Where is Kitezh grad located. The invisible city of Kitezh

On the Volga River, not far from the city of Nizhny Novgorod, there is one of the most deep lakes this region - Svetloyar. The size of the lake is not large - half a kilometer in length and a little more in width. The depth of Svetloyar is 39 meters, which is a record in the region. Water in the lake comes from a deep fault in its bottom. It is crystal clear and cold.

Svetloyar is sometimes called the Russian Atlantis for its legendary history. People say that sometimes a barely audible ringing of bells is heard from under its waters, and in the depths you can see the ghostly walls of monasteries and the domes of churches.
This is the city of Kitezh, which, according to legend, disappeared between 1236 and 1242 during the first invasion of Russia by the Tatar-Mongol. On the border of the third and fourth decades of the 13th century, the ancient Russian state was fragmented into dozens of principalities. The princes fought among themselves for power and new lands, entered into military alliances.

The name of Lake Svetloyar comes from a combination of the Old Russian words: “light”, which also means pure and righteous, and “yar” - not only known to everyone as a ravine, or beam, but in this case being the root of the name of the ancient Russian solar deity Yarila, who in pre-Christian Russia worshiped by the ancient tribes of the Slavs. Many legends of the pre-Christian period of Russia are also associated with Lake Svetloyar. The city of Kitezh is also mentioned in the sacred book of the ancient Russian faith - the Star Book of Kolyada.

In the area of ​​​​Lake Svetloyar, as the old Russian legend tells, Kitovras was born - a magical half-horse, half-man. He was a powerful wizard and helped the Slavs build cities and temples. Kvasura, the ancient god of wisdom and hops, also lived there. It is believed that their names gave the name to the city of Kitezh.

In ancient times, the Slavic tribe of the Berendeys lived near Lake Svetloyar. Until today, their descendants have preserved the legends about the city of Kitezh and the religious center of worship of the god Yarila located in it. In ancient times, in the pre-Christian period of Russia, Kitezh was considered a sacred place by the Slavs.

After the baptism of Russia, the Slavic faith with its temples and magi gave way to Christianity, but places sacred to people remained. On the site of temples, according to tradition, they began to build Orthodox churches, as it was believed that these places are special and are strong sources of positive energy. The names of the ancient Slavic gods gradually changed to the names of saints, but the places of worship of higher powers remained the same. Such places include Lake Svetloyar, which has been shrouded in legends and mysticism since ancient times.

On the shore of this lake, the Grand Duke of Vladimir Yuri (George) Vsevolodovich, (November 26, 1188 - March 4, 1238), the son of Vsevolod the Big Nest, built the Big Kitezh City. In addition to him, there was also Maly Kitezh (presumably modern Gorodets), built during the time of his grandfather, Yuri Dolgoruky. Big Kitezh was built entirely of white stone with six churches in the center of the city, which at that time was a sign of wealth. It seems that the legends united these two cities into the mystical and mysterious Kitezh-grad.

Aleksey Asov helped to recreate the true picture of the events of those distant times. He took the chronicles and legends of those times as the basis for this.

In 1238, Batu Khan defeated the Vladimir-Suzdal principality. Prince Yuri Vsevolodovich remained at that time the only commander with an army that could resist the Tatar-Mongol invasion. The Khan camped on the River City. Prince Yuri Vsevolodovich defended himself against him in Small Kitezh. Batu Khan took the city by storm, but the prince with the remnants of the army managed to leave Small Kitezh and take refuge in Big Kitezh.

Batu intended to continue his campaign to mediterranean sea, but it was impossible to leave the Russian prince with his army in his rear. The path to the city lay among impenetrable swamps and forests. And then he began to torture all the captured Slavs how to get to Kitezh. To issue a city sacred to the Slavs meant dooming yourself and your family to eternal damnation. According to legend, only one was afraid of torment and death - Grishka Kuterma. He agreed to lead Batu's army to Kitezh.

Batu Khan was the founder of the Mongol Empire and the grandson of Genghis Khan. In a few years, he destroyed about half the population ancient Russia. Kyiv, Vladimir, Suzdal, Ryazan, Tver, and many other cities were ravaged and burned by him. Rich Russian culture Ancient Russia did not. For several decades, the construction of cities practically ceased, crafts disappeared, and the southern Russian lands lost almost all of their indigenous population.

In this tragic time, a legend about the city of Kitezh arose among the people. It tells that Khan Batu learned about the city of Kitezh and ordered to conquer it. It was difficult for the Tatar-Mongol army to find the city, but one of the Russian prisoners told the Mongols about secret ways to Lake Svetloyar and the army headed for Kitezh. When they approached it, they saw that the city was not fortified and rejoiced at the upcoming easy victory. But at the sight of the troops, fountains of water gushed out of the ground and the city of Kitezh disappeared under water. According to legend, water did not enter the city itself, it only hid it from enemies and the townspeople did not drown. So God saved the people of Kitezh for their prayers and piety. This place has become sacred.

To this day, the legend of Kitezh lives on. People living in this area talk about suddenly appearing strangely dressed people, the disappearances of those who come to look for Kitezh and turned out to be worthy of becoming its inhabitants. The lake has long been of interest to archaeologists and geologists - employees of research institutes, as well as numerous people independently investigating the mystery of Lake Svetloyar. Among them are those who explain everything by the laws of physics, and those who believe in the secret nature of things. All of them strive to unravel the mystery of Lake Svetloyar and the city of Kitezh that has sunk into it.

