"Little Russian Atlantis", "Nizhny Novgorod Shambhala" .. Legendary ancient city was built in 1165 on the shore of Lake Svetloyar by the faithful prince Yuri Vsevolodovich, who was amazed at the beauty of those places. A reliable written source, "The Kitezh Chronicler", has reached us, where it is said that the prince named the city of Big Kitezh, and "that place was unusually beautiful, and on the other side of that lake there was an oak grove." Little was known about the city itself, except that in the middle of it there were six domes of churches, 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 seize it. When the Mongols approached Kitezh-grad, they saw that the city was not at all fortified and not ready for battle. The inhabitants did not even think about defense: they all prayed. Dumbfounded for a moment with amazement, the Tatars nevertheless moved forward, but immediately stopped. Heard bell ringing and right from the ground fountains began to fill 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 every direction, and many died, wandering in the forests. Locals they 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. Local residents talk about strange newcomers dressed in old Russian clothes and paying for bread with old Russian coins. "Isn't it time to rise up Kitezh?" - asked one such old man.
They also talk about a lost mushroom picker who returned a week later and was reluctant to answer questions. However, being forced to explain his absence, he said that he was visiting in Kitezh-grad. And as proof, he held out a piece of bread, which he was treated there.
One of the museums still keeps a letter from his son to his father, written in Old Church Slavonic. 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 be particularly 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 the light you can even read and write.
Periodically, people disappear near Lake Svetloyar in our times. Returning, they say that, wandering in the ravines, they came out to a wonderful city inhabited by the righteous, where they stayed for a few days. It is noticed that not everyone can find the way to the invisible city, but only those who truly believe with their souls. Apparently, not all guests are ready to receive the citizens of Kitezhgrad, but only their own kind.
People pass from mouth to mouth that Kitezh-grad will appear before the end of the world, but even now the one who is pure in heart can see it. It is believed that if you gaze into Lake Svetloyar in clear weather, you can catch the image of a city with domed churches and hear singing and bell ringing.
By the way, the ancient annals do not say directly that Kitezh went under water. It says that the city will disappear and "Big Kitezh will be invisible until the coming of Christ, as in former times it happened." There are suggestions that he could sink underground or, conversely, ascend into the sky. But more often than not, it is argued that he simply became invisible.
Do you think this is impossible? But the professor of the Penza State Technological Academy Sergei Volkov discovered some plasma substances invisible to the eye near Lake Svetloyar. And he even captured their manifestations on photographic and videotape. The most amazing thing, in his opinion, is that these clots have a logic of behavior. For example, they try to get closer to a group of people who are praying. These studies were confirmed by the Institute of Terrestrial Magnetism, Ionosphere and Radio Wave Propagation (IZMIRAN). According to them, there are millions of plasma bunches right around us in the electromagnetic range. Maybe they are the ones who represent the "other world" for us, which they reveal themselves only in special places like Lake Svetloyar.
On the Volga River, not far from the city of Nizhny Novgorod, there is one of the deepest lakes in this region - Svetloyar. The dimensions of the lake are not large - half a kilometer in length and a little more in width. The depth of Svetloyar is 39 meters, which is a record in the region. Water enters the lake from a deep rift in its bottom. It is crystal clear and cold.
Svetloyar is sometimes called the Russian Atlantis for its legendary history. People say that sometimes a barely audible ringing of bells can be heard from under its waters, and in the depths you can see the ghostly walls of monasteries and domes of churches.
This is the city of Kitezh, which, as legend has it, disappeared between 1.236 and 1.242 during the first Tatar-Mongol invasion of Russia. On the border of the third and fourth decades of the 13th century, the ancient Russian state was fragmented into dozens of principalities. The princes fought among themselves for power and new lands, entered into military alliances.
The name of the lake Svetloyar comes from a combination of Old Russian words: "light", also meaning pure and righteous and "yar" - not only known to everyone as a ravine, or gully, but in this case being the root of the name of the Old Russian solar deity Yarila, who in pre-Christian Russia worshiped by the ancient tribes of the Slavs. Many legends of the pre-Christian period of Russia are also associated with Lake Svetloyar. The city of Kitezh is also mentioned in the sacred book of the Old Russian faith - "The Star Book of Kolyada".
In the area of Lake Svetloyar, as the Old Russian legend tells, Kitovras was born - a magical half-horse, half-man. He was a powerful wizard and helped the Slavs build cities and temples. Kvasura, the ancient god of wisdom and hops, also lived there. It is believed that their names gave the city of Kitezh the name.
In ancient times, a Slavic tribe of Berendey lived near Lake Svetloyar. Until today, their descendants have preserved the legends about the city of Kitezh and the religious center of worship of the god Yaril located there. In ancient times, in the pre-Christian period of Russia, Kitezh was considered a sacred place among the Slavs.
