an ancient paleo-reservoir. That is, the anomaly of the zone is a natural phenomenon and everything else is nothing more than guesswork. But then what about wood chips with traces of processing? Then no one determined their age.

If you turn to the book "Kitezh chronicler". It says that Prince George Vsevolodovich began to build the city in the summer of 6673, that is, in 1165 according to the usual calendar. But historians say that this same prince was born only 24 years later in 1189. Such a hassle. At the indicated time, George's grandfather Yuri Dolgoruky, the founder of Moscow, ruled. What if the Old Believers who wrote the book at the end of the 18th century simply confused the princes? Yuri Vladimirovich Dolgoruky also has confusion with the date of birth, and besides, Yuri and Georgy are the same name.

In 2012, near Lake Svetloyar, Nizhny Novgorod archaeologists discovered traces of a medieval settlement. Found shards of ceramic dishes, fragments of iron knives, flint flint and stone millstones. The finds date back to the end of the 14th - beginning of the 15th centuries, that is, it is later than the date indicated in the book. Artifacts were found on the Exaltation of the Cross Hill behind the chapel. In the ruts, the cultural layer was exposed at a depth of half a meter with an area slightly less than a hectare. Archaeologists believe that there was a settlement here - an unfortified settlement with one residential courtyard for 10-15 people. Perhaps the settlement was larger, part of it could go with landslides to Svetloyar.

It is known that in Moscow there is the oldest district Kitay-gorod ("china" - a wall, fortification, the wall built by the Slavs on far east for protection from southern neighbors). Note that the beginning of words Whale- ah and Whale- hedgehog match. There is a legend that not far from the walls of the Kremlin, Prince Yuri Dolgoruky ordered to dig a huge dungeon. In the XII century, there were numerous internecine wars, when the princes fought for power and seized cities from each other. Perhaps Yuri Dolgoruky created an underground shelter. Now on the territory of Kitay-Gorod there are some of the most ancient underground structures in Moscow.

It is known that Dolgoruky built a lot of white stone. Buildings of that time can be recognized by amazingly carefully fitted stones. It was not possible to find such buildings in the dungeons of Moscow.

Prince George Vsevolodovich

That's what's interesting. The pronunciation of Kitezh with an accent on "and" came into use only after Rimsky-Korsakov wrote his famous opera. Prior to this, the emphasis was on "e" and came from the Old Russian "kitekhsha", which means "abandoned place". This word appeared in Russia at the time of the advent horde ("the Mongol-Tatar invasion" as it now turns out in our awesomely funny story was not). Just then Georgy Vsevolodovich ruled. The book says that the prince gathered an army and set out to meet the khan. However, he lost the battle. Russian chronicles mention a major battle between the Russians and the Horde on March 4, 1238 on the Sit River. It is believed that the Rkus were completely defeated, and the prince died. However, the "Kitezh chronicler" says that it was after this battle that Prince Georgy Vsevolodovich retreated to Kitezh.

Can traces mysterious city it is necessary to search in the area of ​​the river Sit? Now this river flows along the border of Tverskaya and Yaroslavl regions. its length is only 150 km. This small river got into history thanks to the battle. And although the exact place is not known, barrows are scattered all over the Sitya, according to legend, they are the mass graves of Russian soldiers. Until now, the feeling that everything here is filled with the memory of that terrible slaughter. Back in the 19th century, in the villages located along the banks of the City, folklore collectors recorded most of the legends about the city of Kitezh. But now the lower reaches of the river are flooded with the waters of the Rybinsk reservoir, built in Stalin's times. It absorbed 700 villages. Just like the legendary Kitezh, the ancient Russian cities of Maloga and others went under water. A beautiful legend turned into a tragic reality.

There is another version. Researcher Vladimir Ratov studied ancient pagan legends and rituals for many years and came to the conclusion that traces of Kitezh should be sought on the Maloga River. Why? Firstly, this is the legend of Veles - the Slavic god, who, being in the Black Sea, fought against the dark forces. His soul became hardened, he needed to get to Svarga. Svarga - earthly paradise according to Slavic Vedic mythology, the place where the gods live and milk rivers flow with jelly banks. Maybe Kitezh, which in legends is considered the abode of all the afflicted, is that very Svarga? On the banks of the Mologa, Vladimir Ratov discovered stones with mysterious drawings. But do they have anything to do with Kitezh?

