Invisible ancient city at the bottom of the lake Svetloyar. Lake Svetloyar - a small Russian Atlantis
This article will focus on the legendary city of Kitezh, which hid from enemies at the bottom of Lake Svetloyar (Nizhny Novgorod Region). Scientists around the world have been trying to solve its riddle for several decades now.
hot prayer
The ancient chronicle of 1251, created 13 years after the events described in it, tells how the city of Kitezh disappeared under water.
According to this literary source, in 1238, Batu Khan, having conquered almost all Russian principalities, met in a battle on the City River with the ruler of the Vladimir-Suzdal land, Georgy Vsevolodovich. In a hot battle, the Mongol-Tatar invaders crushed the few regiments of the Russians, and the prince, along with the rest of the army, took refuge in the small town of Kitezh, which he also founded several decades ago on the shores of Lake Svetloyar.
It must be said that the approaches to the hail were reliably hidden by Vetluzh forests and impenetrable swamps, and only a few knew the way there. Wanting to get to Prince George at all costs, Batu ordered to torture the prisoners in order to find out from them the way to Kitezh. Even the most terrible tortures could not break the captives, but one of them - Grishka Kuterma - nevertheless showed the invaders the way to the city, which became a refuge for the prince.
Having passed along the secret path, the Tatar hordes saw the handsome Kitezh in front of them, practically devoid of military fortifications. Its inhabitants, instead of preparing for battle, fell to their knees and fervently prayed. Anticipating an easy victory, the invaders rushed to the city, but then streams of water gushed out of the ground, forcing the enemy to ingloriously retreat.
But even when the Tatar-Mongols retreated, the underground sources did not dry up. Water rose around the walls of the city, reliably covering houses, temples and residents of Kitezh. Soon, instead of the blooming city, only the expanse of the lake gleamed in the sun, which to this day is a mute witness to the cataclysm of bygone centuries.
The place is reserved
Today, many researchers of the events of those years have a question: why did Batu, who had practically conquered the entire Russian land, need to look for a small city lost in forests and swamps, which can hardly be called a tasty prey? Did the khan spend time and effort searching for the cherished path to Kitezh only to destroy the already defeated prince?
The answer to this question is given in one of his works by the writer and historian Alexander Asov. In his opinion, Kitezh is one of the oldest cities in the Russian land, although its official history goes back only a few decades. And it was founded in pre-Christian times in a difficult, reserved place.
From time immemorial, Slavic tribes believed that Lake Svetloyar was endowed with an unknown power. That is why the Berendeys living on its shores set up sanctuaries for the bright god Yarila, whose name gave the name to the lake.
In addition, according to Slavic legends, the powerful god Kitovras, who had the appearance of a half-man, half-horse, was born on this reserved land. He was the builder of temples, who knew all the secrets of the universe. Here the god of wisdom and hop Kvasura was born, giving people joy and fun.
Kitezh-grad itself was first mentioned in the "Star Book of Kolyada" - the sacred chronicle of our distant ancestors. This city was patronized by many gods, and even when the Russian land became Orthodox, Christian churches were erected on the places of power - the sanctuaries of Slavic deities.
The rulers of all the principalities revered Kitezh and took care of the holy city, as evidenced by the six (!) white-stone churches erected here in record time. White stone in the Middle Ages was very expensive, and the builders spent it very carefully.
Therefore, it can be assumed that, having heard about an unusual city, Batu decided to take possession of its great power in order to conquer the whole world with its help. (True, it is not clear why the great power of the city did not help Georgy Vsevolodovich defeat Batu.) However, higher powers ordered otherwise, hiding the sacred Kitezh under water from both enemies and friends.
What about at the bottom?
The city of Kitezh still reminds people of itself from time to time. Many eyewitnesses claim that in clear weather, at sunrise and on the eve of major Orthodox holidays, the sound of bells and melodious singing can be heard from under the water. In addition, sometimes here you can see snow-white walls, crosses and golden domes of sunken temples under the lake surface.
