Where is the city of Kitezh located? Kitezh - a legendary city, interesting facts
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The Legend of the City of Kitezh
Kitezh, City Kitezh, Kitezh-grad, Big Kitezh is a flooded invisible city of pious Christians located, according to legend, at the bottom of Lake Svetloyar: sometimes a powerful sound is heard from the depths of the lake, reminiscent of the clear sound of a bell. Located approximately one and a half kilometers from the village. Vladimirskoye, Voskresensky district, on the river. Lunda, within the boundaries of the Nizhny Novgorod Povetluzhye reserve.
It is believed that Kitezh-grad miraculously escaped from the conquerors during the Mongol-Tatar invasion of the 13th century. For Batu and his hordes preparing to capture the city, he became invisible and then sank to the bottom of Lake Svetloyar along with all the pious inhabitants. According to legend, Kitezh-grad exists invisibly to this day; the righteous who have pleased God can see the holy city.
This holy, noble and great prince Georgy Vsevolodovich was the son of the holy, noble and great prince Vsevolod, the miracle worker of Pskov, who was named Gabriel in holy baptism. This holy, noble and great prince Vsevolod was the son of the great prince Mstislav, and the grandson of the holy and equal-to-the-apostles great prince Vladimir of Kyiv, autocrat of the Russian land. The holy noble and great prince Georgy Vsevolodovich is the great-grandson of the holy noble and great prince Vladimir.
And the holy noble prince Vsevolod first reigned in Veliky Novgorod. But at one time the Novgorodians grumbled about him and decided among themselves: our prince, unbaptized, owns us, the baptized. And they held a council, and came to him, and drove him out. He came to Kyiv to his uncle Yaropolk and told him everything for which he was expelled by the Novgorodians. And he, having learned about this, gave him Vyshgorod as his possession. And here the Pskovites already begged him to reign with them, and he came to them in the city of Pskov. And after some time he received the grace of holy baptism, and was named Gabriel in holy baptism. And he remained in great polish and abstinence, and after one year he departed into eternal rest, 6671 (1163) years, the month of February on the eleventh day. And he was buried by his faithful son and Grand Duke George. And there were many miracles from his holy relics to the glory and praise of Christ our God and all the saints. Amen.
This holy, blessed Prince Georgy Vsevolodovich, after the death of his father, Prince Vsevolod, who was named Gabriel in holy baptism, remained in his place at the request of the Pskovites. This happened in 6671 (1163). The holy, blessed and Grand Duke Georgy Vsevolodovich deigned to go to the blessed Prince Mikhail of Chernigov. And when the noble and great prince George came to the noble prince Michael, he bowed to the noble prince Mikhail and said to him: “Be in good health, oh noble and great prince Michael, for many years, shining with piety and the faith of Christ, in everything you became like our great-grandfathers and great-grandmother our blessed Grand Duchess, Christ-loving Olga, who found the most dear and great treasure - Christ and the faith of his holy prophets and apostles and holy fathers, and the blessed Christ-loving Tsar and our Equal-to-the-Apostles great-grandfather Tsar Constantine.” And the blessed Prince Mikhail said to him: “Be healthy, O blessed and Grand Duke George Vsevolodovich, you came to me with good advice and an unenvious eye. After all, what did Svyatopolk gain because of envy of our grandfathers, who desired power and killed his brothers, the faithful and the great princes! He ordered Boris to be pierced with a spear, and Gleb to be killed with a knife, during the years of their reign. After all, he deceived them flatteringly at the instigation of Satan, as if their mother was dying. They, like gentle lambs, became like their good shepherd Christ, and did not stand against their brother, their enemy. The Lord glorified his holy saints, the noble princes and great wonderworkers Boris and Gleb.”
And Prince George and Prince Mikhail kissed each other, and celebrated spiritually, and had fun; and the noble and great prince George said to the noble prince Mikhail: “Give me a letter, in our Rus' we can build churches and cities in fortified places.” And the noble and great prince Michael said to him: “As you wish, build the church of God for the glory and praise of the most holy name of God. For such a good intention of yours, you will receive a reward on the day of Christ’s coming.”