After the baptism of Russia, the Slavic faith with its temples and magi gave way to Christianity, but sacred places for people remained. On the site of the temples, according to tradition, Orthodox churches began to be built, since it was believed that these places were special and were strong sources of positive energy. The names of the ancient Slavic gods gradually changed to the names of the saints, but the places of worship for the higher powers remained the same. Lake Svetloyar, which has been shrouded in legends and mysticism since ancient times, belongs to such places.
On the shore of this lake, the Grand Duke of Vladimir Yuri (Georgy) Vsevolodovich, (November 26, 1188 - March 4, 1238), the son of Vsevolod the Big Nest and built the City of Big Kitezh. In addition to it, there was also Small Kitezh (presumably modern Gorodets), built during the time of his grandfather, Yuri Dolgoruky. Big Kitezh was all built of white stone with six temples in the center of the city, which at that time was a sign of wealth. It seems that the legends united these two cities into the mystical and mysterious city of Kitezh.
Alexey Asov helped to recreate the true picture of the events of those distant times. As a basis for this, he took the chronicles and legends of those times.
In 1238 Khan Batu defeated the Vladimir-Suzdal principality. Prince Yuri Vsevolodovich remained at that time the only military leader with an army that could withstand the Tatar-Mongol invasion. Khan camped on the City River. Prince Yuri Vsevolodovich defended himself against him in Maly Kitezh. Khan Batu took the city by assault, but the prince with the remnants of the army managed to leave Small Kitezh and take refuge in Bolshoy Kitezh.
Batu intended to continue his campaign to Mediterranean Sea, but it was impossible to leave the Russian prince with his army in his rear. The path to the city lay among impenetrable swamps and forests. And then he began to torture all the captured Slavs how to get to Kitezh. To give away the sacred city for the Slavs meant to doom oneself and one's family to eternal damnation. According to legend, only one was afraid of torment and death - Grishka Kuterma. He agreed to lead Batu's army to Kitezh.
Batu Khan was the founder of the Mongol Empire and the grandson of Genghis Khan. For several years, he destroyed about half of the population of ancient Russia. Kiev, Vladimir, Suzdal, Ryazan, Tver, and many other cities were devastated and burned by him. Rich Russian culture Ancient Rus was gone. For several decades, the construction of cities practically ceased, crafts disappeared, and the southern Russian lands lost almost all of their indigenous population.
In this tragic time, a legend about the city of Kitezh arose among the people. It tells that Khan Batu learned about the city of Kitezh and ordered to conquer it. It was difficult for the Tatar-Mongol army to find the city, but one of the Russian prisoners told the Mongols about the secret routes to Lake Svetloyar and the army went to Kitezh. When they approached him, they saw that the city was not fortified and rejoiced at the forthcoming easy victory. But at the sight of the troops from under the ground, fountains of water gushed and the city of Kitezh disappeared under the water. According to legend, water did not enter the city itself, it only hid it from enemies and the townspeople did not drown. This is how God saved the people of Kitezh for their prayers and piety. This place has become sacred.
The legend about Kitezh is still alive today. People living in this area talk about strangely dressed people suddenly appearing, the disappearance of those who come to look for Kitezh and turned out to be worthy of becoming its inhabitants. The lake has long been of interest to archaeologists and geologists - employees of research institutes, as well as numerous people independently investigating the mystery of Lake Svetloyar. Among them there are those who explain everything by the laws of physics, and those who believe in the secret nature of things. All of them strive to unravel the mystery of Lake Svetloyar and the city of Kitezh that has plunged into it.
This is a legend, but many people believe in it. And there is no doubt that Lake Svetloyar is the same ancient lake about which there are old legends. Orthodox Christians come here to pray. They even say that a handful of earth from this place cures many diseases, and the water from the lake lasts for several years and does not bloom or deteriorate - like holy water. Many people believe that if you walk around the lake three times in a clockwise direction, it will fulfill your desire.
Presumably, there is a passage to another dimension in Lake Svetloyar. There is another interesting, straight-mystical version, according to which Lake Svetloyar is associated with the mysterious Shambhala. Svetloyar attracts thousands of pilgrims from all over the world. A hint of the existence of the city at the bottom of Svetloyar can also be found in the book of the late seventeenth century "The Kitezh Chronicler".
Candidate Sergei Volkov, who organized an expedition in search of the mythical city, says that people disappear in this place - some forever, others return and do not remember anything that happened to them. He spoke seriously about the possibility of visiting the lost city of Kitezh. But only true believers can get into it.