Of course, the depths of Svetloyar have been repeatedly studied by archaeologists and amateur scuba divers, but no traces of the sunken city have been found. The researchers came to the conclusion that the bottom of the lake can be called three-layer - consisting of three levels of underwater terraces belonging to different eras.
These terraces go deep into the lake from the shore like the steps of a giant staircase, alternating with flat areas of the bottom. On the “step”, which can be attributed to the century when the cataclysm occurred, which destroyed the reserved city, located at a depth of 20 meters, shards of dishes, coins, jewelry of the 13th century were found - and nothing more significant.
However, when studying the depths of the lake with a geolocator, an anomalous zone in the form of an oval was discovered at the bottom of Svetloyar, covered with a multi-meter sedimentary layer. The signals of the apparatus from it were rather muffled, as if something was interfering with the free passage of sound. This fact allowed the researchers to suggest that the ruins of an ancient city may well be located in this zone, but more weighty evidence of this has not yet been obtained.
Gateway to another world
Esotericists, who have also been studying the phenomenon of the disappearance of Kitezh for a long time, have their own version of its current location.
In their opinion, the city, located in the place of power, which is the area of Svetloyar, could be transferred to a parallel dimension, which was facilitated by the ardent sincere prayer of its inhabitants at the moment of mortal danger. Moreover, the gates to another world are still slightly opened from time to time, which also has its own evidence.
The fact is that strange people in ancient clothes sometimes come to the village of Vladimirskoye, which is located near Svetloyar. These aliens often try to buy goods in the local selmag and pay for them with coins… of the 13th century — brand new and shiny, as if minted a couple of years ago.
In addition, in the area of Lake Svetloyar, repeated disappearances of people who decided to relax in nature in these protected areas were recorded. As a rule, these “hostages of circumstances” are absent from several hours to two or three days, and when they return, they rarely remember what happened to them.
However, there are exceptions. So, one man from Nizhny Novgorod, who was picking mushrooms near Lake Svetloyar, disappeared in the forest for three days, and when he returned, he told his relatives that he had visited the mysterious city of Kitezh, and, as proof of his words, showed a piece of bread, which the guest was treated to by the "underwater inhabitants" . But as soon as he took out “his proof,” the “otherworldly” bread turned into stone before the eyes of the witnesses.
And yet, every year many pilgrims come to the treasured lake, and of various faiths. They are attracted here by the glory of the mysterious place of power, and the healing water, and the land from the banks of Svetloyar, which is able to cope with even the most serious diseases.
In addition, it is believed that if you go around the lake three times clockwise, then it will grant any desire. True, it is not so easy to do this, because the total area of Svetloyar is 12 hectares.
One of the most amazing places on the planet, Lake Svetloyar, is located near Nizhny Novgorod, near the village of Vladimirskoye. It is famous thanks to the ancient legend of the city of Kitezh, which, according to legend, was located at the bottom of the source. The name Svetloyar is translated from Old Slavonic as “bright”, or “righteous”, and the particle “Yar” is part of the name of the ancient Slavic god Yarila. The natural monument is planned to become one of the cultural objects in the future.
Lake Svetloyar is a legend
The legend of the city of Kitezh is somewhat reminiscent of the ancient legend of Atlantis. An ancient myth about Lake Svetloyar tells that a mystical city still lies under its waters, built by Grand Duke George, which sank during the invasion of Batu Khan to Russia in the 13th century. The legend says that the cruel ruler, who had already conquered many settlements, heard about the rich and beautiful ancient region, the fame of which was all over the world, and immediately wanted to conquer Kitezh.
