The ancient Russian town of Small Kitezh. Kitezh grad legend of the most mysterious city

Legends say that during the Mongol-Tatar invasion, Svetloyar went under the water of Lake whole city Kitezh - all, together with its defenders, together with the elderly and children. It is believed that divine intervention hid him from the eyes of the enemy for hundreds, maybe thousands of years. If you believe the legend, sooner or later in the Nizhny Novgorod region there will be another locality - ancient city Kitezh.

Remember the legend of Atlantis? About the mainland, which plunged into the ocean, punished by the gods for the fact that its inhabitants were mired in sins. There is a similar legend in Russia - however, it has nothing to do with sins. Rather, even on the contrary - the reasons for the flooding of this city should be sought in the spiritual purity of its inhabitants.

Only the righteous and saints can see this city. Only a true believer is worthy to hear the ringing of his bells. City of Kitezh. Legendary city. Until now, many Orthodox Christians are going to make a pilgrimage to the lake, in the depths of which the legendary city supposedly rests. Centuries have passed, but people still strive here. They believe that Kitezh stands at the bottom of the lake, and their faith is unshakable.

So why is the legend about the city of Kitezh so popular? Why can't people forget about this place?

Kitezh as presented by Ivan Bilibin

The emergence of the city

The only hints at 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 of Vladimir at the end of the 12th century. According to legend, the prince, returning from a trip to Novgorod, stopped on the way near Lake Svetloyar to rest. But he could not really rest: the prince was captivated by the beauty of those places. Immediately he ordered to build the city of Big Kitezh on the shore of the lake.

Yuri Vsevolodovich, founder of Kitezh, depicted at the entrance to the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin

They got down to business immediately. The built city was 200 fathoms long (a straight fathom is the distance between the ends of the fingers outstretched in different directions of hands, approximately 1.6 meters), width - 100. Several churches were also built, and on the occasion the best masters began to "paint images".

There are many churches, icons too - what else does an ordinary Russian need? They did not hesitate to call the city “saints”, and people reached out to the Svetly Yar lake.

Svetloyar

Lake Svetloyar is located in the Nizhny Novgorod region. It is located near the village of Vladimirsky Voskresensky district, in the Lyunda basin, a tributary of the Vetluga river. The lake is 210 meters long, 175 meters wide, and the total area of ​​the water surface is about 12 hectares.

There is still no consensus on how the lake 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. The word "Svetloyar" itself can be translated as "Bright lake".

Invasion of Batu

Those were far from peaceful and idyllic times. Strife between the principalities, the raids of the Tatars and Bulgarians, forest predators - a rare person dared to get out of the city walls without weapons. And in 1237, the Mongol-Tatars invaded Russia under the leadership of Khan Batu.

Now let's forget about the legend for a while and remember the history.

Diorama "Heroic Defense of Old Ryazan"

The Ryazan princes were the first to be attacked. They tried to seek help from Prince Yuri Vladimirsky, but were refused. The Tatars ruined 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 another son of Yuri - Prince Vladimir.

Prince Yuri, when he found out about this, left the capital to the sons of Mstislav and Vsevolod. I went to collect troops. He set up camp near Rostov on the Sit River and waited for his brothers Yaroslav and Svyatoslav. In the absence of the Grand Duke, Vladimir and Suzdal were taken and ruined on February 3-7, the family of Yuri Vsevolodovich perished in the 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. Bishop Kirill of Rostov found the headless body of the prince on the battlefield and took him to Rostov. Later, the head was found and attached to the body.

The death of Yuri Vsevolodovich

This is where the facts that have been confirmed by scientists end. Let's go back to the legend.

Batu allegedly heard about the riches that were stored 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 town, 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 work out of Kuterma: Grishka brought the Tatars to Kitezh.

On that terrible day, three Kitezh heroes were on patrol not far from the city. They were the first to see the enemies. Before the battle, one of the soldiers told his son to flee to Kitezh and warn the townspeople. The boy rushed to the city gates, but the evil arrow of the Tatar 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 down dead.

The heroes, meanwhile, tried to restrain the Khan's army. No one survived. According to legend, at the place where three heroes died, the holy key of Kibelek appeared - it still beats.

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. The saint understood then that saving Kitezh was not his task. And he retreated. And in the place where the horse's hoof fell, and the holy spring Kibelek scored.