This is a legend, but many people believe in it. And there is no doubt that Lake Svetloyar is the same ancient lake about which there are ancient legends. Orthodox people come here to pray. They even say that a handful of earth from this place cures many diseases, and the water from the lake stays for several years and does not bloom or deteriorate - like holy water. Many people believe that if you walk around the lake three times in a clockwise direction, it will grant your wish.

Presumably in Lake Svetloyar there is a passage to another dimension. There is another interesting, directly mystical version, according to which Lake Svetloyar is associated with the mysterious Shambhala. Svetloyar attracts thousands of pilgrims from all over the world. A hint of the existence of a city at the bottom of Svetloyar can also be found in the book of the late seventeenth century "Kitezh chronicler".

Candidate Sergei Volkov, who organized the expedition in search of the mythical city, says that people disappear in this place - some forever, others return and do not remember anything that happened to them. He spoke seriously about the possibility of them visiting lost city Kitezh. But only true believers can enter it.

Proponents of the theory of the mystical lost city It is believed that in Lake Svetloyar there is a passage to another dimension. Proof of this is the stories of residents of the village of Vladimirskoye, adjacent to Svetloyar. They saw a puddle in the clothes their ancestors wore. When these strange people bought goods in the village - mainly bread and bagels - they paid with perfectly preserved ancient copper and silver coins. A possible explanation for this is given only by the theory of parallel worlds.

Here is what Sergey Volkov said:
“Our main discovery is to confirm the hypothesis of the existence near Svetloyar of a plasma substance invisible to the naked eye, which has the ability to manifest itself as living beings. -and photographic equipment. These plasma formations were once recorded in the laboratory by scientists from the Institute of Terrestrial Magnetism, Ionosphere and Radio Wave Propagation. Experiments at this institute showed that there are millions of plasma clots in the air in the electromagnetic range, let's call them substance. This leads atheists to think that there is a parallel, afterlife. Svetloyar's research shows that this hypothesis is not without common sense. "

Despite the myths, legends and folklore, scientists have found traces of real events happened. It is well known from geology that central regions the European part of Russia lie on a foundation of solid rock. But this foundation is cut by deep depressions directed in different directions and often intersecting with each other. And based on this fact, according to geologists, Lake Svetloyar is located at the intersection of two very deep and large depressions. In such places, even a very large water reservoir can form very quickly.

Scientists scuba divers explored Svetloyar and discovered natural anomalies. They found underwater terraces at the bottom of the lake - the shore goes under water like a ladder. Large steep underwater slopes of Svetloyar alternate with horizontal sections of the bottom. This leads to the conclusion that Lake Svetloyar was formed in parts - the first, lower, then after a hundred or even thousands of years - the second, and finally, relatively recently, the third.

The first layer of sediments from the bottom of the lake is located at a depth of 30 meters and is very ancient, the second layer is located at a depth of 20 meters and belongs to the 13th century, and the third terrace has deposits of very recent times.
At a depth of 20 meters, scuba divers found small objects made of wood and metal from the 13th century. On one of these underwater terraces, which was formerly on the shore of the lake, there may have been a real city or monastery, and then it disappeared into the waters of Lake Svetloyar.

When the lake was checked with an echo sounder, and later its echogram was taken by a geolocator, an oval anomaly became clearly visible. It was distinguished by a multi-meter sedimentary layer. Moreover - not far from this "oval" is another area. There, in the mud, the signals reflected from the bottom by a thin layer of soil were different, as if something was blocking the sound. At great depths there were hidden solid objects. When a map of this area was drawn, a pattern was obtained, reminiscent of a city surrounded by an embankment.

Thus, the existence of the city of Kitezh on this site is quite possible. But he did not mysteriously disappear somewhere, but simply collapsed underground as a result of tectonic activity. Only now, for 50 years, scuba divers have not been able to find any trace of this. Schliemann discovered Troy guided only by the stories of the Iliad. And here the address is exact and the lake is in front of our eyes - and all underwater searches have yielded nothing.

It remains to assume a fantastic option: the city exists, but is invisible. Except for the ringing of its bells heard from time to time ...

During tests with the help of a hydrophone, which is made on the principle of converting sound into an electrical signal, he suddenly began to make sounds reminiscent of the echo of thunder during a storm. The geophysicists involved in the experiment said that these sounds come from a wave of magnetic disturbance that travels through the water and creates this effect.

In some places, the water just "shouted", in others there was dead silence. But the most unexpected surprise of Lake Svetloyar was a low buzzing sound recorded by hydrophones, reminiscent of a loud bell. Most often, the lake emitted it before sunrise and full moon. It was then, according to the legend, that righteous people were able to see how the walls of a snow-white city with golden domes of temples are visible in the mirror of the lake.

As for the water of the lake itself, scientists and chemists came to the conclusion that it can remain for many days without changing its properties, thanks to the sources located at the bottom of the lake with a high content of calcium and bicarbonate.

There is also a hypothesis that once there was a city - the center of Eurasia. As a result of an unprecedented disaster, the flourishing city was submerged under water.

Five kilometers from the lake there is a source of "living" water - tests have shown that its acidity is zero. Next to him in the forest are three ancient unusual graves. No one knows who is buried there, so far away from any inhabited place. Their size is several times larger than the traditional size of a Christian grave. It is said that perhaps giants are buried in them - the ancient Lemurians, inhabitants of the mysterious country of Lemuria, which, according to legend, existed somewhere in this area thousands of years ago.