For a long time, the horde could not find the mysterious city, but one of the prisoners of war, a former resident of Kitezh, let slip to the enemies that there was a secret way to get to the settlement. When the Tatar-Mongol army finally approached Kitezh-grad, the khan and his soldiers were surprised that there were no fortifications and walls in front of him. Batu was delighted, believing that the victory would be easy, but it wasn’t there: as soon as the army came close to the city, many high-water sources gushed out of the ground, the Tatars got scared, they had to retreat, and the water still continued to beat with huge fountains. Finally, its jets dried up, and it became clear that the city had almost completely disappeared under water. The legend says that there was no water in Kitezh itself, and it only helped the settlement to hide from the enemy attack, and not one of the townspeople was injured. God saved the inhabitants of Kitezh-grad for their pious life and faith, and the place where the ancient settlement was located began to be considered sacred.
Nowadays, many people still believe in this ancient legend about the lake. Every year, dozens of Orthodox tourists specially come to the place where the ancient city went under water to hear the ghostly ringing of its bells, which, they say, sometimes still sounds near the lake. Local residents living near this mysterious place, in all seriousness, tell pilgrims and journalists who come there that they often witness all sorts of strange incidents and inexplicable phenomena. Some see people in old-fashioned clothes who shop and pay not with modern currency, but with ancient coins made of copper. On the lake, you can also see the outlines of the walls of sunken temples and the transparent walls of monasteries. All these unusual phenomena suggest that Lake Svetloyar is a kind of portal that opens the way to a parallel world.
There is an opinion that the city, which went to the bottom of Lake Svetloyar, was not in vain built on this site, because our ancestors have long built temples and settled where there was a powerful source of positive, bright energy. Pilgrims who have made a trip to this wonderful place claim that they have completely got rid of the headaches that tormented them, high blood pressure, rheumatism and other diseases. Local youth have a belief that if you go around Svetloyar three times and make a wish, it has every chance of coming true in the near future.
Natural features of the lake
Lake Svetloyar is a legend , dating back to antiquity, and one of the most unique nature reserves in our country. This legendary reservoir has one unusual property: although the lake is very deep, its waters always remain clean, and the bottom is never overgrown with mud and algae. The water collected in the lake can be stored for many years in any container, while it remains transparent and clean.
Excursions to the lake
The reserve houses the Kitezh Historical and Art Museum, where master classes in ancient crafts are held for everyone, a ceramics museum and the ancient church of the Vladimir Icon of the Virgin, made entirely of wood. You can get to Svetloyar by bus, the lake is open for excursions every day.
Lake SvetloYar
Lake Svetloyar is located 130 km from Nizhny Novgorod, in the Kerzhen forests, not far from the town of Semyonov, famous throughout the world for Khokhloma painting. It is famous for the legend of the city of Kitezh. Kitezh (Kitezh-grad, Kidish) is a mythical wonderful city, which, according to Russian legends, escaped from the troops of Batu in the 13th century thanks 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. But, unlike other mythical dead cities, Kitezh did not suffer for the sins of its inhabitants - on the contrary, it is believed that divine intervention hid it from the eyes of the enemy for hundreds, and perhaps thousands of years.
The only hints of the real existence of Kitezh can be found in the book "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 did not really manage to rest: the prince was captivated by the beauty of those places. He immediately ordered to build the city of Great Kitezh on the shore of the lake. Lake Svetloyar is located in the Nizhny Novgorod region. It is located near the village of Vladimirsky Voskresensky district, in the Lunda basin, a tributary of the Vetluga River. The length of the lake is 210 meters, the width is 175 meters, and the total area of the water surface is about 12 hectares. There is still no consensus on how the lake appeared. Someone insists on the glacial theory of origin, someone defends the karst hypothesis. There is a version that the lake arose after the fall of a meteorite. The name of the lake itself comes from two ancient 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.
Many legends of the period before the capture of Russia by Christians are associated with Lake Svetloyar. They also mention the city of Kitezh.
According to one of the legends, in the area of Lake Svetloyar, the magical half-horse-half-human Kitovras, a powerful wizard and builder of ancient temples, as well as the god of wisdom and hop Kvasura, were born. From their names came the name of the city of Kitezh.