Vasily Maksimov "Mongols at the walls of Vladimir"

The Mongol-Tatars laid siege to the city. The townspeople understood that there was no chance. A handful of people against the well-armed and organized army of Batu is certain death. Nevertheless, the townspeople were not going to surrender without a fight. They went out to the walls, with weapons, as well as icons and crosses in their hands. People prayed from the evening and all night long. The Tatars were waiting for the morning to start the attack.

And a miracle happened: suddenly the church bells rang, the earth shook, and in front of the astonished Tatars, Kitezh began to plunge into the waters of Lake Svetloyar.

And this city of Big Kitezh has become invisible and is being protected 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"

K. Gorbatov. "The Invisible City of Kitezh"

The legend is ambiguous. And people interpret it in different ways. Someone claims that Kitezh went under water, someone - that he sank into the ground. There are adherents of the theory that the city was closed from the Tatars by the mountains. Others believe that he ascended into the sky. But the most interesting theory is that Kitezh simply became invisible. It is not clear, however, why then no one stumbled upon the city by accident.

Struck by the power of the "Russian miracle", the Tatars rushed to flee in all directions. But God's wrath overtook them: who were devoured by the animals, who got lost in the forest, or simply disappeared without a trace, carried away by a mysterious force.

The city has disappeared. According to legend, he should "manifest" on the day Of the Last Judgment... On the day when the dead rise from their graves, Kitezh will rise from the water. But you can see it and even achieve it right now. A person in whom there is no sin will discern the reflection of church domes and white-stone walls in the waters of Lake Svetloyar.

Kitezh modern

Fast forward now 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 his 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 Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh" about the mysterious city. The lake was painted by artists Nikolai Romadin, Ilya Glazunov and many others. Poets Akhmatova and Tsvetaeva mention the city of Kitezh in their work.

Scenery by Ivan Bilibin for the opera by Rimsky-Korsakov

Nowadays science fiction writers and especially fantasy authors have become interested in the legend of Kitezh. It is clear why: the image of the hidden city is romantic and fits perfectly into a fantastic work. Among the works of this kind, one can name, for example, the story "Hammers of Kitezh" by Nick Perumov and "Red Shift" by Yevgeny Gulyakovsky.

In the Soviet television movie "The Sorcerers", which was based on the Strugatskys' novel "Monday Starts on Saturday", a factory worker musical instruments goes to the fictional Kitezhgrad. He wants to save the bride from evil spells, and finds himself in the kingdom of good and evil wizards.

Lake Svetloyar today

Naturally, scientists did not ignore the riddle of Kitezh. Expeditions went to Lake Svetloyar, and more than once. Drilling near the shores of the lake yielded nothing. The search for archaeologists also ended in nothing. There were no traces of the mysterious city on the outskirts of the lake. In the 70s of the last century, the expedition was equipped with 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 many snags and sunken trees at the bottom.

Unfortunately, they did not find irrefutable evidence of the city's existence. For believers, this fact, of course, means nothing. It is known that Kitezh will not reveal its secrets to the wicked.

There were hypotheses that Kitezh was not at all on Lake Svetloyar. Immediately, other supposed places of "habitation" of the holy city arose. They even talked about China, supposedly Kitezh and the legendary Shambhala are one and the same place.

Nicholas Roerich "Song of Shambhala"

In our times, scientists have forgotten about Kitezh - it was not up to that. But at one time the legend was speculated by businessmen who hoped to turn legends into a source of self-financing.

Currently, the territory of the lake is protected by the state. The lake and its surroundings are part of the reserve, which is under the protection of UNESCO. Every year on July 6, on the day of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, Orthodox believers make a procession from the Vladimir Church in the village of Vladimirskoye to the chapel in the name of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. The chapel was built near Lake Svetloyar in the late 1990s.

Orthodox Christians are praying on the shore of the lake. Someone secretly examines their reflection in the lake - will not Kitezh flicker? Some believe that the earth harvested in a holy place heals ailments. They take it to the graves of the "slain heroes" and then take it home along with plastic bottles in which water from the holy spring splashes. There is a belief that water from Svetloyar will not deteriorate, even if it stays in a bottle for several years.

Chapel of the Kazan Mother of God on the bank of Svetloyar

Russian utopia

The city of Kitezh is a symbol of something inaccessible, but desirable. it heavenly place where the righteous can flee from the adversity of a cruel world. It doesn't matter if Kitezh existed - beautiful legend gives hope to the desperate. And in the past, peasants-bastards fled in search of a fertile land, and now there are fanatics who go to the Nizhny Novgorod forests, where they hide from modern life.

