This small lake is located in the Nizhny Novgorod region, between the Kerzhenets and Vetluga rivers, the left tributaries of the Volga. It is with him that the legend of the city of Kitezh, which went to the bottom, is connected, so as not to get to the enemies. Lake Svetloyar has unique properties: the water collected from it for years remains fresh, and on the banks there are plants that are no longer in this area. Pilgrims regularly come here - and every year there are cases of miraculous healing.
It all started with a meteorite
The length of the pond is 470, and the width is 350 meters, it has the shape of an oval. Its name goes back to the original Russian words “bright” (by the way, it also had the meaning “pure”, “righteous”) and “yar”, which means not only a cliff, depth, but also a place related to the Slavic god of the sun, Yarila.
The question of the origin of the lake until recently remained open. In the 19th century, it was suggested that the lake was karst (i.e., its formation as a result of rock failure under the influence of climatic conditions) The proof was the similarity with many karst reservoirs: they are also usually small, often have the correct shape and great depth, the water in them can sometimes disappear and reappear - this is what, according to legend, happened to Svetloyar.
But exploration work carried out in the middle of the 20th century showed that there are no traces of karst processes at the bottom of the lake. The view was expressed on the glacial origin of the reservoir.
In the late 1960s, members of the Literaturnaya Gazeta expedition examined Svetloyar and found that the lake consists of three terraces of different depths - the first, the deepest, in their opinion, arose about 1,500 years ago, the middle one located higher - 800 years ago , the upper - about 400 years ago. Thus, the lake was formed in several stages.
And only studies conducted in 2009 showed that the initial body of water has a meteorite origin and was the result of the fall of a celestial body. The dates of its formation were also substantially adjusted. The initial depression appeared about three thousand years ago. The second lowering occurred about 1000 years ago, and the third and last - in the XII-XIII centuries.
The legend of the missing city
According to popular beliefs, somewhere near the lake Kitovras was born - a mythical creature, a winged half-man half-horse (stories about him are recorded in the collection of the Kirillo-Belozersky monastery and some other ancient church books). He helped the Slavs to build cities and temples - and it was in his honor that this place was named Kitezh and was considered sacred to the Berendey tribe living here.
After the advent of Christianity, Orthodox churches arose in the place of the pagan. Prince Vladimir of Yuri (canonized in 1645 under the name George) Vsevolodovich, the third son of Vsevolod the Big Nest, built on the shore of the lake (according to other written evidence - on the island in the center of the reservoir) the white-stone city of Bolshoi Kitezh with six temples with golden domes. A new city was erected not far from Maly Kitezh (now Gorodets), which was founded by Yuri Vsevolodovich’s grandfather Yuri Dolgoruky.
In 1238, the army of Khan Batu invaded the Vladimir-Suzdal principality, taking, among other cities, Small Kitezh. Prince Yuri Vsevolodovich and his retinue took refuge in the Greater Kitezh, the path to which lay through impassable swamps. The road to the enemies was shown by the captive Grishka Kuterma, who could not stand the torture.
But when the warriors of Batu came to Bolshoy Kitezh, the city suddenly went under water. According to some legends, this happened only for a while - and when the enemies left with nothing, the waters parted, and the city reappeared. But the ending of other legends is less optimistic: the water closed forever over the Great Kitezh.
Locals say that from these times in the water of the lake you can sometimes see the golden domes of the temples of the ancient city. In addition, from somewhere in the depths often the sound of bells can be heard, and on the shore more than once ghostly people in old clothes were noticed.
Why were the cheremis scared?
But as far as the legends about the ancient city can correlate with real events? For the first time the Tatar-Mongols invaded Russia in 1237-1240 - and in time this coincided with the period when the last lowering of Svetloyar Lake occurred. In the Old Believer books, the legend of Kitezh is written differently: the prince hid sacred church utensils in the lake, and he himself was killed in a battle with enemies. It also says that the city did not die, but became invisible and is revealed only to the righteous, who can come to it in a way called Batyva’s path.