Modern science does not confirm, but does not try to refute this version of the origin of the burials. But no attempt was made to exhume them. Some people come to the graves at night to worship, others the other way around. believe that this is an unclean place, regardless of who is next to it healing spring. Others take water from it and quickly leave.

The legend of Kitezh is the most famous legend about a city hidden from the enemy. However, there are many such stories. In a number of regions of Russia, myths still exist about how, under the threat of plunder, monasteries or entire cities went under water or hid in the mountains. It was believed that only the chosen ones could get there from our world. In the book The Brotherhood of the Grail, Richard Rudzitis cites a letter from a Russian monk who sends a message to his loved ones and asks not to consider him dead. He says that he simply went to a hidden monastery to the ancient elders.

However, scientists have not come to a final conclusion: one or more hidden cities or monasteries are discussed in the question of Kitezh. One way or another, the prevalence of such legends and their undoubted similarity once again proves the authenticity of this story. However, the more research is being done on Lake Svetloyar, the more questions scientists have that have yet to be answered.

Modern legends about Kitezh

During the Great Patriotic War, old people made pilgrimages around Svetloyar, praying for fellow countrymen who had gone to the front.

About 20 years ago, Svetloyar wanted to investigate a visiting hydrobiologist. After several dives into the water, his temperature rose sharply. The man went to the doctors, but they could not even make a diagnosis: an unknown disease developed without any objective reasons.
And only when the hydrobiologist left these places, the disease receded by itself.

Once, in the vicinity of Svetloyar, a resident came to pick mushrooms. Nizhny Novgorod. He did not return home that day or the next. Relatives sounded the alarm. Search and rescue operations did not yield results. The man was put on the wanted list. A week later he returned home alive and unharmed. He answered all questions evasively: they say, he got lost, wandered through the forest. Then he generally said that he had a memory lapse. Only later did he confess to his friend, who specially made him drunk, that he was in the invisible city of Kitezh, where he was met by miraculous elders. "How can you prove it?" the friend asked. 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 before the 1917 coup, one of the museums allegedly kept a letter in Old Slavonic, which was addressed from son to 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. 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 a Russian way.

There is an even more fantastic legend about Lake Svetloyar. Locals say that it has an underground bottom and connects with the waters of Lake Baikal. And again, no confirmation of this was found. However, these popular beliefs were not refuted.

However, the inhabitants of the otherworldly Kitezh themselves often visit our world. Old-timers say that an old man with a long gray beard in ancient Slavic clothes used to come into an ordinary village shop. He asked to sell bread, and paid with old Russian coins from the time of the Tatar-Mongol yoke. And the coins looked like new. Often the elder asked the question: “How is it in Russia now? Isn't it time for Kitezh to rise up? However, local residents replied that it was still too early. They know better, because the place around the lake is special, and people here live in constant contact with a miracle. Even those who come from other areas feel an unusual halo.

The legend of Kitezh has come down to us in the literary adaptation of the Old Believers: "The book of the verb chronicler" in its final form took shape in the second half of the 18th century. among one of the interpretations of the Old Believers-bespopovtsev - runners. But both components of the monument, quite isolated and independent, are taken away in the 17th century. At the same time, the first part, which tells about Prince Georgy Vsevolodovich, his murder by Batu and the ruin of Kitezh, reflected legends dating back to the time of the Batu invasion.

No matter how legendary the legend is and how far the given historical dates are not true, it was based on actual events. “The Holy Right-Believing and Grand Duke Georgy Vsevolodovich” is the Grand Duke of Vladimir and Suzdal Georgy II Vsevolodovich, who fought with the army of Batu and laid down his head in an unequal battle on the river. City. The connection of Maly Kitezh (Gorodets) with the name of Georgy Vsevolodovich has a completely historical background: from 1216 to 1219 (before the occupation of the Vladimir table), the prince went there to receive an inheritance; in 1237, when the hordes of Batu approached Vladimir, Georgy Vsevolodovich went to the Yaroslavl land, within which both cities, Big and Small Kitezhi, were located, and where the battle lost by the Russians took place.

Of course, the legendary image of the prince is not completely identical to the historical one. Georgy Vsevolodovich was given a fictitious pedigree: he descends from the holy prince Vladimir and is the son of the holy Vsevolod Mstislavich of Novgorod. This invented genealogy, which does not correspond to the actual genealogy of Prince George, strengthens the motive of holiness - the leading motive of the legend.

The second part of the “Book of the verbal chronicler” - “The Tale and the Requisition about the Secret City of Kitezh” - is devoid of any historical background, it belongs to the type of legendary-apocryphal monuments that treat the earthly paradise. The image of the “secret” city of Kitezh stands somewhere in the middle between the “earthly paradise” of the most ancient Russian apocrypha and Belovodie, the legendary happy land that became so popular among Russian peasants in the 18th century.

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

History of the legend

In the region of Nizhny Novgorod, in central Russia, there is Lake Svetloyar. The history of his birth is connected with many mystical events and is shrouded in mystery. According to legend, it is always smooth, and only a very light breeze leaves a little ripple on it. Some hear about him even bell ringing.