And they feasted for many days. And when the blessed Prince George decided to return to his inheritance, then the noble Prince Mikhail ordered the letter to be written and put his hand to the letter. And when the blessed Prince George went to his fatherland and city, then the noble Prince Mikhail with great honor let him go and saw him off. And when both princes were already on their way and bowed to each other in farewell, the blessed Prince Mikhail gave a letter. The noble Prince George took the letter from the faithful Prince Mikhail and bowed to him, and then he also answered him.
And Prince George went through the cities, and when he arrived in Novgorod, he ordered the construction of a church in the name of the Dormition of our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary in the year 6672 (1164). From Novgorod he went to Pskov, his city, where his father, the blessed Prince Vsevolod, reposed, and in holy baptism Gabriel, the Novgorod and Pskov wonderworker. And he went from Pskov-grad to Moscow, and ordered to build a church in the name of the Dormition of our Blessed Virgin Mary. and the ever-virgin Mary in the year 6672 (1164). And he went from Moscow to Pereslavl-Zalessky, and from Pereslavl-grad to Rostov-grad. At that very time, Grand Duke Andrei Bogolyubsky was in the city of Rostov. And the noble Prince George commanded in that city of Rostov to build a church in the name of the Dormition of our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and the ever-Virgin Mary in the year 6672 (1164), the month of May on the twenty-third day. In the days of Grand Duke George, they began to dig ditches under the foundation of the church and found the buried relics of St. Leonty of Christ, Bishop of Rostov, a miracle worker who converted people in Rostov-grad to the faith of Christ and baptized them, young and old. And the blessed Prince George rejoiced with great joy, and glorified God, who had given him such a valuable treasure, and sang a prayer service. And he ordered Andrei, Prince Bogolyubsky, to go to the city of Murom and build a church in the city of Murom in the name of the Dormition of our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and the ever-Virgin Mary.
The noble and grand duke himself left the city of Rostov and arrived in the city of Yaroslavl, which stands on the banks of the Volga River. And he got into the plow, and drove down the Volga, and landed at the shore of Maly Kitezh, which stands on the banks of the Volga, and rebuilt it, and all the people of the city began to pray to that noble prince George, so that the miraculous image of the icon Holy Mother of God Fedorovsky brought him to the city to join them. He fulfilled the request. They began to sing a prayer service to the Most Holy Theotokos. And when they finished and wanted to carry that image to the city, the image did not leave its place and did not move at all. The blessed Prince George, seeing the will of the Most Holy Theotokos, who chose a place for herself here, ordered to build a monastery on that place in the name of the Most Holy Theotokos of Fedorov.
The blessed Prince George himself left that place by land, and not by water. And he crossed the river Uzola, and a second river named Sandu, and a third river named Sanogtu, and a fourth river named Kerzhenets, and came to a lake named Svetloyar. And I saw that place, unusually beautiful and crowded; and at the request of its inhabitants, the noble prince Georgy Vsevolodovich ordered to build a city on the shore of that lake of Svetloyar, named Big Kitezh, for the place was unusually beautiful, and on the other side of that lake there was an oak grove.
And with the advice and command of the blessed and Grand Duke Georgy Vsevolodovich, they began to dig ditches to strengthen this place. And they began to build a church in the name of the Exaltation of the Honorable Cross of the Lord, and a second church in the name of the Dormition of our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, and a third church in the name of the Annunciation of our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary. In the same churches, Prince George ordered chapels to be made in honor of other feasts of the Lord and the Mother of God. He also ordered the images of all the saints to be painted.
And that city, Big Kitezh, was a hundred yards in length and width, and this first measure was small. And the noble prince George ordered to add another hundred fathoms in length, and the measure of that city became two hundred fathoms in length, and one hundred fathoms in width. And they began to build that stone city in the year 6673 (1165), the month of May on the first day, in memory of the holy prophet Jeremiah and others like him. And that city took three years to build, and it was built in the year 6676 (1167), the month of September on the thirtieth day, in memory of the holy hieromartyr Gregory, bishop of Greater Armenia.