This legend is reflected in many works of art - the opera of composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, paintings by artists Konstantin Korovin, Apollinarius Vasnetsov, Nikolai Roerich, poems and prose by Maximilian Voloshin, Anna Akhmatova, Mikhail Prishvin and many others.
Most historians agree that the failure of the existing settlement here could well have occurred. True, the divers surveyed the bottom did not find any structures. But this, as well as the fact that the bottom and the shores of lakes of meteorite origin usually do not fail, can be found a logical explanation.
Almost the entire European center of Russia lies on huge tectonic plates. But, as geologists found out, in the region of Lake Svetloyar there is a fault between such plates - thus, a failure here can really occur rapidly and reach a very large depth.
Indirectly, this assumption is supported by the events of 1903. Then the inhabitants of the village of Shary, located near Svetloyar, were very frightened by the roar coming from under the ground. Later, the cheremis who lived in the village discovered a huge hole in the neighboring forest, so deep that even the tallest trees disappeared without a trace. That is, for this place, an unexpected and rapid departure of a part of the surface to a greater depth may be a consequence of the movement of tectonic plates and occur repeatedly.
Bread turned to stone
Specialists in abnormal phenomena believe that such zones have high natural energy. That is why there are many phenomena that seem mysterious and inexplicable.
For example, before sunrise or after sunset, mirages often appear on the lake, and in the sky you can see huge luminous crosses - in 1996, one of them was seen and documented by an employee of the local museum of local history. The bell ringing, already coming from under the water, also refers to the same kind of phenomena.
Researchers note that in these places people often disappear - some disappear forever, others do not remember anything after returning.
A few years ago, a resident of Nizhny Novgorod came here to pick mushrooms. The man disappeared, he was searched for a long time. A week later, he returned from the forest alive and healthy, saying that he was in the invisible city of Kitezh, where he was well received. As evidence, the man showed a piece of bread with which he was treated - and this bread turned into stone in front of the eyes of the interlocutors.
Local historians say that before the 1917 revolution the local museum kept a letter in Old Russian, where the son informed his father that he was in Kitezh and asked him not to worry about it. During the revolutionary coup, the letter disappeared.
Residents of neighboring villages say that sometimes people in old clothes come to them and buy bread or bagels, for which they pay with ancient copper coins. Ufologists considered this money - it actually refers to the times of the legendary city. Has he moved to a nearby parallel world?
Grave Giants
Svetloyar Lake is also famous for the fact that its water heals many diseases, removes spoilage and prolongs life. For all this to happen, according to another legend, the sufferer must kneel down and in this position go around the pond three times clockwise, after which you can wash yourself with healing water or drink it. At first glance, such actions have little to do with the usual medical practice for us, but the reviews of hundreds of people who have gotten rid of diseases suggest the opposite.
It is known that during the Great Patriotic War several women performed such a rite, praying that no harm would happen to their spouses - and all the men returned home unscathed.
Another mystery of the lake is a spring located five kilometers from it, the water of which has the same properties. Maybe the spring through the underground layers is somehow connected with Svetloyar? It has not yet been possible to prove this.
According to legend, when Prince Yuri Vsevolodovich left the chase in Bolshoy Kitezh, his horse stumbled - and suddenly a water fountain popped up from under his hooves. The detachment of pursuers considered this a bad sign and turned back.
Near the source are three ancient burials, the dimensions of which are much larger than traditional Christian graves. Some researchers suggest that here are buried giant people who lived in these places thousands of years ago. The autopsy of the graves has not yet been carried out - those who believe that because of this the healing water of the spring may lose their strength actively object to it.
Local residents say that nobody is destined to learn the secrets of the lake. In his miracles you just need to believe.