The city of Small Kitezh was built by Georgy Vsevolodovich on the banks of the Volga. However, it seemed small to him, and he created Big Kitezh on the other side. The construction of cities happened even before the invasion of Batu. Khan wanted to take possession of the city, killed the prince's brother and surrounded the city. Moreover, this was easy to do - the city was completely unprotected. Khan was very surprised: when the troops approached the city, all its inhabitants prayed fervently. And then the troops broke into it, and the unforeseen happened. Fountains clogged 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 pure soul can see underwater beautiful city or hear church singing.

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

present tense

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

Around it there are mysterious phenomena. In particular, today it has been observed that:

• In clear weather, many hear bells or see outlines in the water. invisible city. It can also be seen at dawn, when the sun is just rising 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 water, as it were, in tiers. It was concluded that it was formed in parts. However, no one has yet reached its bottom because of the very great 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 truly believing, enlightened person could see them. locals they noticed strange people in white dressed in ancient clothes of that time near the lake, and talked to them. However, scientific confirmation of this information does not yet exist.
• There is also a local legend that ancient people warned of misfortunes and gave various advice to others. However, there is no exact information about it yet. Although many saw wanderers in white clothes and often gave them food, drinks or just talked to them. But there is no scientific data on this yet.
• By the way, if you go around the lake clockwise three times and make a wish, it will definitely come true.

Today it is generally accepted that Kitezh is a hail-legend, interesting facts about him, listed in this article, until they are confirmed by any exact research. However, despite this, today a large number of tourists and pilgrims come to Lake Svetloyar to see with their own eyes the lake that hides a great secret.

Kitezh (Kitezh-grad, Kidish) is a mythical wonderful city, which, according to Russian legends, escaped from the troops of Batu during the Tatar-Mongol invasion in the 13th century due to the miraculous property of being invisible. When the troops approached, the city allegedly disappeared from the eyes of the astonished enemy and sank to the bottom of Lake Svetloyar. In subsequent centuries, the legend was transformed, the Old Believers described Kitezh as a refuge for the followers of the old faith.

In the XVIII-XIX centuries, Kitezh was presented as a city of the righteous, a city of social justice, where every honest Russian could go. The people endowed some other fantastic societies with similar properties, such as the kingdom of Prester John, the churches of "ancient piety" in the distant Oponsky (Japanese?) Sea, the islands of the blessed, the earthly paradise, Belovodie, the "City of Ignat", etc. In Russia at that time, stories were spread about people who gave dinner to go to Kitezh, and subsequently sent letters from there. Numerous eyewitnesses described the bell ringing, which they allegedly heard from under the water.

A lake in the Nizhny Novgorod Trans-Volga region, about 100 km east-north-east of the regional center and 1-1.5 km west of the village of Vladimirskoye, Voskresensky district, a natural monument of federal significance. The lake has the shape of an oval with dimensions of 500 x 350 m, it is distinguished by great depth , reaching 40 m. The view on the origin of the lake has changed since its study and has not yet been unambiguously resolved. For the first time, its volcanic origin was suggested at the beginning of the 20th century by the writer V. Korolenko. Various researchers at different times expressed hypotheses about the glacial, karst, oxbow, volcanic, neotectonic, salt dome and cosmic — meteorite origin of the lake. In 2009, the results of field studies were published, confirming the hypothesis of the meteorite origin of the lake.

Until now, there is a dispute in science about the reality of Kitezh and about the possible location of the "sunken" city. The most attractive version is that the legend tells of some place with supernatural properties. What kind of place is this (parallel world, astral, some kind of spatial hole) - it is useless to argue about this now, because. too much obscurity in the legend. However, attempts have been made and are being made to find a real sunken city. Most often, such searches were carried out in the area of ​​the Zhiguli bend of the Volga, where a mirage is sometimes observed over the Volga - a large ancient Russian city rising from under the water.

When the troops of Khan Batu reached the Vladimir-Suzdal principality, the Russians met them near Maly Kitezh (now it is Gorodets). Most of the squad perished in the battle, and Prince Georgy Vsevolodovich with the surviving soldiers took refuge in the forests and built the city of Kitezh Bolshoi on the shores of Lake Svetloyar. Batu found out where the prince had taken refuge and killed him. And the inhabitants gathered in the temple and turned to God with a prayer to prevent the invaders from approaching them. God heeded the prayer, streams of water gushed out of the ground, which, without harming the inhabitants, flooded the city up to the domes of churches. But they soon disappeared. And on the site of the city, a lake spilled. Since then, this place has been revered as a saint... Such is the legend that many people believe. And they have no doubt that the small forest lake Svetloyar in the Nizhny Novgorod region is the very one in which Kitezh drowned. Orthodox people come here to pray. It is said that a handful of local land cures ailments. Water drawn from the lake stays in bottles for several years, without spoiling, like consecrated water. And if you go around the lake three times clockwise, then all cherished desires. And the version that Lake Svetloyar is related to the mysterious Shambala attracts thousands of pilgrims from all over the world. However, the only real hints of the existence of the legendary city can be found in the book "Kitezh Chronicler" (late 17th century).