Kitezh is a Russian utopia. This is the place where rivers of milk flow in the jelly banks. For many, this is the land of Fantasy, a fairy-tale state in which good and justice rule. The most important thing in the Kitezh utopia is that people need such a city anyway. And if it were not for this legend, they would have invented another. People need to believe that they can escape this painful and desperate world. People need a place to run. At least in thoughts. And this place became the sacred Russian city of Kitezh.

Konstantin Gorbatov "The Sunken City"

Belovodye

Many medieval legends tell about the kingdoms of Good and Justice, like Kitezh. It is as if one can hide in these "secret places", to be saved from the intrigues of evil. One of these places is Wonderland Belovodye. This is a fabulous land where sages live, who bestow eternal life and secret knowledge of the past. According to legend, the country is located somewhere in Altai.

After the introduction of serfdom in Russia, many peasants left for the east. In the 17th century, Russian settlers moved to Altai. The reason for this was not only the "crampedness" of Central Russia and poverty, but also the hope of finding Belovodye. Around the end of the 18th - beginning of the 19th century, the "Traveler of Mark Topozersky" was created, which described the road to Belovodye. The "Traveler" pointed out the way through Krasnoyarsk and China to the "Oponskoe" (Japanese) kingdom, which lies in the middle of the "okiyan-sea" of Belovodye.

In Russia there are real "Kitezhi" - cities and villages, flooded during the construction of reservoirs. In the photo - Krokhino in the Vologda region

The only hints at 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 of Vladimir at the end of the 12th century. According to legend, the prince, returning from a trip to Novgorod, stopped on the way near Lake Svetloyar to rest. But he could not really rest: the prince was captivated by the beauty of those places. Immediately he ordered to build the city of Big Kitezh on the shore of the lake.

The very name of the lake comes from two Old Russian words: "light", that is, pure, righteous, and, which is the root of the name of the Russian solar deity Yarila, who was worshiped by the ancient tribes of the Slavs.

According to one of the legends, in the area of ​​Lake Svetloyar, a magical half-horse-half-human Kitovras was born - a powerful wizard and builder of ancient temples, as well as the god of wisdom and hop Kvasura. The name of the city of Kitezh originated from their names.

A Slavic tribe of Berendeys lived in the area of ​​Lake Svetloyar. Their descendants to this day have preserved the legends that since ancient times one of the largest religious centers of the Yarila cult was located in Kitezh. This place was considered sacred for the Russian princes.
The bloody baptism of Russia deprived the native Russian faith of both the Magi and the temples, occupying truly Russian sacred places.

Allegedly, Kitezh was turned into a 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 were 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 the higher powers, which possesses a 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 majestic city... There were many temples in it, and it was erected all of white stone, which at that time was a sign of wealth and purity.

The length of the constructed city was 200 fathoms (a straight fathom is the distance between the ends of the fingers, outstretched in different directions of the hands, approximately 1.6 meters), width - 100.

Those were times that were not well suited for a peaceful existence. Strife between the principalities, the 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 invaded the territory of Russia under the leadership of Khan Batu.

The Ryazan princes were attacked first. They tried to seek help from Prince Yuri Vladimirsky, but were refused. The Tatars ruined 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 another son of Yuri - Prince Vladimir. Prince Yuri, when he found out about this, left the capital to the sons of Mstislav and Vsevolod. I went to collect troops.

He set up camp near Rostov on the Sit River and waited for his brothers Yaroslav and Svyatoslav. In the absence of the Grand Duke, Vladimir and Suzdal were taken and ruined on February 3-7, the family of Yuri Vsevolodovich perished in the 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. Bishop Kirill of Rostov found the headless body of the prince on the battlefield and took him to Rostov. Later, the head was found and attached to the body.
This is where the facts that have been confirmed by scientists end. Let's go back to the legend.

Batu heard about the riches that were stored 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 town, 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 work out of Kuterma: Grishka brought the Tatars to Kitezh.

The boy rushed to the city gates, but the evil arrow of the Tatar 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 down dead.

The heroes, meanwhile, tried to restrain the Khan's army. No one survived. According to legend, at the place where three heroes died, the holy key of Kibelek appeared - it still beats.