And the noble Prince Georgy Vsevolodovich went to Maly Kitezh, which stands on the banks of the Volga. And after the construction of those cities, Small and Large, he ordered to measure in fields how much distance they had between themselves. And by order of the blessed Prince George, they decided on a hundred fields. And the noble prince Georgy Vsevolodovich, having learned this, gave glory to God and the Most Holy Theotokos and also ordered the chronicler to write a book. And the blessed and Grand Duke George himself ordered the entire service to be served. And having sung a prayer service to the Most Holy Theotokos of Fedorov, after completing that service, he sailed in his boat on his journey to his previously mentioned city of Pskov. The people saw him off with great honor; and, having said goodbye to him, they released him.
The noble Prince Georgy Vsevolodovich, having arrived in his city, formerly called Pskov, spent many days in prayer, and in fasting, and in vigil, and distributed a lot of alms to the poor, and widows, and orphans. And after those cities were built, he lived for seventy-five years. There were 6747 (1239) in a year. By God's permission, for the sake of our sins, the wicked and godless Tsar Batu came to Rus' in war. And he destroyed the cities and burned them with fire, and he also destroyed the churches of God and burned them with fire. He put people to the sword, stabbed little children with a knife, and desecrated young virgins with fornication. And there was a great cry.
The noble Prince Georgy Vsevolodovich, hearing about all this, cried bitterly. And, having prayed to the Lord and the Most Holy Mother of God, he gathered his army and went against the wicked King Batu with his soldiers. And when both armies entered the battle, there was a great slaughter and bloodshed. At that time, the noble Prince George had few soldiers, and the noble Prince George ran from the wicked Tsar Batu down the Volga to Small Kitezh. And the noble Prince George fought for a long time with the wicked Tsar Batu, not letting him into his city.
When night fell, then the blessed Prince George secretly left this city for the Great City of Kitezh. The next morning, when that wicked king woke up, he attacked the city with his soldiers and captured it. And he beat and chopped up all the people in this city. And, not finding the faithful prince in that city, he began to torment one of the inhabitants, and he, unable to bear the torment, opened the way for him. The same wicked man chased after the prince. And when he came to the city, he attacked it with many of his soldiers and took that city of Big Kitezh, which is on the shore of Lake Svetloyar, and killed the noble Prince George, on the fourth day of the month of February. And that wicked king Batu left that city. And after him they took the relics of the blessed prince Georgy Vsevolodovich. And after that devastation, those cities were desolate: Small Kitezh, which stands on the banks of the Volga, and Bolshoi, which is on the shores of Lake Svetloyar.
And Greater Kitezh will be invisible until the coming of Christ, which happened in former times, as the lives of the holy fathers testify, the Patericon of Monasia, and the Patericon of Skete, and the Patericon of Alphabet, and the Patericon of Jerusalem, and the Patericon of the Holy Mountain, and these holy books, in which the lives of the holy fathers have been written, they agree that the hidden monastery is not one, but there are many monasteries, and in those monasteries there are many many holy fathers, like heavenly stars, shining with their lives. Just as the sand of the sea cannot be counted, so it is impossible to describe everything. It is about them, seeing with the holy spirit, that the blessed prophet David the King, amazed, cries out in the holy spirit, in his inspired book of Psalms, he says: “The righteous blooms like a palm tree and rises like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they bloom in the courts of our God.” And the same prophet King David: “Lofty are your thoughts to me, O God, how great are their number; I will begin to count them, but they are more numerous than sand.” The blessed Apostle Paul in his epistle speaks of them, foreseeing with the Holy Spirit; This word addresses us: “They wandered in sheepskins and goatskins, enduring hardships, sorrows, bitterness, those of whom the whole world was not worthy.” Saint John Chrysostom spoke the same word in his teaching on the third week of Lent. Saint Anastasius from Mount Sinai addresses the same word to us, foreseeingly. Our venerable father Hilarion the Great, foreseeingly, addresses the same apostolic word to us; he writes about the saints: “And it will be the same in the last times: there will be hidden cities and monasteries, because the Antichrist will begin to reign in the world, Then they will flee to the mountains, and into dens and into the abysses of the earth.” And the humane God will not abandon those who want to be saved. Through zeal, tenderness, and tears, man receives everything from God. The divine lips of the Savior himself proclaimed in the Holy Gospel that “everything will be given to him who has and wants to be saved.”