Near-scientific mystics believe that there is also a passage to another time dimension on Svetloyar. And as proof, they cite stories told by residents of the nearby village of Vladimirskoye. They allegedly often meet strange peddlers in clothes that were still worn by their great-grandfathers, and for the purchased goods - mainly bread, bagels, gingerbread - they receive change from them in coppers and silver coins. “For us,” Volkov continues, “the main discovery was the confirmation of the hypothesis about the existence near Svetloyar of invisible plasma substances that have a logic of behavior, that is, they manifest themselves as living beings. Especially a lot of them appear around a group of people praying - as if they are studying. We captured them on video and photographic equipment. These plasma formations were once recorded in laboratory conditions by scientists from the Institute of Terrestrial Magnetism, Ionosphere and Radio Wave Propagation (IZMIRAN). Their experiments testified that millions of plasma bunches are rushing through the air in the electromagnetic range. Then it led atheists to the idea that the other world still exists. The current study of Svetloyar has shown that this hypothesis is not without common sense.

But where did the city go? Is there some real natural event at the heart of the myth?

In fact, as soon as we start researching any legend, myth or similar work of oral folk art, we find traces of events that actually took place,” said Boris Rybakov, an outstanding Russian archaeologist and historian, at one of his speeches (died in 2001. — Ed.). — Geologists are well aware that the central regions of the European part of Russia lie on a foundation of very strong rocks. But it is dissected by deep faults that go in different directions, often intersecting with each other. And geologist Vladimir Nikitin found out that Lake Svetloyar lies just at the intersection of two deep faults. In such a place, even a large reservoir could be formed surprisingly quickly - even in front of Batu Khan.

The graves of the giants Kibilek - this is the name of a place about five kilometers from Lake Svetloyar. Here is a spring supposedly with “living” water (analyses show that it has zero acidity). And nearby - in the dense Kerzhinsky forest - there are three unmarked graves. They are ancient and unusual. First, who had the idea to bury someone away from settlements? Secondly, the graves are several times larger than traditional Christian burials. It is said that giants are buried there. Namely, the skeletons of the ancient Lemurians - the inhabitants of the mysterious country of Lemuria, which, according to legend, existed somewhere in this area hundreds of thousands of years ago. Modern science does not confirm, but does not try to refute such a version of the origin of strange burials. Nobody tried to dig them out. Yes, and it's wrong. Nizhny Novgorod esotericists come to the graves at night to bow to the "unknown". And many Orthodox, on the contrary, believe that the place here is unclean. Despite the origin. They take water and leave quickly.

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The legend of the city of Kitezh

Kitezh, Grad Kitezh, Kitezh-grad, Bolshoy Kitezh - the flooded invisible city of pious Christians, located, according to legend, at the bottom of Lake Svetloyar: sometimes a powerful sound is heard from the depths of the lake, reminiscent of the pure sound of a bell. Located approximately one and a half kilometers from the village. Vladimirskoe Voskresensky district, which is on the river. Lunda, within the boundaries of the Nizhny Novgorod Povetluzhye nature reserve.

It is believed that Kitezh-grad miraculously escaped from the conquerors during the Mongol-Tatar invasion of the 13th century. For Batu and his hordes preparing to capture the city, he became invisible and then sank to the bottom of Lake Svetloyar, along with all the pious inhabitants. According to legend, Kitezh-grad invisibly exists to this day, the righteous who please God can see the holy city.

This holy noble and great prince Georgy Vsevolodovich was the son of the holy noble and great prince Vsevolod, the Pskov miracle worker, who was named Gabriel in holy baptism. This holy noble and great prince Vsevolod was the son of the great prince Mstislav, the grandson of the holy and Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir of Kiev, autocrat of the Russian land. The Holy Blessed and Grand Duke Georgy Vsevolodovich is the great-grandson of the Holy Blessed and Grand Duke Vladimir.

And the holy noble prince Vsevolod first reigned in Veliky Novgorod. But at one time, the Novgorodians grumbled at him and decided among themselves: our prince, unbaptized, owns us, the baptized. And they made a council, and they came to him, and cast him out. He came to Kyiv to his uncle Yaropolk and told him everything for which he was expelled by the Novgorodians. And he, having learned about this, gave him possession of Vyshgorod. And here the Pskovites already begged him to reign with them, and he came to them in the city of Pskov. And after some time he received the grace of holy baptism, and was named Gabriel in holy baptism. And he remained in great polishing and abstinence, and after one year he went into eternal rest, 6671 (1163) years, the month of February on the eleventh day. And he was buried by his faithful son and Grand Duke George. And there were many miracles from his holy relics to the glory and praise of Christ, our God, and all the saints. Amen.

This holy noble prince Georgy Vsevolodovich, after the death of his father, his noble prince Vsevolod, who was named Gabriel in holy baptism, remained in his place at the request of the people of Pskov. It was in 6671 (1163) year. The holy noble and great prince Georgy Vsevolodovich deigned to go to the noble prince Mikhail of Chernigov. And when the faithful and great prince George came to the noble prince Michael, he bowed to the noble prince Michael and said to him: “Hello, O noble and great prince Michael, for many years, shining with piety and faith in Christ, in everything like our great-grandfathers and great-grandmother our blessed Grand Duchess, Christ-loving Olga, who has found the dearest and greatest treasure - Christ and the faith of his holy prophets and apostles and holy fathers, and the faithful Christ-loving tsar and Equal-to-the-Apostles great-grandfather, our Tsar Konstantin. And the right-believing Prince Michael said to him: “May you also be healthy, O right-believing and great prince Georgy Vsevolodovich, come to me with good advice and an unenvious eye. After all, what did Svyatopolk gain because of envy of our grandfathers, who desired power and killed his brothers, faithful and great princes! He ordered Boris to be pierced with a spear, and Gleb to be slaughtered with a knife, during the years of their reign. After all, he deceived them flatteringly at the instigation of Satan, as if their mother was dying. They, like gentle lambs, became like their good shepherd Christ, did not stand against their brother, their enemy. The Lord glorified his holy saints, the noble princes and great miracle workers Boris and Gleb.