In the area of Lake Svetloyar lived the Slavic tribe of the Berendeys. Their descendants to this day have preserved the legend that since ancient times in Kitezh there was one of the largest religious centers of the Yarila cult. This place was considered sacred to 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 the center of the Orthodox faith, and the princes continued to visit it, as if nothing had changed.
Many Orthodox churches were built on the site of temples, as it was believed that such places are special - they are sources of strong positive energy. The names of the ancient gods were gradually replaced by the names of saints, but the very place of worship of higher powers, which has a truly magical energy, remained the same. That is why the region of Lake Svetloyar has been shrouded in legends and mysticism since ancient times.
Big Kitezh was conceived as a majestic city. There were many temples in it, and it was built entirely of white stone, which at that time was a sign of wealth and purity.
The length of the built city was 200 fathoms (a straight fathom is the distance between the ends of the fingers spread out in different directions of the hands, approximately 1.6 meters), the width is 100.
Those were times not best adapted for a peaceful existence. Discord between the principalities, the raids of the Tatars and Bulgarians, forest predators - a rare person decided to get out of the city walls without a weapon.
In 1237, the Mongol-Tatars under the leadership of Batu Khan invaded the territory of Russia.
Ryazan princes were the first to be attacked. They tried to seek help from Prince Yuri Vladimirsky, but were refused. The Tatars ravaged Ryazan without difficulty; then moved to the Vladimir principality.
The son Vsevolod, sent by Yuri, was defeated near 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. Went to gather troops.
He set up camp near Rostov on the river Sit and began to wait for his brothers Yaroslav and Svyatoslav. In the absence of the Grand Duke, on February 3-7, Vladimir and Suzdal were taken and ruined, the family of Yuri Vsevolodovich died 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 the troops of Batu on the Sit River. Bishop Kirill of Rostov found the decapitated body of the prince on the battlefield and took him to Rostov. Later, the head was found and attached to the body.
Here ends the facts that are confirmed by scientists. Let's get 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 went to Kitezh through the forest, and cut a clearing along the way. The traitor Grishka Kuterma led the Tatars. He was taken in the neighboring city, Small Kitezh (now Gorodets). Grishka could not stand the torture and agreed to show the way to the Holy City. Alas, Susanin from Kuterma did not work out: Grishka led the Tatars to Kitezh.
On that terrible day, not far from the city, three Kitezh heroes were on patrol. They saw the enemy first. Before the battle, one of the soldiers told his son to run to Kitezh and warn the townspeople.
The boy rushed to the city gates, but the Tatar's evil arrow caught up with him. However, the brave boy did not fall. With an arrow in his back, he ran to the walls and managed to shout: "Enemies!", and only then fell dead.
The heroes, meanwhile, tried to restrain the khan's army. Nobody survived. According to legend, at the place where the three heroes died, the holy key of Kibelek appeared - it still beats.
The Mongol-Tatars besieged 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 give up without a fight. They went out to the walls, with weapons. People prayed in the evening and all night long. The Tatars, on the other hand, were waiting for the morning to launch an attack.
And a miracle happened: suddenly the bells rang, the earth shook, and before the eyes of the astonished Tatars, Kitezh began to sink into the waters of Lake Svetloyar.
The legend is ambiguous. And people interpret it differently. Someone claims that Kitezh went under water, someone - that he plunged into the ground. There are adherents of the theory that mountains closed the city from the Tatars. Others believe that he ascended into the sky. But the most interesting theory is that Kitezh simply became invisible.
Amazed by the power of the "Russian miracle", the Tatars rushed to run in all directions. But God's wrath overtook them: whom the animals devoured, who got lost in the forest or simply disappeared, taken away by a mysterious force. The city has disappeared.
According to legend, he should "appear" only before the end of the world. But you can see it and even reach it now. A person in whom there is no sin will distinguish the reflection of white stone walls in the waters of Lake Svetloyar.