The "Kitezh chronicler" says that Kitezh was located among the dense forests. A secret road led into it from the river, along which the enemies came to the city. This road is called "Batu's path" in the book. Batu ravaged the Russian cities on the right side of the Volga. Now by alternative history it is believed that the Horde - the same Slavs - ruined only Christian Russian cities, while the Vedic ones did not touch. Batu (Batya) crossed over to the left side and for some reason went deeper into the dense forests. What for? There is a version that there was a pagan Slavic temple. Since the goal of the Horde invasion was the destruction of Christianity, and Kitezh was Orthodox city, it should have been destroyed.

The Slavic Vedic faith says that the path to Svarga goes along the river RA (Volga). Further along the Smorodina River. So they called, and even now they call the Mologa River for the huge number of currant bushes growing along its banks. By the way, the very word MOLOGA is consonant with the Milk River, which, according to legend, flows in a secret country. Huge stones really lie near Mologa, although there are no drawings. But still, a stone with some drawings was found not on the shore, but in the forest. According to Ratov, Kitezh is located there. There are lines on the stone, a triangle, but what is it? It is impossible to say with certainty that these drawings are man-made.

They say that back in the 30s, before the flooding, the abbess of a monastery wrote down her dream - a vision. She goes to the monastery by the field and suddenly water begins to arrive from everywhere. Soon the water covered both the monastery and the surrounding area. And the nun walked and walked until the water began to recede. And the monastery reopened to the light of God.

So and the invisible city of Kitezh, as the legend says, will appear again to the world when faith and goodness are reborn in people.

From the book by Irina Nilova

It was a city of ancient Russians who lived on the banks of the great river. The Drevlyans, under the influence of aliens from other tribes, quarreled with their Wise Men and Leaders and wanted to appropriate power over the rest of their relatives. That is, they began to live along Krivda. After that, the vibrational components in the service of the Sages were distorted and the city received a blow equal to the explosion of a nuclear bomb. The news of the instant death of the whole city from the fiery energy quickly spread, and the place began to cause fear. The lake that formed at the site of the explosion is the remnant of a bygone river that has gone underground.

Legends say that during the Mongol-Tatar invasion, the whole city of Kitezh went under the water of Lake Svetloyar - the whole city, along with its defenders, along with the elderly and children. It is believed that divine intervention hid it from the eyes of the enemy for hundreds, and perhaps thousands of years. According to the legend, sooner or later another settlement will appear in the Nizhny Novgorod region - the ancient city of Kitezh.

Remember the legend of Atlantis? About the mainland, which plunged into the ocean, punished by the gods because its inhabitants were mired in sins. There is a similar legend in Russia - however, it has nothing to do with sins. Rather, on the contrary, the reasons for the flooding of this city should be sought in the spiritual purity of its inhabitants.

Only the righteous and saints can see this city. Only a true believer is worthy to hear the chime of its bells. City of Kitezh. The city is a legend. Until now, many Orthodox Christians gather to make a pilgrimage to the lake, in the depths of which supposedly rests legendary city. Centuries have passed, but people still strive here. They believe that Kitezh is at the bottom of the lake, and their faith is unshakable.

So why is the legend of the city of Kitezh so popular? Why can't people forget about this place?

Kitezh as imagined by Ivan Bilibin

The emergence of the city

The only hints of the real existence of Kitezh can be found in the book "Kitezh Chronicler". According to scientists, this book was written at the end of the 17th century.

According to her, the city of Kitezh was built by the great Russian Prince Yuri Vsevolodovich of Vladimir at the end of the 12th century. According to legend, the prince, returning from a trip to Novgorod, stopped on the way near Lake Svetloyar - to rest. But he did not really manage to rest: the prince was captivated by the beauty of those places. He immediately ordered to build the city of Great Kitezh on the shore of the lake.

Yuri Vsevolodovich, the founder of Kitezh, is depicted at the entrance to the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin

The case was set to work immediately. The length of the built city was 200 sazhens (a straight sazhen is the distance between the ends of the fingers spread out in different directions of the hands, approximately 1.6 meters), the width was 100. Several churches were also built, and on occasion the best masters began to “paint images”.

There are many churches, icons too - what else does a simple Russian person need? The city was not slow to be called "saint", and the people reached out to the lake Svetly Yar.

Svetloyar

Lake Svetloyar is located in the Nizhny Novgorod region. It is located near the village of Vladimirsky Voskresensky district, in the Lunda basin, a tributary of the Vetluga River. The length of the lake is 210 meters, the width is 175 meters, and the total area of ​​the water surface is about 12 hectares.

There is still no consensus on how the lake appeared. Someone insists on the glacial theory of origin, someone defends the karst hypothesis. There is a version that the lake arose after the fall of a meteorite. The very word "Svetloyar" can be translated as "Light Lake".

