Kitezh (Kitezh-grad, Kidish) is a mythical wonderful city, which, according to Russian legends, escaped from Batu’s troops during the Tatar-Mongol invasion in the 13th century thanks to the miraculous property of being invisible. As the troops approached, the city allegedly disappeared from the eyes of the astonished enemy and sank to the bottom of Lake Svetloyar. In subsequent centuries, the legend was transformed; the Old Believers described Kitezh as a refuge for followers of the old faith.
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In the 18th-19th centuries, Kitezh was represented as a city of the righteous, a city of social justice, where every honest Russian could go. The people endowed similar properties with some other fantastic societies, such as the kingdom of Prester John, the churches of “ancient piety” in the distant Opon (Japanese?) Sea, the islands of the blessed, the earthly paradise, Belovodye, the “City of Ignat”, etc. In Russia at that time, stories were widespread about people who gave lunch to Kitezh and subsequently sent letters from there. Numerous eyewitnesses described the ringing of bells, which they allegedly heard from under the water.
A lake in the Nizhny Novgorod Trans-Volga region, approximately 100 km east-northeast of the regional center and 1-1.5 km west of the village of Vladimirskoye, Voskresensky district, a natural monument of federal significance. The lake has an oval shape with dimensions of 500 x 350 m, and is very deep , reaching 40 m. The view on the origin of the lake has changed since its study and has not yet been unambiguously resolved. Its volcanic origin was first suggested at the beginning of the 20th century by the writer V. Korolenko. Various researchers at different times have expressed hypotheses about the glacial, karst, oxbow, volcanic, neotectonic, salt dome and cosmic - meteorite origin of the lake. In 2009, the results of field studies were published confirming the hypothesis of the meteorite origin of the lake.
There is still a debate in science about the reality of Kitezh and the possible location of the “sunken” city. The most attractive version is that the legend tells about some place with supernatural properties. What kind of place is this (parallel world, astral plane, some kind of spatial hole) - it is useless to argue about this now, because... There is too much that is unclear in the legend. However, attempts have been and are being made to find the real sunken city. Most often, such searches were carried out in the area of the Zhiguli bend of the Volga, where a mirage is still sometimes observed over the Volga - a large ancient Russian city rising from under the water.
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When the troops of Khan Batu reached the Vladimir-Suzdal principality, the Russians met them near Little Kitezh (now Gorodets). Most of the squad was killed in the battle, and Prince Georgy Vsevolodovich with the surviving soldiers took refuge in the forests and built the city of Kitezh Bolshoi on the shore of Lake Svetloyar. Batu found out where the prince had taken refuge and killed him. And the residents gathered in the temple and turned to God with a prayer not to allow the invaders to come to them. God heeded the prayer, streams of water gushed out from under the ground, which, without causing harm to the inhabitants, flooded the city up to the tops of the churches. But they too soon disappeared. And in place of the city, a lake overflowed. Since then, this place has been revered as a saint... This is the legend that many believe. And there is no doubt that the small forest lake Svetloyar in the Nizhny Novgorod region is the very one in which Kitezh drowned. Orthodox Christians come here to pray. They say that a handful of local soil cures ailments. Water collected from the lake lasts in bottles for several years without spoiling, like consecrated water. And if you go around the lake three times clockwise, then all your cherished wishes will come true. And the version that Lake Svetloyar is related to the mysterious Shambhala attracts thousands of pilgrims from all over the world. However, the only real hints about the existence of the legendary city can be found in the book “Kitezh Chronicler” (late 17th century).
Near-scientific mystics believe that on Svetloyar there is also a passage to another time dimension. And as proof they cite stories told by residents of the nearby village of Vladimirskoye. They supposedly often meet strange peddlers in clothes that their great-grandfathers wore, and for the purchased goods - mainly bread, bagels, gingerbread - they receive change from them in coppers and silver coins. “For us,” continues Volkov, “the main discovery was the confirmation of the hypothesis about the existence near Svetloyar of plasma substances invisible to the eye, which have a logic of behavior, that is, they manifest themselves as living beings. There are especially many of them around a group of praying people - as if they are being studied. We captured them on video and photographic equipment. These plasma formations were once recorded in laboratory conditions by scientists from the Institute of Terrestrial Magnetism, Ionosphere and Radio Wave Propagation (IZMIRAN). Their experiments indicated that millions of plasma clots are floating in the air in the electromagnetic range. Then this led atheists to the idea that the other world still exists. The current study of Svetloyar has shown that this hypothesis is not without common sense.
But where did the city go? Is there some real natural event at the heart of the myth?