According to legend, Kitezh plunged into the waters of the 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, which passed unscathed 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 Forests, as well as in the story Grisha. The lake was visited by Maxim Gorky (feature "Bugrov"), Vladimir Korolenko (feature cycle "In Desert Places"), Mikhail Prishvin (feature "Light Lake").
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov wrote the opera The Tale of the Invisible City of Kitezh about the mysterious city. The lake was painted by artists Nikolai Romadin, Ilya Glazunov and many others. The poets Akhmatova and Tsvetaeva mention the city of Kitezh in their work.
Nowadays, science fiction writers and especially fantasy authors are 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. Of the works of this kind, one can name, for example, the story "The Hammers of Kitezh" by Nick Perumov and "Red Shift" by Evgeny Gulyakovsky.
Naturally, scientists did not ignore the riddle of Kitezh. Expeditions were sent to Lake Svetloyar, and more than once.
Drilling near the shores of the lake yielded nothing. The search for archaeologists ended in nothing. There were no traces of the mysterious city on the approaches to the lake. In the 70s of the last century, the expedition was equipped by the Literaturnaya Gazeta: trained divers descended to the bottom. Their work was not easy, since the depth of the lake is more than 30 meters. At the bottom there are many snags and sunken trees.
Unfortunately, they did not find irrefutable evidence of the existence of the city.
For believers, this fact, of course, means nothing. It is known that Kitezh will not reveal its secrets to the wicked.
There were hypotheses that Kitezh was not at all on Lake Svetloyar. Other alleged places of "habitat" of the holy city immediately arose - they even talked about China (supposedly Kitezh and the legendary Shambhala are one and the same place).
In our time, scientists have forgotten about Kitezh - it's not up to that. But the legend was once speculated by businessmen who hoped to turn the legends into a source of self-financing.
Currently, the territory of the lake is protected by the state. The lake and its surroundings are part of the reserve, which is under the protection of UNESCO.
This article will focus on the legendary city of Kitezh, which hid from enemies at the bottom of Lake Svetloyar (Nizhny Novgorod Region). Scientists around the world have been trying to solve its riddle for several decades now.
hot prayer
The ancient chronicle of 1251, created 13 years after the events described in it, tells how the city of Kitezh disappeared under water.
According to this literary source, in 1238, Batu Khan, having conquered almost all Russian principalities, met in a battle on the City River with the ruler of the Vladimir-Suzdal land, Georgy Vsevolodovich. In a hot battle, the Mongol-Tatar invaders crushed the few regiments of the Russians, and the prince, along with the rest of the army, took refuge in the small town of Kitezh, which he also founded several decades ago on the shores of Lake Svetloyar.
It must be said that the approaches to the hail were reliably hidden by Vetluzh forests and impenetrable swamps, and only a few knew the way there. Wanting to get to Prince George at all costs, Batu ordered to torture the prisoners in order to find out from them the way to Kitezh. Even the most terrible tortures could not break the captives, but one of them - Grishka Kuterma - nevertheless showed the invaders the way to the city, which became a refuge for the prince.
Having passed along the secret path, the Tatar hordes saw the handsome Kitezh in front of them, practically devoid of military fortifications. Its inhabitants, instead of preparing for battle, fell to their knees and fervently prayed. Anticipating an easy victory, the invaders rushed to the city, but then streams of water gushed out of the ground, forcing the enemy to ingloriously retreat.
But even when the Tatar-Mongols retreated, the underground sources did not dry up. Water rose around the walls of the city, reliably covering houses, temples and residents of Kitezh. Soon, instead of the blooming city, only the expanse of the lake gleamed in the sun, which to this day is a mute witness to the cataclysm of bygone centuries.
The place is reserved
Today, many researchers of the events of those years have a question: why did Batu, who had practically conquered the entire Russian land, need to look for a small city lost in forests and swamps, which can hardly be called a tasty prey? Did the khan spend time and effort searching for the cherished path to Kitezh only to destroy the already defeated prince?