Supporters of the theory of the mystical lost city it is believed that there is a passage to another dimension in Lake Svetloyar. Proof of this is the stories of the inhabitants of the village of Vladimirskoe, which is close to Svetloyar. They saw a puddle in the clothes worn by their ancestors. When these strange people bought goods in the village - mostly bread and bagels, they paid with perfectly preserved ancient copper and silver coins. A possible explanation for this is given only by the theory of parallel worlds.
Here is what Sergei Volkov said:
“Our main discovery is to confirm the hypothesis of the existence of a plasma substance invisible to the naked eye near Svetloyar, which has the ability to manifest itself as living beings. - and photographic equipment. These plasma formations were once recorded in the laboratory by scientists of the Institute of Terrestrial Magnetism, Ionosphere and Radio Wave Propagation. Experiments at this Institute showed that in the air in the electromagnetic range there are millions of plasma clots, let's call them substance. This suggests atheists. that there is a parallel, afterlife. Svetloyar's research shows that this hypothesis is not devoid of common sense. "
Despite myths, legends and folklore, scientists have found traces of real events that happened. It is well known from geology that central areas the European part of Russia lie on a solid rock foundation. But this foundation is cut by deep, directed in different directions and often intersecting with each other. And based on this fact, according to geologists, Lake Svetloyar is located at the intersection of two very deep and large depressions. In such places, even a very large water reservoir can form very quickly.
Scientists scuba divers investigated Svetloyar and found natural anomalies... They found underwater terraces at the bottom of the lake - the shore goes under the water like a ladder. Large steep underwater slopes of Svetloyar alternate with horizontal sections of the bottom. This leads to the conclusion that Lake Svetloyar was formed in parts - the first, the lower, then after a hundred or even a thousand years - the second, and finally the third relatively recently.
The first layer of sediments of the bottom of the lake is located at a depth of 30 meters and is very ancient, the second layer is located at a depth of 20 meters and belongs to the XIII century, and the third terrace has deposits of very recent times.
At a depth of 20 meters, scuba divers found small objects made of wood and metal from the 13th century. On one of these underwater terraces, which was formerly on the shore of the lake, there may have been a real city or monastery, and then it disappeared into the waters of Lake Svetloyar.
When the lake was checked by an echo sounder, and later its echogram was removed by a geolocator, an oval anomaly became clearly visible. It was distinguished by a multi-meter sedimentary layer. Moreover, there is another area not far from this "oval". There, in the mud, the signals reflected from the bottom by a thin layer of soil were different, as if something was blocking sound. At great depths, there were hidden solid objects. When we drew a map of this area, we got a pattern that resembles a city surrounded by an embankment.
Thus, the existence of the city of Kitezh in this place is quite possible. But he did not mysteriously disappear somewhere, but simply collapsed underground as a result of tectonic activity. Only for 50 years now, scuba divers have not been able to find any traces of this. Schliemann discovered Troy, guided only by the stories of the Iliad. And here the address is exact and the lake is in front of our eyes - and all the underwater searches yielded nothing.
It remains to assume a fantastic option: the city exists, but is invisible. In addition to the ringing of its bells, which can be heard from time to time ...
During tests using a hydrophone, which is made on the principle of converting sound into an electrical signal, he suddenly began to emit sounds that resemble the echo of thunder during a storm. The geophysicists involved in the experiment said that these sounds come from a wave of magnetic disturbance that travels through the water and creates such an effect.
In some places the water simply "screamed", in others there was dead silence. But the most unexpected surprise of Lake Svetloyar was a low buzzing sound recorded by hydrophones, reminiscent of a loud bell. Most often, the lake released it before sunrise and the full moon. It was then, according to legend, that righteous people were given to see how the walls of a snow-white city with golden domes of temples are visible in the mirror of the lake.
As for the lake water itself, chemists came to the conclusion that it can remain for many days without changing its properties, thanks to the sources at the bottom of the lake with a high content of calcium and bicarbonate.
There is also a hypothesis that once there was a city - the center of Eurasia. As a result of an unprecedented disaster, the flourishing city was submerged under water.
There is a source of "living" water five kilometers from the lake - tests have shown that its acidity is zero. There are three unusual ancient graves next to him in the forest. Nobody knows who is buried there, so far from any inhabited place. Their size is several times larger than the traditional size of a Christian grave. They say that, perhaps, giants are buried in them - the ancient Lemurians, inhabitants of the mysterious country of Lemuria, which, according to legend, existed somewhere in this area thousands of years ago.
Modern science does not confirm, but does not try to refute this version of the origin of burials. But no attempts were made to exhume them. Some people come to the graves at night to worship, others vice versa. believe that this is an unclean place, regardless of the healing source located next to it. Still others take water from it and quickly leave.