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In fact, as soon as we begin to study any legend, myth or similar work of oral folk art, we find traces of events that actually took place,” said the outstanding Russian archaeologist and historian Academician Boris Rybakov (died in 2001) at one of his speeches. Ed.). — Geologists are well aware that the central regions of the European part of Russia lie on a foundation of very strong rocks. But it is dissected by deep faults that run in different directions, often intersecting with each other. And geologist Vladimir Nikitin found out that Lake Svetloyar lies precisely at the intersection of two deep faults. In such a place, even a large reservoir could form surprisingly quickly - even before the eyes of Batu Khan.
The graves of the giants Kibilek is the name of a place about five kilometers from Lake Svetloyar. Here is a spring supposedly with “living” water (tests show that it has zero acidity). And nearby - in the dense Kerzhinsky forest - there are three unmarked graves. They are ancient and unusual. Firstly, who would have thought of burying someone far from populated areas? Secondly, the graves are several times larger than traditional Christian burials. They say that giants are buried there. Namely, the skeletons of the ancient Lemurians - inhabitants of the mysterious country of Lemuria, which, according to legend, existed somewhere in this area hundreds of thousands of years ago. Modern science does not confirm, but does not try to refute this version of the origin of strange burials. No one tried to dig them up. Yes, and it’s a sin. Nizhny Novgorod esotericists come to graves at night to worship the “unknown.” Many Orthodox Christians, on the contrary, believe that this place is unclean. Despite the spring. They take water and quickly leave.
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N.K. Roerich "The Battle of Kerzhenets"
“He blossomed on fertile land until greedy enemies attacked him. The city defended itself for three days. And when there were no more warriors left capable of holding weapons, the enemies rejoiced. But proud Kitezh did not surrender, and in front of the amazed eyes of the enemies slowly disappeared, plunging into the depths 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 swallowed the city. The enemies fled in fear and Lake Svetloyar appeared in place of the city. That city is still intact with white stone walls, churches, monasteries, princely towers, boyar stone chambers, houses cut down from wood that does not rot. The hail is intact, but invisible. Only the righteous and saints can see this city, only a true believer is worthy of hearing the ringing 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,” for which N.K. Roerich made a picturesque curtain.
Did this city really exist? If yes, where? There is a book “The Kitezh Chronicler”, created in the 80-90s of the 18th century by Old Believers, which says: “The Grand Duke of Vladimir Georgy Vsevolodovich established the city of Small Kitezh on the banks of the Volga. And then he moved deep into the forests, beyond the Kerzhenets River, on the shore of a beautiful lake "Svetloyar, he ordered to build the city of Big Kitezh. And that city of Big Kitezh was two hundred fathoms wide, and a hundred fathoms wide. And they began to build it in the month of May on the first day, 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 precisely in the 18th century was made by linguists.
In the Nizhny Novgorod forests, 40 kilometers from the city of Semenov, there is an amazingly beautiful lake called Svetloyar. There is a belief that this is where 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 holy. Many pilgrims have always flocked to it and are now flocking to it in the hope of either being healed by washing there, or atonement for their sins by crawling along the shore. Near the lake there is a chapel and a worship cross. A few kilometers away is the village of Vladimirskoye, which has become a 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 Rus' against the “Mongol-Tatar hordes.”
The persistence of this legend 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 took it from the bottom, etc. Or maybe this is after all a beautiful legend that became 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 strange. By its origin, Svetloyar cannot be attributed to any of the known types of lakes: neither glacial, nor karst, nor meteorite. How did this amazing lake appear? An amazing incident occurred in 1903 in the neighboring Kazan province, not so far from the lake. Here is a newspaper report from that time: “Recently, the residents of the village of Shari were terribly frightened by an incomprehensible crackling and noise coming from somewhere underground. 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’s amazing that water immediately came out from under the ground, and a lake formed at the site of the failure.”
Maybe something similar happened here too? Maybe there was a city on the shore and it sank to the bottom of the hole?
In 1968, an expedition was organized to Svetloyar and made a strange discovery. Using a sound geolocator, I discovered an anomaly at the bottom. The image of one section of the bottom was sharply different from the others. The expedition called this zone Zone K. To determine what was in the anomalous zone, several wells were then drilled in it. Unexpectedly for everyone, there were a lot of small wood chips in them. But how did they get there? For some reason, not a single scientific institute undertook to study these pieces of wood at that time. Nobody wanted to waste time studying legends. And then the police helped. Forensic experts compiled a document stating that 6 out of 10 pieces of wood they examined had 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 - ground penetrating radar. Its capabilities make it possible to literally illuminate the bottom of the lake using electromagnetic radiation. The depth of the lake turned out to be very large - 37 meters. Of these, more than ten are silt layers. Ground penetrating radar detects many small objects in the silt. They certainly don't look like any buildings at all. But what kind of anomaly was discovered in 1968? Then the sample samples showed that the silt layer of the “K” zone was different from the others.