Svetloyar is one of the most legendary and mysterious lakes in Russia: scientists still have not come to a consensus on its origin. A feature of Lake Svetloyar is that its water remains clean and does not overgrow with mud. water from Svetloyar can be stored in a vessel for many years without losing purity, transparency and taste.

On the Annunciation Hill stands a wooden church, consecrated in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God.
People pray at memorial crosses, light candles, then worship the stones located on Blagoveshchensky Hill. There is a legend that the Mother of God herself left her mark on one of the pebbles when she went around the lake. Geologists call such stones - "investigators" - these are Karelian "gifts" of the ice age.

There is a shrine stone investigator "Pile of the Virgin."
Believers consider this stone sacred, suggesting that the Virgin herself left a footprint in the shape of a foot on it. Nearby was built a wooden church of the Mother of God of Vladimir.

The legend of the city that disappeared in the waters of Svetloyar inspired N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov to create the opera "The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevronia."


Lake Svetloyar is located on the territory of the reserve of the same name. This lake is with a very clear water, an ideal oval shape, it is one of the largest and deepest lakes in the Nizhny Novgorod region. The area of \u200b\u200bLake Svetloyar is about 12 hectares, length - 410 m, width - 315 m, the greatest depth - about 29 m.

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The great depth of Lake Svetloyar (up to 36 m), its oval shape with a funnel-shaped bottom, and the purity of the water make the origin of this lake mysterious and formed the basis for a widespread opinion about its karst origin. However, studies conducted in the area of \u200b\u200bLake Svetloyar by the geological survey party of the Gorky Exploration Expedition did not confirm this. An almost 300-meter well drilled near the lake showed that there are no rocks prone to karst to a depth of about 250 meters. This quarter-kilometer stratum is represented mainly by rocks such as loams, clays, sandstones, marls. And the deeper limestones, gypsum, anhydrite are not affected by karst processes. Studies of the expedition led to the conclusion that Svetloyar is the remainder of the ancient channel of the Lunda River (the right tributary of Vetluga), half a kilometer from which it is located. The lake has a drain to Lunda and abundant spring food, which explains the purity and freshness of its water.

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The legend of the city of Kitezh

Even before the advent of the Tatars, Grand Duke George Vsevolodovich built the city of Maly Kitezh (present-day Gorodets) on the Volga, and then, “crossing the quiet and rusty rivers Uzolu, Sandu and Kerzhenets”, went to Lunda and Svetloyar to a “beautiful place” where set the city of Kitezh the Great. So on the lake appeared glorious Kitezh-grad. In the center of the city stood six heads of churches. And the Great Kitezh was great and famous.

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But the black year has come - the invasion swept across Russia. In 1238, after the ruin of the Vladimir-Suzdal principality, Khan Baty set up a camp on the City River. After another unequal battle, Prince Yuri Vsevolodovich with the remnants of his troops retreated to Small Kitezh. However, Batu took it by storm, and the prince with the remnants of the army miraculously managed to hide in Big Kitezh. The Mongol-Tatars burned the small Kitezh, poured blood, and tortured the prisoners: where is the Big Kitezh, in which the prince took refuge, how to find the way there? One of them could not stand the torment - led the enemies through the Volga taiga. But Kitezh, when he was surrounded by enemies, did not surrender to them: his inhabitants prayed to God, and he protected them. The city sank down, and it was covered with earthen caps - hills and a lake. Horror gripped the enemies, and they fled away from this miracle.
Now there is a path to the lake, which is called the Batuy trail. It can lead to the glorious city of Kitezh, but not everyone, but only those who are pure in heart and soul. Since then, the city has been invisible, but intact, and especially the righteous can see the lights of the processions in the depths of the lake and hear the sound of its bells.
According to legend, the city of Kitezh sank to the bottom of this lake.

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Mikhail Mikhailovich Prishvin, preparing for a trip to Svetloyar, wrote as follows: “I think of the unknown Trans-Volga region, where I have to go in the summer. This is decided, I'm going there. Let everything be studied there, let everything be known, but I know almost nothing, and almost no one knows me in the world. I will tear off a piece of the big mysterious world and tell other people in my own way. "
“Having got acquainted with a wonderful lake, after that I came to him more than once with a stick in my hands and a knapsack over my shoulders, so that, mixed with the crowd, I could watch, listen and catch a live stream of folk poetry amid the colorful flicker and noise.”

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The legend of the miraculous immersion of the city of Kitezh in its waters, which did not surrender to Batu Khan, formed the basis of Rimsky-Korsakov's opera "The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevronia", served as material for the paintings of Vasnetsov, Nesterov, Roerich.

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And this is the line of Vladimir Galaktionovich Korolenko.
A fair was making noise on the bank of Svetloyar. Simple peasant goods were on sale. Behind the rows of tents were tables with samovars. Drunken on the lake were rare.
Above the fair, in the mountains, there was a chapel. Around her, she walked straight. Disputes about faith. The shores of the lake were a haven of free thinking. People of different faiths came here along all roads and paths: schismatics, sectarians, warlocks, Old Believers, homegrown philosophers, Tolstoyans. They came with heavy books. We went to prayer and a great argument. What were you talking about? Yes, about faith - whose faith is closer to the truth. Arriving observers were struck by one of the rituals being performed here. After fervent prayers and nods, the lake had to crawl three times. They say that women did this during the years of World War II, begging for God the life of their husbands, sons, brothers.