The legend of Kitezh is the most famous legend about a city hidden from the enemy. However, there are quite a few such stories. In a number of regions of Russia, there are still myths about how, under the threat of looting, monasteries or entire cities went under water or hid in the mountains. It was believed that only a select few could get there from our world. In the book "The Brotherhood of the Grail" Richard Rudzitis quotes a letter from a Russian monk who sends a message to his loved ones and asks not to consider him dead. He says that he simply went to a hidden monastery to the ancient elders.
However, scientists have not come to a final conclusion: one or more hidden cities or monasteries are discussed in the question of Kitezh. One way or another, the prevalence of such legends and their undoubted similarity once again proves the reliability of this story. However, the more research is conducted on Lake Svetloyar, the more questions scientists have that still have to be answered.
Modern legends about Kitezh
During the Great Patriotic War the 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 investigate Svetloyar. After several dives in 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, the disease receded by itself.
Once in the vicinity of Svetloyar, a resident came to pick mushrooms Nizhny Novgorod... He did not return home either that day or the next. Relatives sounded the alarm. Search and rescue operations did not yield any results. The man was put on the wanted list. And a week later he returned home safe and sound. He answered all questions evasively: they say, he got lost, wandered through the forest. Then he generally said that he had a blackout. Only later did he confess to his friend, who made him drunk on purpose, that he was in the invisible city of Kitezh, where he was met by the 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 to stone.
They also say that in one of the museums, before the coup of 1917, a letter was allegedly kept in the Old Slavonic language, which was addressed from son to father. Its content boiled down to the following: the 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. The reservoir 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.
There is an even more fantastic legend about Lake Svetloyar. Locals say that it has an underground bottom and connects with the waters of Lake Baikal. Again, no confirmation of this was found. However, these popular beliefs were not refuted.
However, the inhabitants of the otherworldly Kitezh themselves often visit our world. Old-timers say that it happened that an old man with a long gray beard in old Slavic clothes came into an ordinary village store. He asked to sell bread, and paid with old Russian coins of the times of the Tatar-Mongol yoke. Moreover, the coins looked like new. Often the elder asked the question: “How is it now in Russia? Isn't it time to rise up Kitezh? " However, local residents replied that it was too early. They know better, because the place around the lake is special, and people here live in constant contact with the miracle. Even those who come from other areas feel an unusual halo.
The legend of Kitezh has come down to us in the literary processing of the Old Believers: The Verb Chronicler Book, in its final form, took shape in the second half of the 18th century. among one of the interpretations of the Old Believers-bespopovtsy - runners. But both components of the monument, quite separate and independent, are taken away in the 17th century. At the same time, the first part, which tells about Prince Georgy Vsevolodovich, his murder by Batu and the devastation of Kitezh, reflected legends dating back to the time of Batu's invasion.
No matter how legendary the legend is and how far from correct the cited historical dates are, it was based on actual events. “Holy noble and Grand Duke Georgy Vsevolodovich” is the Grand Duke of Vladimir and Suzdal, Georgy II Vsevolodovich, who fought with Batu's army and laid down his head in an unequal battle on the river. City. The connection of Maly Kitezh (Gorodets) with the name of Georgy Vsevolodovich has a completely historical background: from 1216 to 1219 (before the Vladimir table was taken) the prince went there on an inheritance; in 1237, when Batu's hordes approached Vladimir, Georgy Vsevolodovich went to the Yaroslavl land, within which both cities were located - Big and Small Kitezh, and where the battle lost by the Russians took place.
Of course, the legendary image of the prince is not completely identical to the historical one. Georgy Vsevolodovich was given a fictitious pedigree: he descends from the holy prince Vladimir and is the son of the holy Vsevolod Mstislavich of Novgorod. This invented genealogy, which does not correspond to the actual pedigree of Prince George, reinforces the motive of holiness - the leading motive of the legend.
The second part of "The Book of the Verb Chronicler" - "The Tale and Examination of the Intimate City of Kitezh" - is devoid of any historical background, it belongs to the type of legendary apocryphal monuments treating the earthly paradise. The image of the “secret” city of Kitezh stands somewhere in the middle between the “earthly paradise” of the most ancient Russian apocrypha and Belovodye, the legendary happy land that became so popular among Russian peasants in the 18th century.
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 prospecting party from Yaroslavl, while drilling a well near the village of Vorotilovo (Koverninsky District), found "pebbles"! At a depth of one and a half kilometers, black crystals of irregular shape have been deposited. They turned out to be technical diamonds. These are found in the Arctic and Yakutia. These gems lamellar, which is not the case with traditional diamonds. And scientists do not yet understand how they arose. One thing is clear: it was not without the impact of high temperatures and geological underground shifts. Kaverninsky diamonds cannot be turned into diamonds; they cannot be cut due to their lamellar structure. But these stones have the same durability 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 should be continued, since, possibly, these places are included in the Diamond Belt of Russia.