And Prince George and Prince Michael kissed each other, and celebrated spiritually, and rejoiced; and the faithful and great prince George said to the faithful prince Michael: "Give me a letter, in our Russia, in the fortified places of the church of God, build cities." And the faithful and great prince Michael said to him: “As you wish, build the churches of God to the glory and praise of the most holy name of God. For such a good intention of yours, you will receive a reward on the day of the coming of Christ.

And they feasted for many days. And when the right-believing prince George decided to return to his inheritance, then the right-believing prince Michael ordered the letter to be written and put his hand to the letter. And when the right-believing prince George went to his fatherland and city, then the right-believing prince Michael with great honor released him and saw him off. And when both princes were already on their way and bowed to each other in farewell, the right-believing Prince Mikhail gave a letter. Blessed Prince George took the letter from Blessed Prince Michael and bowed to him, and then he answered him.

And Prince George went to the cities, and when he arrived in Novgorod, he ordered to build a church in the name of the Assumption of the Most Holy Lady of Our Lady and Ever-Virgin Mary in the year 6672 (1164). From Novgorod he went to Pskov, his city, where his father, the blessed Prince Vsevolod, died, and in holy baptism Gabriel, the miracle worker of Novgorod and Pskov. And he went from Pskov-grad to Moscow, and ordered to build a church in the name of the Assumption of the Most Holy Lady of Our Lady. and Ever-Virgin Mary in the year 6672 (1164). And he went from Moscow to Pereslavl-Zalessky, and from Pereslavl-grad to Rostov-grad. At that very time, Grand Duke Andrei Bogolyubsky was in the city of Rostov. And the noble prince George in the city of Rostov ordered to build a church in the name of the Dormition of our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary in the year 6672 (1164), the month of May on the twenty-third day. In the days of Grand Duke George, they began to dig ditches under the foundation of the church and found the buried relics of St. Leonty of Christ, Bishop of Rostov, a miracle worker, who converted people in Rostov-grad to the faith of Christ and baptized them from young to old. And the noble prince George rejoiced with great joy, and glorified God, who gave him such a valuable treasure, and sang a prayer service. And he ordered Andrei, Prince Bogolyubsky, to go to the city of Murom and build a church in the city of Murom in the name of the Assumption of the Most Holy Lady of Our Lady and Ever-Virgin Mary.

The faithful and great prince himself left the city of Rostov and arrived in the city of Yaroslavl, which stands on the banks of the Volga River. And he got into a plow, and went down the Volga, and landed on the shore at Small Kitezh, which stands on the banks of the Volga, and rebuilt it, and all the people of the city of that blessed Prince George began to pray that the image of the miraculous icon Holy Mother of God Fedorovskaya transferred to the city to them. He fulfilled the request. They began to sing a prayer service to the Most Holy Theotokos. And when they finished and wanted to carry that image to the city, the image did not leave the place, it did not move at all. Blessed Prince George, seeing the will of the Most Holy Theotokos, who had chosen a place for herself here, ordered to build a monastery in that place in the name of the Most Holy Theotokos Fedorovskaya.

The faithful prince George himself went from that place by land, and not by water. And he crossed the Uzola River, and the second river, named Sandu, and the third river crossed, named Sanogtu, and the fourth crossed, named Kerzhenets, and came to the lake, named Svetloyar. And I saw that place, extraordinarily beautiful and crowded; and at the begging of its inhabitants, the noble prince Georgy Vsevolodovich ordered to build a city on the shore of the lake of that Svetloyar, named Big Kitezh, because the place was unusually beautiful, and on the other side of the lake there was an oak grove.

And with the advice and command of the right-believing and Grand Duke Georgy Vsevolodovich, they began to dig ditches to strengthen this place. And they began to build a church in the name of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross of the Lord, and the second church - in the name of the Assumption of our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, and the third church - in the name of the Annunciation of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary. In the same churches, Prince George commanded to make aisles in honor of other holidays of the Lord and the Mother of God. Likewise, he commanded to write the images of all the saints.

And that city, Big Kitezh, was a hundred fathoms long and wide, and this first measure was small. And the noble prince George ordered to add another hundred fathoms in length, and the measure of the hail became two hundred fathoms in length, and one hundred fathoms in width. And they began to build that stone city in the year 6673 (1165), the month of May on the first day, in memory of the holy prophet Jeremiah and others like him. And that city was built for three years, and they built it in the year 6676 (1167), the month of September on the thirtieth day, in memory of the Holy Hieromartyr Gregory, Bishop of Great Armenia.

And he went to Small Kitezh, which stands on the banks of the Volga, the right-believing Prince Georgy Vsevolodovich. And after the construction of those cities, Small and Large, he ordered to measure in the fields how much distance they have between themselves. And at the behest of the right-believing Prince George, they set out a hundred fields. And the noble prince Georgy Vsevolodovich, having learned this, gave glory to God and the Most Holy Theotokos and also ordered the chronicler to write a book. And the faithful and Grand Duke George himself ordered to serve the entire service. And having sung a prayer service to the Most Holy Theotokos of Fedorovskaya, after completing that service, he sailed in his plow on his way to his previously mentioned city of Pskov. The people accompanied him great honor; and, having said goodbye to him, they let him go.