And after the murder of the holy and noble and great prince George Vsevolodovich, and after the burial of his honorable relics, in the sixth year that Tsar Batu came to fight in the Russian kingdom. The noble prince Mikhail of Chernigov with his boyar Theodore went against Batu the Tsar. And when the two armies fought, there was great bloodshed. And that wicked Tsar Batu killed the faithful and Grand Duke Mikhail of Chernigov with the boyar Theodore in the year 6750 (1241), the month of September on the twentieth day. And after the murder of the faithful Prince Mikhail of Chernigov, two years later, that wicked Tsar Batu killed the faithful Prince Mercury of Smolensk in the year 6755 (1246), the month of November on the twenty-fourth day. And there was the desolation of the Moscow kingdom, and other monasteries, and that city of Greater Kitezh in the year 6756 (1248).
THE STORY AND RECORD ABOUT THE SECRET CITY OF KITEZH
If a person promises to truly go into it, and not falsely, and from his zeal begins to fast, and sheds many tears, and goes into it, and promises to die by starvation rather than leave him, and to endure many other sorrows and even death to die, know that God will save him, that his every step will be known and recorded by an angel. For he took the path of salvation, as books testify to this, such as the Patericon of Skete. There was a certain father, and he converted a harlot from fornication. The harlot went with him to the monastery. And she came to the gates of that monastery and died. And she was saved. And the other also went into the desert with her father and died. And the angels took her soul and took her up the stairs to heaven.
Same with that person. If it happens that he dies, he will judge according to the Divine Scripture. For the one who runs is spiritually similar to the one fleeing from the harlot of Babylon, the dark and full of filth of this world, which Saint John the Theologian wrote about in “Revelation,” his book. He speaks of the end times as of a woman sitting on a seven-headed beast, naked and shameless. In her hands she holds a cup full of all filth and stench, and gives it to those who live and love it in the world - first of all, to the patriarchs, kings, and princes, and governors, and all rich rulers, and all the people in this world vanity, loving its sweetness.
The one who wants and desires to be saved must flee the world and its sweetness. As the same John said, foreseeing with the Holy Spirit: “The woman will run into the desert, and the serpent will follow in her wake, the one who seduces the one who wants to live humbly and spiritually from the right path.” And that damned serpent teaches you to walk along a wide and spacious path, the path of evil, and leads you astray from the right path, and seduces you, and orders you to live a corrupt life, and frightens those who walk along the right path.
But the one who wants, and seeks, and desires salvation, that person is most enlightened by the grace of God, and helps him, and teaches, and leads him to a perfect spiritual, humble life. For no one has ever been abandoned by the Lord anywhere. Whenever he called, he was heard. And when he asks, will he not be accepted? And what he does not seek, will he not find it in him? For the Lord accepts everyone who comes to him, with joy and calls everyone. After all, usually even the powers in heaven do not see the face of God. And when a sinner on earth repents, then all the heavenly powers clearly see the face of Christ, and the glory of his deity is revealed, and they see his face. For for the sake of the single repentant sinful soul, there is joy in heaven to all the powers of heaven and to all his saints. And the powers are angels and archangels, cherubim and seraphim, principles, powers, and dominions. And this is who the saints are: prophets, and apostles, and saints, and saints, and righteous people, martyrs, and martyrs, and other saints. For the sake of a single sinner of repentance, there is joy to all the powers of heaven and to all his saints.