A city next to a volcano
Where would diamonds with oil come from in the Trans-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 bowels of the earth and to this day "are not asleep."
Explorers can tell a lot of interesting things about the phenomena that still affect our lives today. So the specialists of "Volgogeology" from Yaroslavl, together with diamonds, discovered a volcano in the Koverninskaya wilderness. More precisely, a volcano crater at a depth of fifty meters.
Studies of rock samples revealed 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 streams of lava, which crawled up to today's Balakhna. After the giant exploded, such an amount of rock escaped from its bowels that it covered the mouth.
Did you know?
The only hints at the real existence of Kitezh can be found in the book "The Kitezh Chronicler". This book, according to scientists, was written at the end of the seventeenth century.
Vorotilovsky ledge
It is difficult to imagine this picture: huge stones weighing several tons and up to a hundred meters in diameter rolled from the top. Then they were scattered over the territory of Chkalovsky, Koverninsky, Sokolsky and Gorodetsky districts.
All of them are reliably buried under layers of soil along with the volcano's crater. This formation is called the Vorotilovsky 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.
What if we find something similar? Cameroon is also located on a plain and not in mountainous terrain like most fire-breathing mountains. Is there a chance that the volcano will wake up?
- No! - the geologists answer. The giant fell asleep millions of years ago with an eternal sleep.
Did you know?
Lake Svetloyar is 210 meters long, 175 meters wide, and the total area of the water surface is about 12 hectares
Shaking the chandeliers, the house is dancing
Geologists find an explanation for the strange tremors in the "stable" regions of central Russia. Forty years ago, residents of Nizhny Novgorod 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 were weak, more like the echo of some kind of distant. And then no one thought, why did we begin to shake (by the way, for the second time in recent years), 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, a repetition of tremors is very likely in the future.
Versions
Until now, there is no consensus on how Lake Svetloyar originated. Someone insists on the glacial origin theory, someone defends the karst hypothesis. There is a version that the lake appeared after a meteorite fell
Lithospheric plates move slowly across the mantle surface
In general, the citizens of Nizhny Novgorod walk their streets, roads, fields, confidently, believing that there is nothing firmer under their feet. Indeed, at one time, everyone read in a geography textbook about the stability of the platform on which our region is located.
However, geologists know that it is inexorably dropping by 3-4 millimeters a 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 runs under Nizhny Novgorod region, along the channel of the Volga and Oka.
This is clearly visible to the ordinary eye: the right bank of the waterways is raised 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 whole structure moves and causes light earthquakes in our area. Many years ago, these natural phenomena were destructive.
Legend
A version of the legend says that George the Victorious himself went down 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, the frightened people left the territory of the Volga-Vyatka region.
Now earthquakes are much weaker, but still palpable, judging by the events of the beginning of the century. During the new century, Nizhny Novgorod residents are only threatened - in extreme cases - by bursting glasses, doors slamming by themselves, and clocks stopping. No more.
However, even venerable scientists do not know all the secrets of nature, which presents people with unexpected surprises. We do not need strong subsurface fluctuations due to landslides. Many residents of Nizhny Novgorod remember how one of the clay slopes of the Dyatlovy Mountains collapsed in 1974. The land completely blocked the Oksky exit.
Svetloyar lake. Voskresensky district
The neighbors of Kirov have long had problems associated with earthquakes. Natural disasters haunted them five times over the past century. One of the earthquakes was magnitude six on the Richter scale!
Legend
And this city of Big Kitezh has become invisible and is being guarded by the hand of God, - so at the end of our century of many rebellious and worthy tears, the Lord covered that city with his hand."The Tale and Punishment of the Secret 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 not at all like a dying shock wave, which supposedly reached northern regions from seismically unfavorable southern latitudes.
Inevitably, the thought comes that the center of 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 Svetloyar Lake was formed as a result of the 1230 earthquake.
Kitezh grad. Legend, interesting facts
There are a great many legends about the city of Kitezh, on the site of which Lake Svetloyar is 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, but they lived for it. stone walls people are extremely righteous, philosophers, spiritual teachers. The relics 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 rise from the water
Prince Vladimir-Suzdal Yuri Vsevolodovich
In the thirteenth century, Prince Yuri Vsevolodovich faced a horde of Tatars and fought 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 Big Kitezh by secret paths. According to the official version, he was killed there by the enemy, who caught up with him. However, the Kitezh chronicler claims that the prince survived. He entered the city, after which he went to the ringing of bells.
According to another version, Kitezh did not dissolve, but sank to the bottom of Svetloyar, where it is 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 Turk. But after the Turk became angry, her horse hit the ground with its hoof. At this place, a spring immediately gushed out, 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 Woods". 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. Khan Batu heard about Kitezh and was eager to conquer it. From the 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 right there from under the ground jets of water burst out, under which the magic city disappeared.