Geologists suggested that these samples contained a large amount of minerals, that is, the “K” zone 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 Georgy Vsevolodovich began building 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 problem. 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 mixed up the princes? Yuri Vladimirovich Dolgoruky also has confusion with his 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. Shards of ceramic dishes, fragments of iron knives, flint flint and stone millstones were found. The finds date back to the end of the 14th - beginning of the 15th centuries, that is, this is later than the date indicated in the book. The artifacts were discovered on Mount Krestovozdvizhenskaya behind the chapel. In the ruts, a cultural layer was exposed at a depth of half a meter, covering an area of slightly less than a hectare. Archaeologists believe that there was a settlement here - an unfortified settlement with one residential yard for 10-15 people. Perhaps the settlement was larger, part of it could have gone with landslides to Svetloyar.
It is known that in Moscow there is the oldest district of Kitay-Gorod (“China” - wall, fortification, the same name was given to the wall built by the Slavs in the Far East for protection from their southern neighbors). Please note that the beginning of the words Whale- ay and Whale- hedgehogs match. There is a legend that not far from the walls of the Kremlin, Prince Yuri Dolgoruky ordered the digging of a huge dungeon. In the 12th century, there were numerous internecine wars, when princes fought for power and captured cities from each other. Perhaps Yuri Dolgoruky created an underground shelter. Now on the territory of Kitai-Gorod there are some of the most ancient underground structures in Moscow.
It is known that Dolgoruky built a lot of white stone. The buildings of that time can be recognized by the amazingly carefully fitted stones. It was not possible to find such buildings in the dungeons of Moscow.
Prince Georgy Vsevolodovich
That's what's interesting. The pronunciation of Kitezh with an emphasis on the “i” came into use only after Rimsky-Korsakov wrote his famous opera. Before this, the emphasis was on “e” and came from the Old Russian “kitekhsha”, which means “abandoned place”. This word appeared in Rus' during the time of the advent horde (as it now turns out, there was no “Mongol-Tatar invasion” in our awesomely funny history). It was then that 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 Rkusskys 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.
Maybe traces of the mysterious city should be looked for in the area of the Sit River? Now this river flows along the border of the Tver and Yaroslavl regions. its length is only 150 km. This small river made its way into history thanks to the battle. And although the exact location is not known, mounds are scattered throughout the City, which, according to legend, are mass graves of Russian soldiers. I still have the feeling that everything here is filled with the memory of that terrible slaughter. Back in the 19th century, in 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 during Stalin’s times. It swallowed up 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 looked for on the Maloga River. Why? Firstly, this is the legend of Veles - a Slavic god who, while in the Black Sea, fought with dark forces. His soul hardened, he needed to get to Svarga. Svarga is an earthly paradise according to Slavic Vedic mythology, a place where gods live and milk rivers flow with jelly banks. Maybe Kitezh, which in legends is considered the abode of all those who suffer, is that same Svarga? On the banks of Mologa, Vladimir Ratov discovered stones with mysterious designs. But do they have anything to do with Kitezh?
The "Kitezh Chronicler" says that Kitezh was located among 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 destroyed Russian cities on the right side of the Volga. Now, according to alternative history, it is believed that the Horde - the same Slavs - ravaged only Christian Russian cities, but did not touch the Vedic ones. Batu (Batya) crossed to the left side and for some reason went deeper into the dense forests. For what? There is a version that there was a pagan Slavic temple there. Since the goal of the Horde invasion was the destruction of Christianity, and Kitezh was an Orthodox city, it should have been destroyed.
The Slavic Vedic faith says that the path to Svarga goes along the RA (Volga) river. Further along the Smorodina River. This is what they called and still 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 hidden country. There really are huge stones near Mologa, although there are no drawings. But still, a stone with some drawings was found not on the shore, but in the forest. That’s where Kitezh is located, according to Ratov. 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 one monastery wrote down her dream - a vision. She walks towards the monastery through the field and suddenly water begins to flow from everywhere. Soon the water covered both the monastery and the entire surrounding area. And the nun kept walking and walking until the water began to recede. And the monastery again opened up to God's light.
Yes and the invisible city of Kitezh, as the legend says, will appear to the world again 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 a great river. The Drevlyans, under the influence of aliens from other tribes, quarreled with their Sages and Leaders and wanted to usurp power over the rest of their relatives. That is, they began to live according to Krivda. After which 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 an entire city from fiery energy quickly spread and the place began to evoke fear. The lake that formed at the site of the explosion is the remnant of a bygone river that went underground.
From the series “Pages of the history of the Nizhny Novgorod province”
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”! 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 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 diamonds; 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 the real existence of 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 deposit on the planet is located.
What if we discover something similar? 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 the total area of the water surface is 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 the Nizhny Novgorod region, along the Volga and Oka rivers.
This is clearly visible to the ordinary eye: the right bank of the water arteries is high, and the left 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 version 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 throughout. 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 of central Russia was shaking 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. According to the official version, he was killed there 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 arrive here. 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.