But the Lord does not force the one who does not want, does not strive, does not want to receive salvation for himself through need and involuntarily. But according to zeal and the will of the heart, God does everything to man. When someone makes a vow with an unhypocritical mind and unshakable faith and does not think about anything vain in himself, then even if he returns back without telling his father, mother, sisters, or brothers, then the Lord opens the way for him and guides him. him into such a good and quiet refuge through the prayers of our reverend fathers that they work day and night incessantly. The prayer of their lips is like a fragrant censer. They also pray for those who want to be saved with a sincere heart, and not with a false vow. And if anyone wants to be saved and prays, whoever turns to them, he is accepted with joy as being instructed by God. And whoever wants to go to such a holy place should not have any evil and depraved thoughts, confusing the mind and leading the thoughts of the person who wants to go to the side. Keep a firm watch on the evil thoughts that seek to separate you from that place. And don’t think about this and that. The Lord will guide such a person on the path of salvation. Or a message will come to him from that city or from that monastery that both, the city and the monastery, are hidden. There is also a chronicler-book about the monastery. Let me return to the first word.
If he goes and begins to doubt and praise everywhere, then the Lord will close the city to him. And it will seem to him like a forest or an empty place. And he will not receive anything like that, but only his work will be in vain. And temptation, and reproach, and reproach will come to him for this from God. Execution will take place here and in the next century, condemnation and complete darkness for desecrating such a holy place, over the miracle that appeared at the end of our century: the city became invisible, just as in former times there were many monasteries that became invisible, about this was written in the lives of the holy fathers, you can read more there.
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. And he became invisible through the prayer and petition of those who come to him worthily and righteously, who will not see the grief and sorrow from the beast Antichrist. Only they mourn for us day and night, for our retreat, for our entire Moscow state, because the Antichrist reigns in it and all his commandments are nasty and unclean.
The fathers talk about the desolation of that city, and they heard from previous fathers who lived after the destruction of the city and a hundred years after the wicked and godless Tsar Batu. For he destroyed all that land of Zauzol and burned the villages with fire. And the whole country of Zauzol was overgrown with forest. And from that time on, that city and the monastery became invisible.
We wrote this book-chronicle in the year 6759 (1251), and approved it by the council, and delivered it to the saint God's Church for the strengthening of all Orthodox Christians who want to read or listen, and not blaspheme, this divine scripture. If any person scolds or mocks this scripture, which we have approved, let him know that he has not blasphemed us, but God and his most pure mother, our mistress the Mother of God and the ever-virgin Mary. In whom her great name, the Mother of God, is glorified, magnified, and remembered, those she preserves, preserves, and covers with her hand, offering a prayer for them to her son: “Do not leave my petition in contempt, O dear son. You, who washed the whole world with your blood, have mercy on these too and preserve and protect those who call on my name with undoubted faith and a pure heart.” And therefore the Lord covered them with His hand, about which we wrote, and approved, and announced.
And to this our resolution we cannot add, subtract or change in any way, not a single period or comma. If anyone adds or changes in any way, let him be, according to the tradition of the holy fathers, cursed, according to the tradition of those who announced and confirmed this. If anyone thinks this is incorrect, then read the lives of the former saints and find out what happened in former times. Glory to the trinity of the glorified God and his most pure Mother of God, who observes and preserves this place, and to all the saints. Amen.
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 amazing 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 became tourist center. It is now called Russian Shambhala, and Kitezh - Russian Atlantis. IN general place 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 species lakes: neither glacial, nor karst, nor meteorite. How did this come about? amazing lake? 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 is in anomalous zone, then several wells were 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. IN specified time ruled by George's grandfather Yuri Dolgoruky, the founder of Moscow. 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 on far east for protection from 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 mysterious city should we look 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. 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 - 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 by 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.
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”). TO great secret The poet Zinaida Gippius and the mystical writer Dmitry Merezhkovsky addressed 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 conduct 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”
The only hints about the real existence of Kitezh can be found in the book “The 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 Vladimirsky at the end of the 12th century. According to legend, the prince, returning from a trip to Novgorod, stopped along the way near Lake Svetloyar to rest. But he was unable to really rest: the prince was captivated by the beauty of those places. He immediately ordered the construction of the city of Big Kitezh on the shore of the lake.