The Mongol-Tatars laid siege to the city. The townspeople understood that there was no chance. A handful of people against the well-armed and organized army of Batu is certain death. Nevertheless, the townspeople were not going to surrender without a fight. They went out to the walls, with weapons. People prayed from the evening and all night long. The Tatars were waiting for the morning to start the attack.

The legend is ambiguous. And people interpret it in different ways. Someone claims that Kitezh went under water, someone - that he sank into the ground. There are adherents of the theory that the city was closed from the Tatars by the mountains. Others believe that he ascended into the sky. But the most interesting theory is that Kitezh simply became invisible.

According to legend, it should "appear" only before the end of the world. But you can see it and even achieve it right 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 plunged 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, passed unharmed through the sacred waters and passed into a better world.
Fast forward now 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 his 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 Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh" about the mysterious city. The lake was painted by artists Nikolai Romadin, Ilya Glazunov and many others. Poets Akhmatova and Tsvetaeva mention the city of Kitezh in their work.

Nowadays science fiction writers and especially fantasy authors have become interested in the legend of Kitezh. It is clear why: the image of the hidden city is romantic and fits perfectly into a fantastic work. Among the works of this kind, one can name, for example, the story "Hammers of Kitezh" by Nick Perumov and "Red Shift" by Yevgeny Gulyakovsky.

Drilling near the shores of the lake yielded nothing. The search for archaeologists also ended in nothing. There were no traces of the mysterious city on the outskirts of the lake. In the 70s of the last century, the expedition was equipped with 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 many snags and sunken trees at the bottom.

Unfortunately, they did not find irrefutable evidence of the city's existence.
For believers, this fact, of course, means nothing. It is known that Kitezh will not reveal its secrets to the wicked.

There were hypotheses that Kitezh was not at all on Lake Svetloyar. Immediately, other supposed places of "habitation" of the holy city arose - there was even talk of China (supposedly Kitezh and the legendary Shambhala are one and the same place).

In our times, scientists have forgotten about Kitezh - it was not up to that. But at one time the legend was speculated by businessmen who hoped to turn legends into a source of self-financing.

Currently, the territory of the lake is protected by the state. The lake and its surroundings are part of the reserve, which is under the protection of UNESCO.

Modern legends about Kitezh

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 a resident of Nizhny Novgorod came to pick mushrooms in the vicinity of Svetloyar. 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 1917 coup, 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.

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.

Many works of art and Russian legends are associated with this mystical city, which only a select few can see. Indeed, Kitezh is a legendary city, Interesting Facts read about it below.

History of the legend

In the region of Nizhny Novgorod, in central Russia, there is the Svetloyar Lake. The story of his birth is associated with many mystical events and shrouded in mystery. According to legend, it is always smooth, and only a very light breeze leaves some ripples on it. Some even hear bells ringing near him.

The town of Small Kitezh was built by Georgy Vsevolodovich on the banks of the Volga. However, he seemed small to him, and he created Big Kitezh on the other side. The construction of cities took place even before the invasion of Batu. The khan wanted to take possession of the city, killed the prince's brother and surrounded the city. Moreover, it was easy to do - the city was completely unprotected. The khan was very surprised: when the troops approached the city, all its inhabitants prayed fervently. And so the troops rushed into it, and the unexpected happened. Fountains poured around the city, and it soon went under water. None of the enemies managed to penetrate it, and the army retreated. Only the cross was visible in the middle of the lake, and then soon it disappeared under the water.

There is even a passage to the lake, which is popularly called the Batu Pass. And only a person with a pure soul can see under water beautiful city or hear church singing.

The legend of the invisible city formed the basis not only of fairy tales and songs, but also of various works of art.

Present time

According to legend, the city disappeared between 1236 and 1242. Mystical lake Svetloyar is located in the Volga region. Kitezh - the city-legend contains interesting facts even today, which can excite scientists and researchers of various directions. Getting to the lake is not difficult, but swimming is prohibited due to the depth of 40 meters. It is also known that the lake, in fact, was formed 800 years ago, just during the invasion of Batu, but no one can accurately prove its origin.