People from parallel worlds. Facts
Later and more advanced versions say that a tunnel has formed in the lake, which leads to. As proof, they cite the stories of 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, marveled at the outlandish delicacies in brightly colored packages with pictures, but dared to buy only bread and cereals, trying to pay with old silver coins.
It is also said that the lake is mysteriously connected with Shambhala. One way or another, but every summer thousands of people come here from different countries and different cities... They say that the water here is holy, it cures many diseases.
Did you know?
Lake Svetloyar was painted by artists Nikolai Romadin, Ilya Glazunov and many others. Poets Akhmatova and Tsvetaeva mention the city of Kitezh in their work.
But according to hydrobiological scientists, the city of Kitezh (if there was one) was destroyed not by the evil intentions of Khan Batu, but by 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 in a strong earthquake, sinkholes swallow entire neighborhoods. modern cities... And small locality with wooden houses as a result of a natural disaster could easily disappear from the surface.
Kitezh (Kitezh-grad) - in 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 is inhabited only by the righteous, and the wicked are 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 by the Lunda River.
For many years, archaeologists-submariners have been trying to solve the riddle of Lake Svetloyar, where, as they say in folk legends, the magical city of Kitezh is buried.
Legends about Kitezh
According to legend, on the banks of Svetloyar, Prince Yuri Vsevolodovich built the city of Big Kitezh. Particular emphasis is placed on the fact that the city was built in just 3 years - from 1165 to 1168 - and immediately made of stone, which was an unthinkable feat for forest Russia of that era. When the hordes of Batu invaded Russia, they captured and ruined the city of Maly Kitezh (or Gorodets) and, fleeing the Mongol army, Prince Yuri took refuge in Bolshoy Kitezh, lost among the forest thickets of the Volga region.
But Batu learned the way to Big Kitezh and laid siege to it. Its inhabitants prayed tirelessly to the Mother of God to come to their protection. The defenders of the city stood to death, Prince Yuri was killed in the battle. However, the forces were too unequal. The enemies were about to break into Kitezh-grad, when suddenly a miracle happened. The city began to disappear before Batu's eyes - Kitezh churches and buildings disappeared under the water ... Frightened by the miracle that had happened, the enemy fled.
From time to time, according to legends, from the bottom of Lake Svetloyar and from under the hills, the ringing of bells can be heard, from time to time Kitezh old men appear, buy bread from the peasants, talk, and then disappear again. A righteous person can not only "see the vision" of Kitezh, but he himself can get into the enchanted city and stay there forever ...
The legend of the invisible city of Kitezh for a long time existed orally, 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 first wrote down the legend of Kitezh in the essay "The Book Spoken by the Chronicler" in the 18th century. In their presentation, the legend acquired a pronounced religious character. According to them, the underwater city is a monastery in which the righteous elders live, and only people who are true believers can see Kitezh and hear the sounds of Kitezh.
“The fog cleared away, and the domes of Kitezh shone with 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 me to enter the miraculous city and stay in it forever ”. This is how the pilgrim described her meeting with the legendary city, crawling on her knees three times around Lake Svetloyar. 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 abode of the righteous.
Belief in the reality of the existence of Kitezh persisted in the vicinity of Svetloyar in a later period. 1982 - folklorists recorded the story of a local resident: “People say that somewhere in the middle of the lake there is a hole - not very big - well, it’s like it’s like a bucket. Only it is very difficult to find it. V winter time ice on Svetloyar is clean-clean. So you have to come, clear the snow, and you can see what is happening there, at the bottom. And there, they say, all sorts of miracles: white-stone houses are standing, trees are growing, bell towers, churches, chopped towers, living people walk ... But not everyone will think, not everyone will be able to find this hole ”.
The locals say they know cases when the residents of Kitezha helped people in the most mundane matters. “As a boy, my grandmother told me about the fact that an old man lived here in the village by the lake. That old man once went to the forest for mushrooms. Walked, walked, and all in vain. Tired, he sat down on a tree stump ... Then he thought: "If only the old people of Kitezh would help." Before he could think of it, a nap fell on him. After some time, the old man woke up, opened his eyes, looked into the basket - and couldn't believe his eyes: there were mushrooms in it to the brim. Yes, and what - 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 a way there.
1843 - The Moskvityanin magazine introduced this beautiful legend to the Russian people. She attracted the attention of scientists, inspired poets and writers. Rimsky-Korsak wrote an opera dedicated to Kitezh-city, which went under water. And already a hundred years ago there was an idea of searching for the legendary city at the bottom of Lake Svetloyar.