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The Soviet composer S. N. Vasilenko wrote the cantata "The Legend of the City of Great Kitezh and the Quiet Lake Svetloyar." K.A. Korovin, M.P. Klodt, A.M. Vasnetsov, N.K. Roerich, I.S. Glazunov dedicated their paintings to Svetloyar.

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It was reflected in the works of A. Melnikov-Pechersky, M. M. Prishvin, poetry was dedicated to him by A. N. Maykov, M. A. Voloshin, A. A. Navrotsky. Very extensive scientific and popular science literature on Svetloyar. In recent years, it has been replenished with two interesting sources: in 1982 a book by K. G. Pysin “On Natural Monuments of Russia” was published, which describes the lake, and in 1985 and 1989 - a collection of legends about Svetloyar “City of Kitezh”, compiled by N. Morokhin.

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For the Orthodox, Svetloyar Lake is a place of pilgrimage, which should be treated with reverence. A special day in Svetloyar is July 6 (June 23 according to the old style) - the feast of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. July 6 is a patronal feast in the village of Vladimirsky. A lot of people come together. Religious processions are held by believers from the Vladimir Church (named after the church, which has been standing in the village since 1766, it was called Vladimir) to the chapel of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, built on the "mountains" on the lake, and a prayer service is served there.

One of the most amazing places on the planet, Lake Svetloyar, is located near Nizhny Novgorod, near the village of Vladimirskoye. It is famous thanks to the ancient legend about the mythical city of Kitezh, which, according to legend, was located at the bottom of the spring. The name Svetloyar is translated from Old Slavic as “bright” or “righteous”, and the particle “Yar” is part of the name of the ancient Slavic god Yarila. In the future they plan to make the natural monument one of the cultural sites.

Svetloyar Lake - a legend

The legend of the city of Kitezh is somewhat reminiscent of the ancient legend of Atlantis. Ancient myth Svetloyar tells about the lake that under its waters there still lies a mystical city built by the Grand Duke George, who sank during the invasion of Batu Khan to Russia in the 13th century. The legend says that the cruel ruler, who had already conquered many settlements, heard about the rich and beautiful ancient land, the fame of which was spread all over the world, and immediately wanted to conquer Kitezh.

For a long time the horde could not find the mysterious city, but one of the prisoners of war, former resident Kitezh, let out to enemies, that there is a secret path along which you can get to the settlement. When the Tatar-Mongol army finally approached Kitezh-grad, the khan and his soldiers were surprised that there were no fortifications and walls in front of him. Batu was delighted, believing that the victory would be easy, but it wasn’t there: as soon as the army came close to the city, many watery sources spilled from the ground, the Tatars were frightened, they had to retreat, and the water still continued to beat with huge fountains. Finally, its jets dried up, and it became clear that the city had almost completely disappeared under water. The legend says that there was no water in Kitezh itself, and it only helped the settlement to hide from an enemy attack, and not one of the townspeople was injured. God saved the inhabitants of Kitezh-grad for their pious life and faith, and the place where the ancient settlement was located was considered sacred.

Nowadays, many people still believe in this ancient legend about the lake. Every year, dozens of Orthodox tourists specially come to the place where they went under water ancient cityto hear the ghostly ringing of his bells, which, they say, still sometimes sounds near the lake. Local residents living near this mysterious place, in all seriousness, tell the pilgrims and visiting journalists that they often witness all kinds of strange incidents and unexplained phenomena. Some see people in old-fashioned clothes who shop and pay not with modern currency, but with old coins made of copper. On the lake you can also see the outlines of the walls of the sunken temples and the transparent walls of the monasteries. All these unusual phenomena suggest that Lake Svetloyar is a kind of portal that opens the way to a parallel world.

It is believed that the city that went to the bottom of Lake Svetloyar was not in vain built on this site, because our ancestors have long built temples and settled where there was a powerful source of positive, bright energy. Pilgrims who traveled to this wonderful place claim that they completely got rid of their headaches, high blood pressure, rheumatism and other diseases. Local youth have a belief that if you walk around Svetloyar three times and make a wish, it has every chance to come true in the near future.

Natural features of the lake

Svetloyar Lake is a legend dating back to antiquity, and one of the most unique nature reserves in our country. This legendary reservoir has one unusual property: although the lake is very deep, its waters always remain clean, and the bottom never overgrows with mud and algae. The water collected in the lake can be stored in any container for many years, while it remains transparent and clean.