The answer to this question is given in one of his works by the writer and historian Alexander Asov. In his opinion, Kitezh is one of the oldest cities in the Russian land, although its official history goes back only a few decades. And it was founded in pre-Christian times in a difficult, reserved place.
From time immemorial, Slavic tribes believed that Lake Svetloyar was endowed with an unknown power. That is why the Berendeys living on its shores set up sanctuaries for the bright god Yarila, whose name gave the name to the lake.
In addition, according to Slavic legends, the powerful god Kitovras, who had the appearance of a half-man, half-horse, was born on this reserved land. He was the builder of temples, who knew all the secrets of the universe. Here the god of wisdom and hop Kvasura was born, giving people joy and fun.
Kitezh-grad itself was first mentioned in the "Star Book of Kolyada" - the sacred chronicle of our distant ancestors. This city was patronized by many gods, and even when the Russian land became Orthodox, Christian churches were erected on the places of power - the sanctuaries of Slavic deities.
The rulers of all the principalities revered Kitezh and took care of the holy city, as evidenced by the six (!) white-stone churches erected here in record time. White stone in the Middle Ages was very expensive, and the builders spent it very carefully.
Therefore, it can be assumed that, having heard about an unusual city, Batu decided to take possession of its great power in order to conquer the whole world with its help. (True, it is not clear why the great power of the city did not help Georgy Vsevolodovich defeat Batu.) However, higher powers ordered otherwise, hiding the sacred Kitezh under water from both enemies and friends.
What about at the bottom?
The city of Kitezh still reminds people of itself from time to time. Many eyewitnesses claim that in clear weather, at sunrise and on the eve of major Orthodox holidays, the sound of bells and melodious singing can be heard from under the water. In addition, sometimes here you can see snow-white walls, crosses and golden domes of sunken temples under the lake surface.
Of course, the depths of Svetloyar have been repeatedly studied by archaeologists and amateur scuba divers, but no traces of the sunken city have been found. The researchers came to the conclusion that the bottom of the lake can be called three-layer - consisting of three levels of underwater terraces belonging to different eras.
These terraces go deep into the lake from the shore like the steps of a giant staircase, alternating with flat areas of the bottom. On the “step”, which can be attributed to the century when the cataclysm occurred, which destroyed the reserved city, located at a depth of 20 meters, shards of dishes, coins, jewelry of the 13th century were found - and nothing more significant.
However, when studying the depths of the lake with a geolocator, an anomalous zone in the form of an oval was discovered at the bottom of Svetloyar, covered with a multi-meter sedimentary layer. The signals of the apparatus from it were rather muffled, as if something was interfering with the free passage of sound. This fact allowed the researchers to suggest that the ruins of an ancient city may well be located in this zone, but more weighty evidence of this has not yet been obtained.
Gateway to another world
Esotericists, who have also been studying the phenomenon of the disappearance of Kitezh for a long time, have their own version of its current location.
In their opinion, the city, located in the place of power, which is the area of Svetloyar, could be transferred to a parallel dimension, which was facilitated by the ardent sincere prayer of its inhabitants at the moment of mortal danger. Moreover, the gates to another world are still slightly opened from time to time, which also has its own evidence.
The fact is that strange people in ancient clothes sometimes come to the village of Vladimirskoye, which is located near Svetloyar. These newcomers often try to buy goods in the local selmag and pay for them with coins ... of the 13th century - brand new and shiny, as if minted a couple of years ago.
In addition, in the area of Lake Svetloyar, repeated disappearances of people who decided to relax in nature in these protected areas were recorded. As a rule, these “hostages of circumstances” are absent from several hours to two or three days, and when they return, they rarely remember what happened to them.
However, there are exceptions. So, one man from Nizhny Novgorod, who was picking mushrooms near Lake Svetloyar, disappeared in the forest for three days, and when he returned, he told his relatives that he had visited the mysterious city of Kitezh, and, as proof of his words, showed a piece of bread, which the guest was treated to by the "underwater inhabitants" . But as soon as he took out “his proof,” the “otherworldly” bread turned into stone before the eyes of the witnesses.