Batu invasion

Those were times far from peaceful and idyllic. Discord between the principalities, the raids of the Tatars and Bulgarians, forest predators - a rare person decided to get out of the city walls without a weapon. And in 1237, the Mongol-Tatars under the leadership of Batu Khan invaded Russia.

Now let's forget about the legend for a while and remember history.

Diorama "Heroic Defense of Old Ryazan"

Ryazan princes were the first to be attacked. They tried to seek help from Prince Yuri Vladimirsky, but were refused. The Tatars ravaged Ryazan without difficulty; then moved to the Vladimir principality. The son Vsevolod, sent by Yuri, was defeated near Kolomna and fled to Vladimir. The Tatars captured Moscow and captured another son of Yuri - Prince Vladimir.

Prince Yuri, when he found out about this, left the capital to the sons of Mstislav and Vsevolod. Went to gather troops. He set up camp near Rostov on the river Sit and began to wait for his brothers Yaroslav and Svyatoslav. In the absence of the Grand Duke, on February 3-7, Vladimir and Suzdal were taken and ruined, the family of Yuri Vsevolodovich died in the fire.

The prince managed to learn about the death of the family. His further fate was even more unenviable: Yuri died on March 4, 1238 in a battle with the troops of Batu on the Sit River. Bishop Kirill of Rostov found the decapitated body of the prince on the battlefield and took him to Rostov. Later, the head was found and attached to the body.

The death of Yuri Vsevolodovich

Here ends the facts that are confirmed by scientists. Let's get back to the legend.

Batu allegedly heard about the riches that were stored in the city of Kitezh, and sent part of the army to the holy city. The detachment was small - Batu did not expect resistance. The troops went to Kitezh through the forest, and cut a clearing along the way. The traitor Grishka Kuterma led the Tatars. He was taken into neighboring town, Small Kitezh (now Gorodets). Grishka could not stand the torture and agreed to show the way to the Holy City. Alas, Susanin from Kuterma did not work out: Grishka led the Tatars to Kitezh.

On that terrible day, not far from the city, three Kitezh heroes were on patrol. They saw the enemy first. Before the battle, one of the soldiers told his son to run to Kitezh and warn the townspeople. The boy rushed to the city gates, but the Tatar's evil arrow caught up with him. However, the brave boy did not fall. With an arrow in his back, he ran to the walls and managed to shout: "Enemies!", and only then fell dead.

The heroes, meanwhile, tried to restrain the khan's army. Nobody survived. According to legend, at the place where the three heroes died, the holy key of Kibelek appeared - it still beats.

A variant of the legend says that 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. And in the place where the horse's hoof fell, the holy source of Kibelek gushed.

Vasily Maksimov "Mongols near the walls of Vladimir"

The Mongol-Tatars besieged the city. The townspeople understood that there was no chance. A handful of people against the well-armed and organized army of Batu is certain death. Nevertheless, the townspeople were not going to give up without a fight. They went out to the walls, with weapons, as well as icons and crosses in their hands. People prayed in the evening and all night long. The Tatars, on the other hand, were waiting for the morning to launch an attack.

And a miracle happened: suddenly the church bells rang, the earth shook, and before the eyes of the amazed Tatars, Kitezh began to sink into the waters of Lake Svetloyar.

And this city of Big Kitezh became invisible and guarded by the hand of God - so at the end of our many-rebellious century and worthy of tears, the Lord covered that city with his hand.

"The Tale and the Penalty of the Secret City of Kitezh"

K. Gorbatov. " Invisible hail Kitezh

The legend is ambiguous. And people interpret it differently. Someone claims that Kitezh went under water, someone - that he plunged into the ground. There are adherents of the theory that mountains closed the city from the Tatars. Others believe that he ascended into the sky. But the most interesting theory is that Kitezh simply became invisible. It is not clear, however, why then no one has come across the city by accident.

Amazed by the power of the "Russian miracle", the Tatars rushed to run in all directions. But God's wrath overtook them: whom the animals devoured, who got lost in the forest or simply disappeared, taken away by a mysterious force.

The city has disappeared. According to legend, he should "manifest" on the day of the Last Judgment. On the day when the dead rise from their graves, Kitezh will also rise from the water. But you can see it and even reach it now. A person in whom there is no sin will distinguish the reflection of church domes and white stone walls in the waters of Lake Svetloyar.

Kitezh modern

Fast forward now to times close to our century.

The legend of the city of Kitezh excited the minds of the intelligentsia. First of all, writers, musicians and artists. The 19th century writer Pavel Melnikov-Pechersky, inspired by Lake Svetloyar, told his legend in the novel In the Forests, as well as in the story Grisha. The lake was visited by Maxim Gorky (feature "Bugrov"), Vladimir Korolenko (feature cycle "In Desert Places"), Mikhail Prishvin (feature "Light Lake").