Lake Svetloyar is located in Nizhny Novgorod region. It is located near the village of Vladimirsky, Voskresensky district, in the Lunda basin, a tributary of the Vetluga River. The lake is 210 meters long, 175 meters wide, and total area water surface - about 12 hectares. There is still no consensus on how the lake 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.
The name of the lake itself comes from two ancient Russian words: “bright”, that is, pure, righteous, and, which is the root of the name of the Russian solar deity Yarila, who was worshiped by the ancient Slavic tribes.
Many legends of the period before the capture of Rus' by Christians are associated with Lake Svetloyar. They also mention the city of Kitezh.
According to one legend, in the area of Lake Svetloyar the magical half-horse-half-man Kitovras, a powerful wizard and builder of ancient temples, as well as the god of wisdom and hops Kvasura, were born. The name of the city of Kitezh came from their names.
In the area of Lake Svetloyar lived the Slavic tribe of Berendeys. Their descendants have preserved to this day the legend that since ancient times, one of the largest religious centers of the cult of Yarila was located in Kitezh. This place was considered sacred for Russian princes.
The bloody baptism of Rus' deprived the native Russian faith of both the Magi and the temples, taking over truly Russian sacred places.
Allegedly, Kitezh was turned into a center Orthodox faith, and the princes continued to visit him as if nothing had changed.
Many Orthodox churches were built on the site of temples, since it was believed that such places are special - they are sources of strong positive energy. The names of the ancient gods were gradually replaced by the names of saints, but the very place of worship of higher powers, which has truly magical energy, remained the same. That is why the area of Lake Svetloyar has been shrouded in legends and mysticism since ancient times.
Great Kitezh was planned as majestic city. There were many temples in it, and it was built entirely of white stone, which at that time was a sign of wealth and purity.
The length of the built city was 200 fathoms (straight fathom - the distance between the ends of the fingers, arms outstretched in different directions, approximately 1.6 meters), width - 100.
Those were times not best suited for peaceful existence. Discord between the principalities, raids of the Tatars and Bulgarians, forest predators - a rare person dared to get out of the city walls without weapons.
In 1237, the Mongol-Tatars under the leadership of Batu Khan invaded the territory of Rus'.
The Ryazan princes were the first to be attacked. They tried to turn to Prince Yuri Vladimirsky for help, but were refused. The Tatars ravaged Ryazan without difficulty; then they moved to the Vladimir Principality.
The son Vsevolod sent by Yuri was defeated at Kolomna and fled to Vladimir. The Tatars captured Moscow and captured Yuri's other son, Prince Vladimir. Prince Yuri, when he learned about this, left the capital to his sons Mstislav and Vsevolod. I went to gather troops.
He set up a camp near Rostov on the Sit River 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 devastated, and the family of Yuri Vsevolodovich died in a 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 Batu’s troops on the Sit River. Rostov Bishop Kirill found the headless body of the prince on the battlefield and took him to Rostov. Later they found and attached the head to the body.
Here ends the facts that are confirmed by scientists. Let's return to the legend.
Batu heard about the wealth that was kept 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 marched to Kitezh through the forest, and along the way they cut a clearing. The Tatars were led by the traitor Grishka Kuterma. He was taken in the neighboring city, Maly Kitezh (present-day Gorodets). Grishka could not stand the torture and agreed to show the way to the Holy City. Alas, Susanin did not succeed from Kuterma: Grishka led the Tatars to Kitezh.
On that terrible day, three Kitezh heroes were on patrol near the city. They were the first to see the enemies. Before the battle, one of the warriors 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.
Meanwhile, the heroes tried to restrain the Khan’s army. No one survived. According to legend, at the place where three heroes died, the holy spring of Kibelek appeared - it still flows.
The Mongol-Tatars besieged the city. The townspeople understood that there was no chance. A handful of people against Batu’s well-armed and organized army is certain death. Nevertheless, the townspeople were not going to give up without a fight. They came out onto the walls with weapons. People prayed in the evening and all night long. The Tatars waited for the morning to launch an attack.