Mysterious phenomena also occur around him. In particular, it was noticed today that:

• In clear weather, many hear bells ringing or see outlines in the water invisible city... It can also be seen at dawn, when the sun just rises above the horizon.
• Water taken from the lake does not deteriorate under any circumstances and can be stored for a very long time.
• The people who conducted the research noticed that the lake goes under the water, as it were, in tiers. It was concluded that it was formed in parts. However, no one has yet reached its bottom due to its very deep depth.
• It is known that many prayer books saw this city with their own eyes. If they were asked to draw pictures, then the drawings turned out to be surprisingly similar, but only a true believer, an enlightened person could see them. Local residents noticed strange people in white, dressed in ancient clothes of that time, near the lake, and talked to them. However, there is no scientific confirmation of this information yet.
• There is also a local legend that the ancient people warned of misfortunes and gave various advice to others. However, there is no exact data yet. Although many saw pilgrims in white clothes and often gave them food, drinks, or simply talked to them. But scientific evidence on this does not yet exist.
• By the way, if you go around the lake clockwise three times and make a wish, it will certainly come true.

Today it is generally accepted that Kitezh is a legendary city, interesting facts about it, listed in this article, have not yet been confirmed by any precise research. However, despite this, today a large number of tourists and pilgrims come to Lake Svetloyar to see with their own eyes the lake, which hides a great secret.

Legend

According to legend, the Grand Duke of Vladimir Yuri first built the city of Small Kitezh on the Volga (today's Red Hill, according to another version Gorodets). Later, the prince crossed the Uzola, Sandu and Kerzhenets rivers and found a nice place on the shores of Lake Svetloyara, where he decided to build the city of Big Kitezh. The "Kitezh Chronicler" reports that the prince

… Came to the lake named Svetloyar. And I saw that place, unusually beautiful and crowded. And at the request of its inhabitants, the faithful prince Georgy Vsevolodovich ordered to build on the shore of the lake of that Svetloyar a city named Big Kitezh, for that place was unusually beautiful, and on the other side of that lake there was an oak grove.

It is assumed that the name of the city comes from the princely village of Kidekshi (near Suzdal), destroyed by the Tatar-Mongol horde in. Having conquered some Russian principalities, Khan Batu learned about Kitezh and ordered to seize it. The Mongols soon captured Small Kitezh, forcing Yuri to retreat into the forests to Greater Kitezh. One of the captives told the Mongols about secret paths to Lake Svetloyar. The horde pursued Yuri and soon reached the city walls. To the surprise of the Mongols, the city had no fortifications at all. Its inhabitants were not even going to defend themselves and only prayed.

If desired, in the fog above the lake at dawn, you can see the outlines of the city

Seeing this, the Mongols attacked the city, but then they had to stop. Suddenly, fountains of water gushed from the ground and began to flood the city and the invaders themselves. The attackers had to retreat and they could only see the city sinking into the lake. The last thing they saw was a cross on the dome of the cathedral. And soon only waves remained in the place of the city.

This legend gave birth to numerous incredible rumors that have survived to this day. It is said that only those who are pure in heart and soul will find their way to Kitezh. It is also said that in calm weather one can sometimes hear bells ringing and the singing of people heard from under the waters of Lake Svetloyara.

Some say that very religious people can see the lights of religious processions and even buildings at the bottom of the lake. Some even see the townspeople talking. For this reason, Lake Svetloyar is sometimes called the "Russian Atlantis".

The parallels with the fate of the ancient Russian city of Mologa, which were flooded during the years of Soviet power (1937-1940s), are also surprising. After the flooding of a part of the Molozhsky district, for a long time, the domes and crosses of numerous temples and monasteries could be seen from the water. Not far from Mologa, there was indeed the Svyatoe Lake, the name of which has something in common with Svetloyar.

Image in art

Music

In modern music, the legend is played out, for example, in the composition "Kitezh-Grad" by the Oberig group.

art

MV Nesterov created the painting "City of Kitezh (In the Woods)" in 1917-1922.

Cinema

In Yuri Norshtein and Ivan Ivanov-Vano they shot the cartoon "A Slaughter at Kerzhenets", based on the opera by Rimsky-Korsakov.

Notes (edit)

Bibliography

Publications

• Kitezh chronicler; The story and punishment about the intimate city of Kitezh // Literature Monuments of Ancient Russia: XIII century. M., 1981.
• Legend of the city of Kitezh / Podg. text, trans. and comm. N. V. Ponyrko // Library of Literature of Ancient Rus / Ed. D. S. Likhacheva, L. A. Dmitrieva, A. A. Alekseeva, N. V. Ponyrko. - T. 5: XIII century. - SPb .: Nauka, 1997. - ("The book, the verb chronicler ..."; "The story and punishment of the secret city of Kitezh.")
• City of Kitezh. Gorky, 1985.