And yet, every year many pilgrims come to the treasured lake, and of various faiths. They are attracted here by the glory of the mysterious place of power, and the healing water, and the land from the banks of Svetloyar, which is able to cope with even the most serious diseases.
In addition, it is believed that if you go around the lake three times clockwise, then it will grant any desire. True, it is not so easy to do this, because the total area of Svetloyar is 12 hectares.
One of the most amazing places on the planet, Lake Svetloyar, is located near Nizhny Novgorod, near the village of Vladimirskoye. It is famous thanks to an ancient legend about the mythical city of Kitezh, which, according to legend, was located at the bottom of the source. The name Svetloyar is translated from Old Slavonic as “bright”, or “righteous”, and the particle “Yar” is part of the name of the ancient Slavic god Yarila. The natural monument is planned to become one of the cultural objects in the future.
Lake Svetloyar is a legend
The legend of the city of Kitezh is somewhat reminiscent of the ancient legend of Atlantis. An ancient myth about Lake Svetloyar tells that a mystical city still lies under its waters, built by Grand Duke George, which sank during the invasion of Batu Khan to Russia in the 13th century. The legend says that the cruel ruler, who had already conquered many settlements, heard about the rich and beautiful ancient region, the fame of which was all over the world, and immediately wanted to conquer Kitezh.
For a long time, the horde could not find the mysterious city, but one of the prisoners of war, a former resident of Kitezh, let slip to the enemies that there was a secret way to get to the settlement. When the Tatar-Mongol army finally approached Kitezh-grad, the khan and his soldiers were surprised that there were no fortifications and walls in front of him. Batu was delighted, believing that the victory would be easy, but it wasn’t there: as soon as the army came close to the city, many high-water sources gushed out of the ground, the Tatars got scared, they had to retreat, and the water still continued to beat with huge fountains. Finally, its jets dried up, and it became clear that the city had almost completely disappeared under water. The legend says that there was no water in Kitezh itself, and it only helped the settlement to hide from the enemy attack, and not one of the townspeople was injured. God saved the inhabitants of Kitezh-grad for their pious life and faith, and the place where the ancient settlement was located began to be considered sacred.
Nowadays, many people still believe in this ancient legend about the lake. Every year, dozens of Orthodox tourists specially come to the place where the ancient city went under water to hear the ghostly ringing of its bells, which, they say, sometimes still sounds near the lake. Local residents living near this mysterious place, in all seriousness, tell pilgrims and journalists who come there that they often witness all sorts of strange incidents and inexplicable phenomena. Some see people in old-fashioned clothes who shop and pay not with modern currency, but with ancient coins made of copper. On the lake, you can also see the outlines of the walls of sunken temples and the transparent walls of monasteries. All these unusual phenomena suggest that Lake Svetloyar is a kind of portal that opens the way to a parallel world.
There is an opinion that the city, which went to the bottom of Lake Svetloyar, was not in vain built on this site, because our ancestors have long built temples and settled where there was a powerful source of positive, bright energy. Pilgrims who have made a trip to this wonderful place claim that they have completely got rid of the headaches that tormented them, high blood pressure, rheumatism and other diseases. Local youth have a belief that if you go around Svetloyar three times and make a wish, it has every chance of coming true in the near future.
Natural features of the lake
Lake Svetloyar is a legend dating back to antiquity, and one of the most unique nature reserves in our country. This legendary reservoir has one unusual property: although the lake is very deep, its waters always remain clean, and the bottom is never overgrown with mud and algae. The water collected in the lake can be stored for many years in any container, while it remains transparent and clean.
Excursions to the lake
Near the lake, on the territory of the reserve, there is the Kitezh Historical and Art Museum, where master classes in ancient crafts are held for everyone, a ceramics museum and the ancient church of the Vladimir Icon of the Virgin, made entirely of wood. You can get to Svetloyar by bus, the lake is open for excursions every day.