Lake excursions

Near the lake in the reserve there is the Kitezh Historical and Art Museum, where master classes in ancient crafts are held for everyone, a ceramics museum and the ancient church of the Vladimir Icon of the Virgin, made entirely of wood. You can get to Svetloyar by bus, the lake is open for excursions every day.

It is unlikely that any other lake in Russia is more important for the sacred history of our country than Lake Svetloyar. It was in its place, according to legend, that once the sacred city of the Slavs was located, which during the Tatar-Mongol invasion was dissolved in air.

Legend's story

According to official figures, Lake Svetloyar, located near the village of Vladimirskoye in the Lyunda River basin, has an area of \u200b\u200b12 hectares, 210 meters long and 175 meters wide, and is included in the list of Russian lakes that have "great aesthetic value." Indeed, from the air the lake looks like a perfectly even circle, whose shores are as if outlined by a compass. It is believed that the righteous should go to the shores of the lake, as a dense fog descends on him. In his dairy clubs in front of a man is the heavenly city of Kitezh. An old man comes out of the main gate of the city, inviting him to enter it and stay there forever. These are local traditions. Many sincerely believing people told that when visiting the lake, they heard the sound of the bells of churches of the wonderful city coming from the bottom. For the first time about the city of Kitezh it became known from the ancient chronicle "Kitezh Chronicler." According to legend, in the 13th century, the Batu hordes approached Nizhny Novgorod. A battle took place with the troops of Prince Yuri Vsevolodovich, close to the modern city of Gorodets. The battle was lost, and the prince with forest paths with protection went to the secret city of Kitezh, in which the ancient sacred knowledge of the Slavs was stored. According to legend, the city was inhabited by sages and sorcerers who kept ancient books with centuries of wisdom. But, the prince did not have time to get to the city, the traitor issued a secret path. Yuri Vsevolodovich was killed by the Tatars and the enemies went to the hail of Kitezh.

Miracle

When the Tatars surrounded the city, according to legend, the sages and sorcerers living in it pronounced an ancient spell. The city dissolved in air, and in its place formed a perfectly round lake. According to another legend, the inhabitants of Kitezh offered a prayer to the Virgin for salvation. She came down from the sky, touching with one foot a stone at the main gate of the city, and threw a transparent heavenly veil over it. At this moment, the city was gone. In its place, a soil failure formed, quickly filled with water. Coming from the depths of the earth.

Finding Kitezh Castle

Not surprisingly, the authenticity of an ancient legend was repeatedly tried to verify by numerous researchers and scientists. In the XIX century, students of the Kazan School came to the lake, laying the foundation for field searches amazing city. True, they did not find anything worthy of attention, since the shores of the lake were literally flooded with numerous pilgrims, which interfered with research. During later expeditions VV Dokuchaev found out that the lake has karst origin. This fact spoke in favor of the fact that at its bottom, indeed, a failed city or monastery may exist. Moreover, with a relatively small size, the lake is incredibly deep - 29.2 meters. Moreover, it is possible that the reservoir has a false bottom and in fact is even deeper. The expedition of Smena magazine, conducted in the Soviet years, established that “the basin of the lake lies at the intersection of the deep faults of the earth’s crust, which led to the lowering of rocks and the formation of a lake at this place. Indirect cause this process, could serve as an earthquake in 1596, which was noted in Nizhny Novgorod. " For several years in a row, research on the lake was carried out by members of an expedition organized by the Literary Newspaper.

Svetloyar meets with miracles

In order to verify the authenticity of the legends soaring over the waters of the lake, the author of the material in 2003 personally went on an expedition with the crew of the television company Gran. Most surprisingly, almost all the miracles attributed to the lake were confirmed. When the expedition members, leaving the car on the track, went through a span to the lake, several bells sounded. The ringing resembled "ship's flasks." Nevertheless, when the crew members went ashore Svetloyar, then no bells that could ring, were found. The church, standing on the shore of the lake, was locked and her bells clearly could not ring. Near the temple on a high bank was a large boulder. A trace of the bare foot of a woman’s foot was imprinted on its surface. It was as if a certain girl plunged her leg into a stone soft as clay. It turned out that the legend of the Mother of God descending from heaven to save the city from the Tatars and stepping on a stone was true. It is noteworthy that there were footbridges around the lake, along which several elderly people moved on their knees.