And a miracle happened: the bells suddenly rang, the earth shook, and in front of the eyes of the amazed Tatars, Kitezh began to plunge into the waters of Lake Svetloyar.
The legend is ambiguous. And people interpret it differently. Some claim that Kitezh went under water, others that it sank into the ground. There are adherents of the theory that the city was closed off from the Tatars by the mountains. Others believe that he took to the skies. But the most interesting theory says that Kitezh simply became invisible.
Struck by the power of the “Russian miracle,” the Tatars began to run in all directions. But God's wrath overtook them: those who were devoured by the animals, those who got lost in the forest or simply went missing, taken away by a mysterious force. The city disappeared.
According to legend, he should “manifest” only before the end of the world. But you can see it and even achieve it now. A person in whom there is no sin will discern the reflection of white stone walls in the waters of Lake Svetloyar.
According to legend, Kitezh sank into the waters of the sacred Lake Svetloyar. The sanctity of its waters was extended to the city itself and its inhabitants. Therefore, the image of a city inhabited by the righteous was born, passing unharmed through the sacred waters and passing into a better world.
Let us now fast forward 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 its legend in the novel “In the Woods”, as well as in the story “Grisha”. The lake was visited by Maxim Gorky (essay “Bugrov”), Vladimir Korolenko (essay cycle “In desert places"), Mikhail Prishvin (essay "Bright 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.
Nowadays, science fiction writers and especially fantasy authors have become interested in the legend of Kitezh. It’s clear why: the image of a hidden city is romantic and fits perfectly into a fantasy work. Among works of this kind, we can name, for example, the story “The Hammers of Kitezh” by Nik Perumov and “Red Shift” by Evgeny Gulyakovsky.
Naturally, scientists did not ignore the mystery of Kitezh. Expeditions were sent to Lake Svetloyar, more than once.
Drilling off the shores of the lake yielded nothing. The searches of archaeologists also 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. There are a lot of snags and sunken trees at the bottom.
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.
Hypotheses arose that Kitezh was not located on Lake Svetloyar. Other supposed places of “habitat” of the holy city immediately arose - there was even talk about China (allegedly Kitezh and the legendary Shambhala are the same place).
In our times, scientists have forgotten about Kitezh - there is no time for that. But at one time the legend was speculated upon 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 surrounding area are part of a nature reserve, which is protected by UNESCO.
Modern legends about Kitezh
During the Great Patriotic War, old people made pilgrimages around Svetloyar, praying for their fellow countrymen who had gone to the front.
About 20 years ago, a visiting hydrobiologist wanted to explore Svetloyar. After several dives into the water, his temperature rose sharply. The man turned to doctors, but they could not even make a diagnosis: an unknown disease developed without any objective reasons.
And only when the hydrobiologist left these places did the disease recede by itself.
One day, a resident of Nizhny Novgorod came to the vicinity of Svetloyar to pick mushrooms. He did not return home that day or the next. Relatives sounded the alarm. Search and rescue efforts did not yield any results. The man was put on the wanted list. A week later he returned home safe and sound. He answered all the questions evasively: he said he got lost, wandered through the forest. Then he generally said that he had a memory loss. Only later did he admit to his friend, who specially got him drunk, that he had been in the invisible city of Kitezh, where he was met by miraculous elders. “How can you prove it?” asked a friend. And then the mushroom picker took out a piece of bread, which he was treated to in Kitezh. However, in an instant the bread turned into stone.
They also say that in one of the museums, before the 1917 coup, a letter in Old Church Slavonic was allegedly kept, which was addressed from a son to his father. Its content boiled down to the following: a young man ended up in Kitezh thanks to some miracle and asks his parents not to bury him ahead of time.
In the recent past, divers dived to the bottom of Svetloyar. The most interesting thing is that they do not tell anyone about the results of their research. According to rumors, they never found the bottom and were very frightened by this circumstance. A body of water cannot be bottomless! There is a belief that the secrets of the lake are guarded by a miracle fish, a kind of Loch Ness monster, only in the Russian way.