Lake Svetloyar
Research
However, they did not even dream of underwater archeology at that time. The search was started only in our days. Initially, 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 when it says that Small Kitezh was burned by the Tatar-Mongols. Well, what about Big Kitezh, which has sunk to the bottom of Lake Svetloyar? 1959 - the first expedition of archaeologists-submariners went to the lake. She could not achieve success. But perhaps a more thorough search should be carried out?
1968 - the science department of the Literary Gazette organized a complex expedition to Lake Svetloyar. It included folklorists, archaeologist, historian, geologist, lake scientist, hydrologist and a group of scuba divers. The purpose of the expedition was to find out what is the connection with reality, with the lake Svetloyar, the legend of Kitezh-grad, which became a symbol of faith in undying Russia, in the incorruptibility of Russian culture, in the ultimate victory over all disasters. Could the city really have gone to the bottom of the lake?
Research by archaeologists-submariners
Geologist V.I. Nikishin came to the conclusion that Svetloyar is a "failure" of the earth's crust, filled with water and turned into a lake. Having descended to its bottom, scuba divers and hydrologist D.A. Kozlovsky was able to establish that the coastal slope of Svetloyar goes under the water in three ledges to a depth of 30 meters.
The first terrace, with a gentle slope, is located at a depth of 8-9 meters. The second, separated by a steep slope, is at a depth of 22-23 meters and, in the end, the “last bottom”, the deep-water part of the lake, is submerged to a depth of 30 meters. According to Kozlovsky, the deep-water part of the lake was formed 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-water terrace was formed.
Perhaps there was once the city of Kitezh on one of the terraces? After all, the time of the formation of the second terrace surprisingly coincides with the date of its death, which is said in the legends ... Submariners began to study in detail the bottom of the lake. The "shallow" terrace was examined using a special wateroscope. It is a sheet steel cone with a plexiglass bottom. Its diameter is 60 cm. The rubber part of the mask was fixed on the narrow part of the wateroscope cone, and the "viewing" began. The water in Svetloyar is very clean and clear, the visibility is excellent.
In the southwestern part of the lake, in shallow water, archaeologists have found the remains of piles. City of Kitezh? No. Local residents say that in the 19th century there was a bathhouse built by a local landowner. They could not find anything on the second terrace either. Scuba divers A. Gogeshvili and G. Nazarov sank 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 layer of silt of many meters. 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 the shallow-water terrace, calculated by D.A. Kozlovsky!
So, one of the terraces actually formed as a result of a "failure"? And if the dates proposed by Kozlovsky are accurate, then the second "failure" occurred during 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 together with a group of Leningrad scientists armed with a geolocator. The ZGL device was hoisted onto a fishing boat. 62 echo sounder tacks were made on Svetloyar, the lake was cut up and down by "profiles", which made it possible to penetrate through a multi-meter layer of silt. In the northern part of Svetloyar, on the terrace of the Batyev era, sonar showed a kind of oval-shaped formation. Traces of a fenced-in structure? However, this formation may also have a natural origin.
“A year later, in the middle of the lake, prospecting geologists made 5 test drilling according to our instructions,” wrote the head of the expedition, 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. This is how our exploration at Lake Svetloyar ended. Have we found Kitezh? There is no answer to this question yet. Archaeologists, armed with powerful modern technology, take the floor. "
Nicholas Roerich "Slaughter at Kerzhenets"
“He bloomed on a fertile land until greedy enemies attacked him. The city defended itself for three days. And when there were no more warriors capable of holding weapons, the enemies rejoiced. But proud Kitezh did not surrender, and in front of the amazed enemies slowly disappeared, sinking into the depths of the sea. God made the city invisible for the eye of man, but the time will come and Kitezh will return "- this is what an ancient legend says."
According to another version of this legend " the earth opened up and swallowed the city... Enemies fled in fear and on the site of the city there was a lake Svetloyar. That city is still intact with white-stone walls, churches, monasteries, princely chambers, boyar stone chambers, houses cut down from a condovine, non-decaying forest. The hail is intact, but invisible. Only the righteous and saints can see this city, only a true believer is worthy to hear 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. Roerich made a picturesque curtain.
Did this city really exist? If so, where? There is such a book "The Kitezh Chronicler", created in the 80-90s of the 18th century by the Old Believers, which says: "The Grand Duke of Vladimir Georgy Vsevolodovich set up the town of Maly Kitezh on the banks of the Volga. He commanded Svetloyar to build the city of Big Kitezh. And that city of Big Kitezh was two hundred yards wide, and a hundred fathoms wide. And they began to build it in the months of May on the first day, and they built that city for three years. " If Kitezh is just a legend, 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 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 the quiet ringing of bells can be heard.