According to legend, everyone who creeps three times around the lake on his knees will fulfill his most secret desire. The most interesting thing is that the members of the expedition, having decided to test these words in practice, were convinced of their authenticity, the desires of all members of the crew, in fact, came true. But, the main miracle happened at dawn. As soon as the sun illuminated the camp, a mirage of the dome of the temple appeared in its rays. When the expedition members tried to capture it on a photo and movie cameras, all the electronic equipment stopped working. It was possible to take a picture only on an old film camera. The image shows the rays of the sun collected in a cone-shaped dome above the waters of the lake. When the expedition left the lake, the mysterious “ship phials” sounded again. Oddly enough, miracles really do happen on Svetloyar Lake, the author of the material can confirm this personally!

The first written mention of the ancient city of Kitezh was in the Kitezh Chronicle, which was written by the Old Believers in the 1780s.

According to this record, the town of Maly Kitezh was founded at the beginning of the 13th century by Prince George Vsevolodovich, on the banks of the Volga, in the Voskresensky district of the Nizhny Novgorod Region. Then he discovered a nice place upstream, on the shore of Lake Svetloyar. There, the prince decided to build the city of Big Kitezh. It was founded as a monastery city. Everyone considered this city a saint.

“The Grand Duke made a beautiful city, built it in the shape of a circle with churches, monasteries and boyar palaces. Then he surrounded it with a trench and erected walls with loopholes, ”Adele Barker and Bruce Grant wrote in a book The Russia Reader: History, Culture, Politics.

Lake Svetloyar in the Voskresensky district. Photo: Public Domain

The destruction of Kitezh

In 1238, the Mongols captured Northeast Russia under the command of Batu Khan. Having besieged the city of Vladimir and the surrounding cities, the khan learned about the powerful city of Kitezh and was determined to capture it.

First, the Mongols came to Small Kitezh. Grand Duke George rode out to meet them and entered into battle with them. But in the end he was forced to flee in the direction of Greater Kitezh, whose whereabouts remained unknown to the Mongols.

Mongols under the walls of Vladimir. Photo: Public Domain

Batu became furious and ordered the captives to be tortured until they betray the location of Greater Kitezh. The prisoners did not reveal the secret of their holy city, because, according to their conviction, this would bring an eternal curse on themselves and their descendants. However, one of the captives named Kuterma could not stand the torture and revealed secret paths to Lake Svetloyar.

Descriptions of further events in the annals are vague and ambiguous. “The only thing known is that the Grand Duke managed to hide church utensils in the lake, after which he fell in battle. By the will of God, the city itself became invisible; water and forest were visible in its place, ”says Barker and Grant.

"The Invisible City of Kitezh." Painting by Konstantin Gorbatov (1876-1945). Photo: Public Domain

Legends of the invisible city

It is not clear what exactly happened to Kitezh, but for many centuries they spoke of its mysterious disappearance in legends and folklore.

According to one popular fairy tale, the whole city plunged into the lake by the will of God, to prevent its treasures from falling into the hands of the Mongols. Because of this, the lake Svetloyar is sometimes called the Russian Atlantis. Legend has it that the Golden Horde army watched in dismay as the city plunged into the lake. The last thing they saw was the white sparkling dome of the cathedral with a cross.

But in fact, the disappearance of the city may not have been so remarkable. Some archaeologists have suggested that the city could suffer from a landslide, which is why it fell into the lake.

According to folk tales, the city of Kitezh is visible only to those who are pure in heart and soul. Those who believe in these legends often say that they hear church bells coming from the lake, they see lights or even the outlines of buildings under the surface of the water.

In past times, pilgrims visited the lake in the hope of hearing bells. They went there to pray, and left offerings for the inhabitants of the city.

They also say that during World War II, women went to the lake to pray for their sons.

In search of Russian Atlantis

In 2011, an archaeological expedition to the village of Vetluzhsky was carried out in order to search for archaeological remains in the area of \u200b\u200bLake Svetloyar. Excavations revealed traces of an ancient settlement, as well as fragments of traditional Russian ceramics.

Scientists plan to continue their research. According to their estimates, the hill in which the artifacts were found was always predisposed to landslides. Because of one of such landslides, the ancient city could well plunge into the lake, which gave rise to fantastic legends about the invisible city of Kitezh.