Research

• Komarovich V.L. Kitezh legend (Experience of studying local legends). - M .; L .: Publishing house of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, 1936. - (The site is partially, in the appendix to the paper version, the chronicle legends about Kitezh are given).
• Krinichnaya N.A. Legends about the invisible city of Kitezh: the mythologeme of collecting the innermost city in folklore and literary prose // Gospel text in Russian literature of the 18th-20th centuries. - Issue. 4. - Petrozavodsk, 2005 .-- S. 53-66.
• A. V. Kulagina The legend about the city of Kitezh in the light of expeditionary records of the XX - early XXI century // Folk cultures of the Russian North. Folklore entity of the ethnos. Arkhangelsk, 2004. Issue. 2.S. 131-141.
• Legends and traditions of the Volga-river. N. Novgorod, 1998.
• Legends and traditions of the Nizhny Novgorod land. N. Novgorod, 2001.
• Meledin S.P. Kitezh on Lake Svetloyar. // Muscovite. 1843. Part 6. No. 12. S. 507-511. - The first printed publication about Kitezh.
  • Galay Yu. G. The author of the first publication about the City of Kitezh on Lake Svetiyarsk S.P. Meledin. // City of Kitezh, Lake Svetloyar in Russian culture: Sat. reports. - Nizhny Novgorod, 1995.

• V.P. Shestakov Eschatological motives in the legend of the city of Kitezh // V.P. Shestakov Eschatology and Utopia: Essays on Russian Philosophy and Culture. M., 1995.

• Azadovsky K.M. Anna Akhmatova and Nikolai Klyuev called me a 'Kitezhanka' // Literary Review. 1989. No. 5.
• Pashchenko M."Kitezh", or Russian "Parsifal": the genesis of the symbol // Voprosy literatury. 2008. No. 2.
• Rubinchik O. E.“There, beyond the island, there, behind the garden…” The theme of Kitezh by Anna Akhmatova // Anna Akhmatova: era, fate, creativity: Crimean Akhmatov scientific collection. - Issue. 3. - Simferopol: Crimean Archives, 2005. - S. 46-66.
• The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevronia // 100 operas: History of creation. Plot. Music / [Ed.-comp. M. Druskin]. - L .: Music, 1970. ( Summary(synopsis) of the opera by Rimsky-Korsakov.)
• Smolnikov S.N. Mythologeme-toponym "Kitezh" in the poetic system of N. A. Klyuev // Klyuev collection. Issue 1. Vologda, 1999.
• Solntseva N.M. Kitezh peacock. M., 1992. (About S. A. Klychkov.)

Works of art

• A. A. Akhmatova"She laid down the curly son ..." // Sobr. cit .: In 6 volumes, M., 1998-2002. Vol. 1.
• A. A. Akhmatova By the way of all the earth // Sobr. op. T. 3.
• Bekhteev S. Kitezh; Kitezhan // Bekhteev S. Songs of Russian sorrow and tears. M., 1996.
• Betaki V. Kitezh // Betaki V. Europe is an island. Paris, 1981.
• Blokhin N. Deep-bog. M., 1999.
• Voloshin M.A. Kitezh // Voloshin M.A. I pray for both. M., 2001.
• Esenin S.A. Inonia // Complete. collection cit .: In 7 volumes.Vol. 2.M., 1997.
• Gorky M. In people // Sobr. cit .: In 30 volumes, M., 1949-1955. T. 13.P. 266. (Spiritual verse about Kitezh).
• Klyuev N.A. Red song; “To the mind - the republic, and to the heart - Mother Russia ...”; Rus-Kitezh; "I am the ambassador from the bear ..."; Red Adam; Song of the Great Mother; Mother Saturday // Klyuev N.A. Heart of the Unicorn. - SPb., 1999.
• P. V. Krusanov Angel Bite: A Novel. SPb., 2001.
• Maikov A.N. Wanderer // Collected. cit .: In 2 volumes. M., 1984.Vol. 2.
• Grisha // Coll. cit .: In 6 volumes. M., 1963.Vol. 1.
• Melnikov P.I. (Andrey Pechersky). In the woods // Sobr. cit .: In 6 volumes. M., 1963.Vol. 2-3.
• Merezhkovsky D.S. Peter and Alexey // Sobr. cit .: In 4 volumes. M., 1990.Vol. 2.
• Prishvin M. M. Near the walls of the invisible city (Lake Bright).
• Tendryakov V.F. Clear waters Kitezh // Collection. cit .: In 5 volumes. M., 1989.Vol. 5.