The noble prince Georgy Vsevolodovich, having arrived in his city, formerly called Pskov, spent many days in prayer, and in fasting, and in vigil, and distributed much alms to the poor, and widows, and orphans. And after the building of those cities, he lived seventy-five years. It was in the year 6747 (1239). By the grace of God, for our sins, the ungodly and godless Tsar Batu came to Russia in a war. And he destroyed the cities, and burned them with fire, and also destroyed the churches of God, and burned them with fire. He betrayed people to the sword, and stabbed small children with a knife, defiled young virgins with fornication. And there was a great cry.

Blessed Prince Georgy Vsevolodovich, hearing about all this, wept bitterly. And, having prayed to the Lord and the Most Holy Mother of God, he gathered his army, and went against the impious king Batu with his soldiers. And when both armies entered the battle, there was a great slaughter and bloodshed. At that time, the noble prince George had few soldiers, and the noble prince George fled from the impious king Batu down the Volga to Small Kitezh. And for a long time the faithful prince George fought with the wicked king Batu, not letting him into his city.

When night fell, then the noble prince George went secretly from this city to the Great City of Kitezh. In the morning, when that wicked king woke up, he attacked the city with his soldiers and captured it. And he beat and chopped all the people in this city. And, not finding the right-believing prince in that city, he began to torment one of the inhabitants, and he, unable to endure the torment, opened the way for him. The same wicked one chased after the prince. And when he came to the city, he attacked it with many of his soldiers and took that city of Great Kitezh, which is on the shores of Lake Svetloyar, and killed the faithful Prince George, on the fourth day of February. And the wicked king Batu left the city. And after him they took the relics of the right-believing Prince Georgy Vsevolodovich. And after that ruin, those cities were deserted, Small Kitezh, which stands on the banks of the Volga, and Big, which is on the banks of Lake Svetloyar.

And Big Kitezh will be invisible until the coming of Christ, which happened in former times, as the lives of the holy fathers testify, the Monasian patericon, and the Skete patericon, and the ABC patericon, and the Jerusalem patericon, and the paterikon of the Holy Mountain, and these holy books, in which the lives of the holy fathers are written, they agree that the innermost abode is not one, but there are many monasteries, and in those monasteries there is a great multitude of holy fathers, like the stars of heaven, shining with their life. As the sand of the sea cannot be exhausted, so it is impossible to describe everything. It is about them, foreseeing in the holy spirit, that the blessed prophet David the king, marveling, cries out in the holy spirit, in the inspired book of his Psalter he says: planted in the house of the Lord, they bloom in the courts of our God.” And also the same prophet King David: “Exalted are your thoughts to me, O God, how great is their number; If I begin to number them, they are more numerous than sand.” About them, foreseeing with the holy spirit, the blessed apostle Paul in his epistle speaks, foreseeing; such a word refers to us: “They wandered in sheepskin and goat skins, enduring hardships, sorrows, bitterness, those that the whole world was not worthy of.” Saint John Chrysostom also spoke the same word, in his teaching he speaks on the third week of Lent. The same word is addressed to us, foreseeing, by St. Anastasius from Mount Sinai. The same apostolic word addresses us, foreseeing, and our reverend father Hilarion the Great, about the saints, he writes: “And it will be the same in the last times: cities and monasteries will be hidden, because the Antichrist will begin to reign in the world, Then they will run to the mountains, and into dens, and into the abysses of the earth. And the philanthropic God will not leave then those who want to be saved. By zeal, and tenderness, and tears, a person receives everything from God. The divine lips proclaimed the Savior himself in the most holy Gospel that “everything that has and wants to be saved will be given.”

And after the murder of the holy and faithful and Grand Duke Georgy Vsevolodovich, and after the burial of his honest relics, in the sixth year that Tsar Batu came to fight in the Russian kingdom. The noble Prince Mikhail of Chernigov went against Batu the Tsar with his boyar Theodore. And when both armies fought, there was great bloodshed. And that wicked Tsar Batu killed the faithful and Grand Duke Mikhail of Chernigov with the boyar Theodore in the year 6750 (1241), the month of September on the twentieth day. And after the murder of the right-believing prince Mikhail of Chernigov, two years later, that impious tsar Batu killed the right-believing prince Mercury of Smolensk in the year 6755 (1246), the month of November on the twenty-fourth day. And there was a desolation of the Muscovite kingdom, and other monasteries, and that city of Greater Kitezh in the year 6756 (1248).

THE STORY AND REPRESENTATION ABOUT THE CITY OF SECRET KITEZH

If a person promises to truly go into it, and not falsely, and from his zeal begins to fast, and sheds many tears, and goes into it, and it is better to die of starvation rather than leave him, and endure many other sorrows and even death die, know that God will save such that his every step will be known and recorded by an angel. For he went on the path of salvation, as books testify, such as the patericon of Skitsky. There was a certain father, and he turned one harlot from fornication. The harlot went with him to the monastery. And she came to the gates of that monastery, and died. And she was saved. And the other also went into the wilderness with her father, and died. And the angels took her soul, and led her up the stairs to heaven.