The lake has long been considered sacred. Many pilgrims have always flocked to him and are now flocking in the hope of either being healed by bathing there, or to atone for their sins, crawling along the shore. There is a chapel and a worship cross near the lake. A few kilometers away is the village of Vladimirskoe, which has become tourist center... It is now called the Russian Shambhala, and Kitezh is called the Russian Atlantis. In general, the place is popular. Kitezh has become such an Orthodox fetish, a spiritual center, a symbol of the heroic struggle of Orthodox Rus against the "Mongol-Tatar hordes."
The stability of this tradition is striking. Maybe it really has some basis under it? 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 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 strange. By its origin, Svetloyar cannot be attributed to any of the known species lakes: neither to glacial, nor to karst, nor to meteorite. How did it 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 inhabitants of the Shari village were terribly frightened by the crackling and noise that they did not understand, coming out from somewhere out of the ground. surprisingly, water immediately came out of the ground, and a lake was formed at the place of the sinkhole. "
Maybe something similar happened here? 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 she made a strange discovery. With the help of a sound geolocator, I discovered an anomaly at the bottom. The image of one area of the bottom was sharply different from the others. The expedition named this zone "K" zone. To determine what is in anomalous zone, several wells were then drilled in it. Unexpectedly for everyone, there were many small wood chips in them. But how did they get there? For some reason, not a single scientific institute undertook to investigate these pieces of wood. Nobody wanted to waste time studying legends. And then the police helped. Forensic experts drew up a document that says 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 on 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 georadar. Its capabilities make it possible to literally illuminate the bottom of the lake with the help of electromagnetic radiation. The depth of the lake turned out to be very deep - 37 meters. More than ten of them make up the silt layer. GPR detects many small objects in the silt. They certainly don't look like any kind of building. 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 have suggested that these samples contained a large number of mineral substances, that is, the "K" zone was the bottom of an ancient paleo-reservoir. That is, the abnormality 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 "Kitezhsky 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 discrepancy. At the specified 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 a 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. Shards of pottery, fragments of iron knives, flint and stone millstones were found. The finds date back to the end of the XIV - the beginning of the XV centuries, that is, it is later than the date indicated in the book. The artifacts were found on the Holy Cross Hill behind the chapel. In the ruts, a cultural layer was exposed at a depth of half a meter with 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 to Svetloyar with landslides.
It is known that the oldest district of Kitay-Gorod is located in Moscow ("china" - a wall, a fortification, the same was the name of 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 underground. In the XII century, there were numerous internecine wars, when the princes fought for power and seized each other's cities. 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. The buildings of that time can be recognized by the amazingly carefully fitted stones. It was not possible to find such buildings in the undergrounds of Moscow.
Prince Georgy Vsevolodovich
Here's what's interesting. The pronunciation of Kitezh with an emphasis on "and" came into use only after Rimsky-Korsakov wrote his famous opera. Prior to this, the stress was on "e" and came from the Old Russian "kitekhsha", which means "abandoned place". This word appeared in Russia at the time of the horde of coming (the "Mongol-Tatar invasion" as it turns out now in our fucking funny story was not). 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 Rkus people 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 has become history thanks to the battle. And although exact location it is not known, all over Sitya there are burial mounds, according to legend, being the mass graves of Russian soldiers. Until now, the feeling that everything here is filled with the memory of that terrible battle. Back in the 19th century, in the villages 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. 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 about Veles - the Slavic god, who, being in the Black Sea, fought against the dark forces. His soul hardened, he needed to get into Svarga. Svarga is an earthly paradise according to Slavic Vedic mythology, a place where gods live and milk rivers with jelly banks flow. Maybe Kitezh, which in legends is considered the abode of all suffering, is that very Svarga? On the bank of the Mologa, Vladimir Ratov discovered stones with mysterious drawings. But are they related to Kitezh?
The "Kitezh Chronicler" says that Kitezh was in the midst of dense forests. From the river led to him secret road by which the enemies came to the city. This road is called in the book "Batu path". Batu ravaged 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, the Vedic ones did not touch. Baty (Batya) crossed to the left side and for some reason went deep into the deep forests. What for? 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 way to Svarga goes along the RA (Volga) river. Further along the river Smorodina. This was the name, and even now they call the Mologu 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 are really huge stones near Mologa, although there are no drawings. But still, a stone with some kind of 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? To say with certainty that these drawings are hand-made, they cannot say.
They say that back in the 30s, before the flooding, the abbess of one monastery wrote down her dream - a vision. She goes to the monastery in the field and suddenly water begins to arrive 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 was re-opened to the light of God.
And so invisible city of Kitezh as the legend says, it 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 Sages and Leaders and wanted to arrogate to themselves power over the rest of their relatives. That is, they began to live in Krivda. After that, the vibrational components in the ministry 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 went underground.