Journalism

• I. A. Bunin Inonia and Kitezh // I. A. Bunin Journalism 1918-1953. M., 2000.
• Gippius Z. N. Bright Lake. 1904.
• Durylin S.N. Church of the Invisible City. - 1914.
• Ilyin I.A. About Russia // Sobr. cit .: In 10 volumes. M., 1996. T. 6. Book. II.
• V. G. Korolenko In deserted places // Sobr. cit .: In 10 volumes, Moscow, 1954.Vol. 3.
• Shmelev I.S. Soul of the Motherland; Moscow in shame // Sobr. cit .: In 5 volumes. M., 1998-2000. T. 2.

Links

• A message to the father from his son from this hidden monastery, so that they do not have contrition about him and the hidden world is not imprisoned in the dead. In summer 7209 (1702) June 20 day.
• Sheshunova S.V. City of Kitezh in fiction and the problem of bifurcation of Russian culture

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See what the "Legend of the city of Kitezh" is in other dictionaries:

The Kitezh legend, a cycle of legends about the city allegedly plunged into Lake Svetloyar (now the Resurrection District of the Gorky Region), etc. escaped ruin by the Tatars. The name Kitezh goes back to the town of Kideksha (now a village 4 km from ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

Opera The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevronia Bilibin's scenery ... Wikipedia

legend- s, w. 1) In folklore: an oral folk story, which is based on a miracle, a fantastic image or presentation, perceived by the narrator or listener as reliable. Legend of the city of Kitezh. Legends about the people's defenders. Plot… … Popular dictionary of the Russian language

- [poetic tradition] n., f., uptr. cf. often Morphology: (no) what? legends, why? legend, (see) what? legend than? legend about what? about the legend; pl. what? legends, (no) what? legends, what? legends, (see) what? legends than? legends, ... ... Dmitriev's Explanatory Dictionary

- (lat.legenda, from legere to read). 1) in roman catholic church, a book for daily reading. 2) church or religious tradition about some miraculous event. 3) a story about saints and martyrs. 4) in general, the legend of miraculous events. 5) … Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

1. LEGEND, s; f. [from lat. legenda what should be read] 1. Based on oral tradition, poeticized legend about a historical or fictional person, event, etc. Ancient L. L. about the city of Kitezh. // Fictional, embellished ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

From the cycle "Pages of the history of the Nizhny Novgorod province"
The Nizhny Novgorod land is rich in minerals, except that geologists have not found oil and diamond 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 gemstones are 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 influence of high temperatures and geological underground shifts. Kovernin diamonds cannot be turned into polished 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 forests of the Volga region? Their appearance depended on changes in temperature in the bowels of the earth, in the movements of layers and rocks that took place 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 Koverninsky 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, so much 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, rather than a mountainous area 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 no one then 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

There is still no consensus on how Lake Svetloyar came into being. 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 over the surface of the mantle

In general, the citizens of Nizhny Novgorod walk along 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, which 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 Oka exit.

Svetloyar lake. Voskresensky district

The neighbors of Kirov have long had problems associated with earthquakes. Natural disasters haunted them five times throughout. One of the earthquakes was magnitude six on the Richter scale!

Legend

And this city of Big Kitezh has become invisible and is being protected 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 the northern regions from the 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 famous lake Svetloyar 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 located today. According to one of them, it was built in just three years, it was completely made of stone, which was an unprecedented phenomenon for Russia in those years. There were no merchants, no artisans, no nobility in the city, but only righteous people lived behind its stone walls, 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 with a small detachment he 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 immediately 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 that leads to. They cite stories as proof 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 scientists-hydrobiologists, it was not the evil intentions of Khan Batu that destroyed the city of Kitezh (if there was one), but two deep faults in the soil. The most mysterious body of water in the Nizhny Novgorod region is located at their junction.

This version sounds very plausible. Everyone knows that in the event of a strong earthquake, sinkholes swallow entire quarters of modern cities. And a small settlement with wooden houses could easily disappear from the surface as a result of a natural disaster.