Christian tales about Kitezh-grad on Svetloyar
The subsequent history of Kitezh-grad is already known from Christian and Old Believer sources and chronicles, included in the “Kitezh Chronicle” of the 17th century. According to these sources, the City of Greater Kitezh was built " in a wonderful and crowded place» near Lake Svetloyar, which is east of Maly Kitezh (Gorodets) by Grand Duke Yuri Dolgoruky. It was built over three years, from May 1, 1165 to September 30, 1168, and was 200 fathoms long and 150 fathoms wide.
At the same time, the city of Maly Kitezh was built, which is now the city of Gorodets on the Volga. This, by the way, is reported by the Suprasl Chronicle, known to historians: “ And the rash of the city of Kideshku, the same Gorodets on Volz"(Complete Collection of Russian Chronicles, vol. XVII, p. 2:).
Then came the difficult time of Batu’s invasion. And in 1243, fleeing from Tsar Batu, who was hot on his heels, Grand Duke Yuri Vsevolodovich hid in this city. But Kitezh, when it was surrounded by enemies, did not surrender to them: its inhabitants prayed to the Almighty God and found protection. The city “hidden itself” and was covered from above by earthen hills and a lake. Horror seized the enemies, and they fled away from this great miracle. Then the devastated and deserted “country of Zauzol grew overgrown with forest”...
The Old Believers accepted this legend as a true incident and the failed residents were canonized. And they believe those residents still live there.
Those Old Believers who have been coming to the lake for a long time with faith and fear of God hear underground ringing, see candles burning under the water, crosses of churches reflected in the lake. They say that one lost shepherd even had dinner there and wanted to get there another time but could no longer find the way. Such fairy tales continue to circulate to this day. And now we can find the remains of those dugouts and hermitages of the first Old Believers who settled along the shores of the lake, whom Svetloyar and the invisible Kitezh-grad glorified with their stories.
One of those stories was published by Semyonov Old Believer Stepan Meledin, “Kitezh on Svetloyar Lake” in the magazine “Moskvityanin” (No. 12, 1843). This was the first article about Kitezh and Svyatloyar, and now there are already hundreds, if not thousands...
The official church in those years could not resist and, in defiance of the Old Believers, ordered to destroy “ Svetloyarsk temptations and superstitions"". In 1836, the sensational in its time “The case of the destruction of a chapel built without permission from the authorities, and the refutation of the chronicler about this lake and the city of Kitezh" Archpriest Smirnov then denounced the “schism” and was indignant against its shrine. But what’s interesting to note is that his report also contains the following words: “ Here prayers are made, the trees themselves are adored, sacrifices are made to them... They (Old Believers) represent a real resemblance to the Cheremis keremets ()" This means that in those years the Old Believers essentially continued the Vedic tradition itself.
A little over a century and a half has passed, and now the Metropolitan of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas has already served a solemn prayer service on the shore of the lake, and consecrated a chapel next to it. Not only the Old Believers, but also the Orthodox Church itself “accepted” Svetloyar and no longer honors it as a place of “pagan idolatry,” but as its shrine...
Pilgrimage to Kitezh-grad on Svetloyar
And this legend about the city of saints and righteous people brought many wonderful people, artists, and writers to the shores of Svetloyar.
Pavel Melnikov-Pechersky, inspired by his meeting with the lake, told its legend in the novel “In the Woods”, as well as in the story “Grisha”. Journalist Alexander Gatsisky, one of the first editors of the first local newspaper “Nizhny Novgorod Provincial Gazette,” wrote about Kitezh. Maxim Gorky visited here, who spoke about Svetloyar in the essay “Bugrov”, as well as Vladimir Korolenko (“In Deserted Places”), then Mikhail Prishvin (“Bright Lake”). The poet Zinaida Gippius and the mystical writer Dmitry Merezhkovsky addressed the great mystery of Svetloyar and the city of Kitezh.
Based on the legend of the city of Kitezh, an opera was created by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Lake Svetloyar was captured in their paintings by Nikolai Romadin, Ilya Glazunov... And now artists Nikolai Shaplyko and Ekaterina Sorokina have created paintings about the lake.
And now miracles are happening on the shore of Svyatloyar... No, Kitezh has not yet risen from the clear lake waters. But people with very different views still gather at Svetloyar. The Holy Lake also calls to its waters those who preach the ideas of Roerich. Others stage entire battles from Tolkien’s cult fantasy books on the shores of the lake. And next to the Old Believers and the hierarchs of the official Orthodox Church, modern pagan Rodnovers hold their prayers to Yarila and Veles...
© A. Asov, researcher of Vedic antiquity, translator of the “Book of Veles”, restorer of Slavic legends published in the books “Vedas of Russia”