Same with that person. If it happens and he dies, he will judge according to the divine Scripture. For he who flees is spiritually similar to one who flees from the harlot of Babylon, the dark and full of filth of this world, about which St. John the Theologian wrote in Revelation, his book. He speaks of the end times as of a woman sitting on a seven-headed beast, naked and shameless. In her hands, she holds a cup full of all filth and stench, and gives it to those who live and love it in the world - first of all to patriarchs, kings, and princes, and governors, and all rich rulers, and to all people in this world. vain, loving its sweetness.

The one who wants and wants to be saved, it is fitting to flee the world and its sweetness. As the same John said, foreseeing in the holy spirit: “The woman will run into the wilderness, and the serpent will chase after her, the one that seduces from the right path those who want to live humbly and spiritually.” And that accursed serpent teaches to walk in a wide and spacious way, the path of malice, and leads astray from the right path, and seduces, and orders to live a corrupt life, and frightens those who walk along the right path.

But the one who wants, and seeks, and desires salvation, that person is most enlightened by the grace of God, and helps him, and teaches, and leads him to a perfect spiritual humble life. For no one has ever been left anywhere by the Lord. Whenever he called, he heard. And when he asks, will he not be pleased with him? And what does he not seek, will he not gain from him? For the Lord accepts everyone who comes to him, with joy and calls everyone. After all, usually even the powers in heaven do not see the face of God. And when a sinner repents on earth, then all heavenly powers clearly see the face of Christ, and the glory of his deity is revealed, and they see his face. For only for the sake of the soul of a sinful repentant joy happens in heaven to all the powers of heaven and to all his saints. And the forces are angels and archangels, cherubim and seraphim, principles, and authorities, and dominions. And the saints - this is who they are: prophets, and apostles, and saints, and reverends, and the righteous, martyrs, and martyrs, and other saints. For the sake of a single sinner of repentance, there is joy to all the powers of heaven and to all his saints.

And the one who does not want, does not strive, does not want to receive salvation for himself, the Lord does not force need and captivity. But according to the zeal and desire of the heart, the Lord does everything for man. When someone with a non-hypocritical mind and unshakable faith makes a vow and does not think about anything vain in himself, then even if he turns back without telling his father, mother, sisters, or brothers, then the Lord also opens the way for such a person and directs him to such a good and quiet haven by the prayers of our venerable fathers, who work day and night unceasingly. The prayer of their mouths is like a fragrant censer. They also pray for those who want to be saved with a sincere heart, and not with a false vow. And if someone wants to be saved and prays, who will turn to them, such is accepted with joy as being instructed by God. And whoever wants to go to such a holy place has no thought not to have a crafty and depraved one, confusing the mind and leading the thoughts of that person who wants to go to the side. Strongly guard the thoughts of the evil ones, seeking to excommunicate from that place. And don't think about this and that. Such a person will be directed by the Lord to the path of salvation. Or a notice will come to him from that city or from the monastery of the one that is hidden both, the city and the monastery. After all, there is also a chronicler-book about the monastery. I will return to the first word.

If he goes, and begins to doubt, and praises everywhere, then the Lord will close the city to such. And it will seem to him a forest or empty space. And he will not receive anything, but only his labor will be in vain. And temptation, and reproach, and reproach to him will be for this from God. Execution will take here and in the next century, condemnation and pitch darkness for desecrating such a holy place, over a miracle that appeared at the end of our century: the city became invisible, just as in former times there were many monasteries that became invisible, about this was written in the lives of the holy fathers, you can read more there.

And this city of Big Kitezh became invisible and guarded by the hand of God - so at the end of our many-rebellious century and worthy of tears, the Lord covered that city with his hand. And he became invisible at the prayer and petition of those who worthily and righteously fall to him, who will not see sorrow and sorrow from the beast-antichrist. Only we are grieved day and night, about our retreat, our entire Moscow state, because the Antichrist reigns in it and all his commandments are filthy and unclean.

The fathers tell about the desolation of that city, and they heard from the former fathers who lived after the destruction of the city and a hundred years after the impious and godless king Batu. For he destroyed all that Zauzol land and burned villages and villages with fire. And the whole Zauzol country was overgrown with forest. And from that time that city and the monastery became invisible.

We wrote this book-chronicler in the year 6759 (1251), and approved the council, and gave the holy church of God for strengthening to all Orthodox Christians who want to read or listen, and not blaspheme this divine scripture. If any person insults or mocks this scripture, approved by us, let him know that he did not blaspheme us, but God and his most pure mother, our mistress the Mother of God and ever-virgin Mary. In whom she is glorified, and magnified, and commemorates her great name, the mother of God, those she also observes, and preserves, and covers with her hand, bringing prayer for them to her son: “Do not leave in contempt my, O dear son, petitions. You, who washed the whole world with your blood, have mercy on these and save and keep those who call on my name with undoubted faith and a pure heart. And therefore the Lord covered them with his hand, about which we wrote, and approved, and informed.

And to this our decision, neither add nor subtract, and in no way change, not a single dot or comma. If anyone adds or somehow changes, let him be, according to the holy fathers of tradition, cursed, according to tradition, they announced this and confirmed it. If anyone thinks this is unfaithful, then read the lives of the former saints and find out that there was a lot of this in former times. Glory in the trinity to the glorious God and his most pure Mother of God, who observes and preserves the place, and to all the saints. Amen.

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