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 Greater Kitezh. And that city of Greater Kitezh was two hundred fathoms wide, and a hundred yards wide. And they began to build it on the first day of May, and they built that city for three summers.” If Kitezh is just a legend, then where did these details come from? The conclusion that the book appeared precisely in the 18th century was made by linguists.

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

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

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

For more than a hundred years, scientists have been trying to prove or disprove the existence of a mysterious city here. That's what's strange. By its origin, Svetloyar cannot be classified as one of the known types of 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 number of mineral substances, that is, zone “K” was the bottom of an ancient paleo-reservoir. That is, the anomaly of the zone is a natural phenomenon, and everything else is nothing more than guesswork. But then what about wood chips with traces of processing? Then no one determined their age.

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

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

It is known that in Moscow there is the oldest district of Kitay-Gorod (“China” - wall, fortification, the same name was given to the wall built by the Slavs in the Far East for protection from their southern neighbors). Please note that the beginning of the words Whale- ay and Whale- hedgehogs match. There is a legend that not far from the walls of the Kremlin, Prince Yuri Dolgoruky ordered the digging of a huge dungeon. In the 12th century, there were numerous internecine wars, when princes fought for power and captured cities from each other. Perhaps Yuri Dolgoruky created an underground shelter. Now on the territory of Kitai-Gorod there are some of the most ancient underground structures in Moscow.

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

Prince Georgy Vsevolodovich

That's what's interesting. The pronunciation of Kitezh with an emphasis on the “i” came into use only after Rimsky-Korsakov wrote his famous opera. Before this, the emphasis was on “e” and came from the Old Russian “kitekhsha”, which means “abandoned place”. This word appeared in Rus' during the time of the advent horde (as it now turns out, there was no “Mongol-Tatar invasion” in our awesomely funny history). It was then that Georgy Vsevolodovich ruled. The book says that the prince gathered an army and set out to meet the khan. However, he lost the battle. Russian chronicles mention a major battle between the Russians and the Horde on March 4, 1238 on the Sit River. It is believed that the Rkusskys were completely defeated, and the prince died. However, the “Kitezh Chronicler” says that it was after this battle that Prince Georgy Vsevolodovich retreated to Kitezh.

Maybe traces of the mysterious city should be looked for in the area of ​​the Sit River? Now this river flows along the border of the Tver and Yaroslavl regions. its length is only 150 km. This small river made its way into history thanks to the battle. And although the exact location is not known, mounds are scattered throughout the City, which, according to legend, are mass graves of Russian soldiers. I still have the feeling that everything here is filled with the memory of that terrible slaughter. Back in the 19th century, in villages located along the banks of the City, folklore collectors recorded most of the legends about the city of Kitezh. But now the lower reaches of the river are flooded with the waters of the Rybinsk Reservoir, built during Stalin’s times. It swallowed up 700 villages. Just like the legendary Kitezh, the ancient Russian cities of Maloga and others went under water. A beautiful legend turned into a tragic reality.

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

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

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

They say that back in the 30s, before the flooding, the abbess of one monastery wrote down her dream - a vision. She walks towards the monastery through the field and suddenly water begins to flow from everywhere. Soon the water covered both the monastery and the entire surrounding area. And the nun kept walking and walking until the water began to recede. And the monastery again opened up to God's light.

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

From the book by Irina Nilova

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

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

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

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

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

The Legend of Kitezh City

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

Here is how Melnikov-Pechersky talks about this event:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The first legend is Christian

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

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

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

Neighborhoods of Svetloyar 1238

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

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

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

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

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

I heard Holy Mother of God cry and plead for salvation and performed a miracle: she saved the entire city and all its inhabitants from abuse and inevitable death. There was a city and it disappeared, melted, ceased to exist, disappeared before everyone’s eyes.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ancient Slavic version of the legend

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The legend of the angry goddess and the giant horse.

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

Unexpected continuation...

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

Funnel Svetloyar. There have already been nuclear wars on Earth

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

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

In the first photo there is a small lake at the site of the explosion of the first atomic bomb at the test site in Semipalatinsk, in the second there are traces of the further improvement of nuclear weapons in the USSR. The third picture shows a lunar landscape in Nevada (USA).

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kitezh-grad - the emergence of a legend

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

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

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

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

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

Thousands of years passed, the era of Christianity began.

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

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

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

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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 the Nizhny Novgorod region. It is located near the village of Vladimirsky, Voskresensky district, in the Lunda basin, a tributary of the Vetluga River. The length of the lake is 210 meters, width is 175 meters, and the total area of ​​the water surface is about 12 hectares. There is still no consensus on how the lake 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 of the legends, 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 cult of Yarila. 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 the center of the Orthodox faith, and the princes continued to visit it 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.

Greater Kitezh was conceived as a 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 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 near the shores of the lake yielded nothing. The searches of archaeologists also ended in nothing. On the approaches to the lake there are traces mysterious city did not have. 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 coup of 1917, a letter was supposedly kept in Old Church Slavonic, 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.