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov wrote the opera The Tale of the Invisible City of Kitezh about the mysterious city. The lake was painted by artists Nikolai Romadin, Ilya Glazunov and many others. The poets Akhmatova and Tsvetaeva mention the city of Kitezh in their works.

Scenery by Ivan Bilibin for Rimsky-Korsakov's opera

Nowadays, science fiction writers and especially fantasy authors are interested in the legend of Kitezh. It is clear why: the image of the hidden city is romantic and fits perfectly into a fantastic work. Of the works of this kind, one can name, for example, the story "The Hammers of Kitezh" by Nick Perumov and "Red Shift" by Evgeny Gulyakovsky.

In the Soviet TV movie The Magicians, based on the Strugatskys' novel Monday Begins on Saturday, a musical instrument factory worker travels to fictional Kitezhgrad. He wants to save the bride from evil spells, and finds himself in the realm of good and evil wizards.

Lake Svetloyar today

Naturally, scientists did not ignore the riddle of Kitezh. Expeditions went to Lake Svetloyar, more than once. Drilling near the shores of the lake yielded nothing. The search for archaeologists ended in nothing. There were no traces of the mysterious city on the approaches to the lake. In the 70s of the last century, the expedition was equipped by Literaturnaya Gazeta: trained divers descended to the bottom. Their work was not easy, since the depth of the lake is more than 30 meters. At the bottom there are many snags and sunken trees.

Unfortunately, they did not find irrefutable evidence of the existence of the city. For believers, this fact, of course, means nothing. It is known that Kitezh will not reveal its secrets to the wicked.

There were hypotheses that Kitezh was not at all on Lake Svetloyar. Other alleged places of "habitat" of the holy city immediately arose. They even talked about China, supposedly Kitezh and legendary Shambhala- the same place.

Nicholas Roerich "Song of Shambhala"

In our time, scientists have forgotten about Kitezh - it's not up to that. But the legend was at one time speculated by businessmen who hoped to turn the legends into a source of self-financing.

Currently, the territory of the lake is protected by the state. The lake and its surroundings are part of the reserve, which is under the protection of UNESCO. Every year on July 6, on the day of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, Orthodox believers make a procession from the Vladimir Church in the village of Vladimir to the chapel in the name of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. The chapel was built near Lake Svetloyar in the late 1990s.

Orthodox pray on the shore of the lake. Someone is secretly looking at his reflection in the lake - will Kitezh flash by? Some believe that the earth collected in a holy place heals ailments. They take it from the graves of "killed heroes" and then take it home along with plastic bottles in which water from the holy spring splashes. There is a belief that water from Svetloyar will not deteriorate, even if it stays in a bottle for several years.

Chapel of Our Lady of Kazan on the bank of Svetloyar

Russian utopia

The city of Kitezh is a symbol of something inaccessible, but desirable. This is a heavenly place where the righteous can flee from the hardships of a cruel world. It doesn't matter if Kitezh existed - a beautiful legend gives hope to the desperate. And in the past, in search of fertile land, peasants-bast shoes fled, and now there are fanatics who go to the Nizhny Novgorod forests, where they hide from modern life.

Kitezh is a Russian utopia. This is the place where milky rivers flow in the jelly banks. For many, this is the country of Fantasy, a fabulous state in which goodness and justice rule. The most important thing about the Kitezh utopia is that people need such a city anyway. And if this legend did not exist, they would have invented another one. People need faith that it is possible to escape from this world full of pain and despair. People need a place to run to. At least in thought. And this place was the sacred Russian city of Kitezh.

Konstantin Gorbatov "The Drowned City"

Belovodie

Many medieval legends tell about the kingdoms of Goodness and Justice, like Kitezh. In these "secret places" one can supposedly hide, escape from the intrigues of evil. One of such places is the magical country of Belovodie. This is a fabulous land where sages live, who bestow eternal life and secret knowledge of the past. According to legend, the country is located somewhere in the Altai.

After the introduction of serfdom in Russia, many peasants left for the east. In the 17th century, they moved to Altai Russian settlers. The reason for this was not only the "crowding" of Central Russia and poverty, but also the hope to find Belovodie. Approximately at the end of the 18th - beginning of the 19th century, the "Traveler of Mark Topozersky" was created, which described the road to Belovodie. The "Traveller" pointed the way through Krasnoyarsk and China to the "Oponsky" (Japanese) kingdom, which lies in the middle of the "Okiyan-sea" of Belovodie.

In Russia, there are real "Kitezhs" - cities and villages flooded during the construction of reservoirs. In the photo - Krokhino in the Vologda region