Lake Svetloyar and the city of Kitezh - legends, traditions, historical facts. Lake Svetloyar and the city of Kitezh - legends, traditions, historical facts City of Kitezh - history and legends
Lake Svetloyar and the city of Kitezh are covered with various legends and myths. What is historical fact and what is fiction. Close to Nizhny Novgorod there is a small but unique lake Svetloyar.
The lake is called a beautiful name, in which two words are connected: “bright” and “bright”. The first word means purity, righteousness, and the second is the name of the sun deity, who was worshiped in pagan times.
There are many different legends about Lake Svetloyar, mysterious stories and fairy tales that are told from generation to generation. And here - read about the sights of St. Petersburg.
Lake Svetloyar in legends and history
There are mentions of the city of Kitezh on the pages of the sacred book about the faith of the ancient Russians, the Star Book of Kolyada. Svetloyarsk city of Kitezh, called the Russian Atlantis, are the heroes of many legends and mysterious stories. 
The legends tell about the underwater city of Kitezh, which exists at the bottom of Lake Svetloyar among the Vetluzh forests. They say they are blue and clear waters lakes, like a mirror, reflect the passing clouds, since no one disturbs the smooth surface of the water and only occasionally a slight swell runs over its surface.
And sometimes a bell ringing reaches the wanderer from the motionless lake. If you look into the water of the lake for a long time, you can see the walls of snow-white monasteries and the glitter of the domes of the lost Kitezh. 
The legend, in which the events of history, which has almost a dozen centuries, are mixed with the inventions of people, still lives. It is assumed that the city of Kitezh disappeared during the invasion of the Mongols - Tatars on Russian soil. After all, it was not difficult for enemies to conquer the fragmented lands of the Russian princes, who weakened their power in internecine wars.
City of Kitezh - the history of origin and legend
Ancient legends speak of Kitovras, who was born on the banks of Svetloyar. It was a half-horse, half-human creature, powerful and magical. He spent his strength on helping people in the construction of the city, monasteries and fortress walls. 
In those distant times, the Berendei lived in the forests, not far from the lake. The surviving legends about the life of the Berendey tribe say that they worshiped Yarila, the god of the sun. And Kitezh was a city, the entrance to which was allowed only to the righteous people.
After the Baptism of Rus', they began to build here Orthodox churches, being in which brought people deliverance from ailments and troubles.
The images of pagan deities were gradually replaced by the faces of saints, but the place of special reverence for higher powers remained the same. The inexplicable positive energy of the lands near Lake Svetloyar was more and more mystical stories and legends that have come down to modern man.
Historical events
The ruling princes in these lands were the descendants of Yuri Dolgoruky. Grand Duke Vladimir Yuri at the turn of the 12th and 13th centuries built two cities on the Svetloyarsk lands, these were Big and Small Kitezh. It is assumed that Small Kitezh later became a modern town called Gorodets.
And Big Kitezh, according to historians, was built with strong walls. Also, those scientists who studied the history of the city of Kitezh suggest that the legends unite these two small settlements in Kitezh-grad.
According to historians, the Vladimir-Suzdal principality was attacked by Batu Khan in the middle of the 13th century. Chronicle and legends have developed into a single story. The principality at that time owned an army that was capable of resisting Batu. Unable to hold Small Kitezh, the Russian army decided to keep the defense behind the walls of the Great, which was also guarded by nature itself - impenetrable forests and swamps. 
The khan bribed one inhabitant who knew the paths in the swamps, who was afraid of torment from the formidable khan, and led the enemies to Kitezh. At the sight of the enemy troops in the city, fountains were hammered, water appeared from everywhere, covered the city and lowered it to the bottom of the lake. The city was not drowned, but saved, hidden from the enemy. Khan Batu was able to conquer, ruin and burn many Russian lands of scattered principalities, but the glorious city of Kitezh did not give up. The salvation of the pious and praying people happened according to the pain of God. This only confirmed the holiness of these places.
The mystery of Lake Svetloyar through the eyes of modern researchers and pilgrims
The life of the lake is shrouded in secrets and stories of local residents, allegedly confirming the reality of events from almost a thousand years ago. Even researchers, archaeologists and geologists, can neither confirm nor deny the existence of the city under water.
Many seek to unravel the Svetnoyarsk mystery, which, as usual, in such cases, when unraveled, gives more questions than answers.
And today people come here to pray to the lake - a holy place. Many believe that a handful of earth taken from the shore cures ailments, and the water from the lake never spoils. Pilgrims go around the lake three times so that all their innermost dreams come true.
It is also assumed by those who believe in mysticism that Lake Svetloyar has a connection with Shambhala, that there is a passage here that leads to dimensions unknown to mankind. The publication "Kitezh Chronicler", published in the 17th century, also carries information about the Kitezh that went under water.
Of course, scientists who want to solve the mystery are studying the depths of the reservoir. Anomalies as such were not found, but the divers were surprised by the stepped bottom of the lake. An interesting fact is that steep cliffs sometimes turn sharply into horizontal platforms. 
Scientists have suggested that the lake was formed in several stages: at a depth of about 30 m, the “first bottom” was found, above - the second, presumably formed in the 13th century. And the shallowest bottom terrace was deposited in the very last centuries.
Metal and woodwork from the 13th century was found on the middle level. Based on their research, scientists suggested that the village, which was located on the very shore of the lake, could still go under water as a result of the activity of the earth's surface in those days.
And the study of the bottom with the help of an echo sounder gave the outline of a pattern resembling fortress walls. People are still looking for an answer to the question: does Russian Atlantis exist?
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. natural monument plan to make it one of the cultural objects in the future.
Lake Svetloyar is a legend
The legend of the city of Kitezh is somewhat reminiscent of ancient legend about 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 Rus' 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, former resident Kitezh, let slip to the enemies that there is a secret path that can be used 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. locals Those who live 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. The pilgrims who made the journey to this wonderful place, claim to 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 on the territory of 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 museum of ceramics and ancient church Vladimir icon of the Mother of God, made entirely of wood. You can get to Svetloyar by bus, the lake is open for excursions every day.
This article will focus on the legendary city of Kitezh, which hid from enemies at the bottom of Lake Svetloyar (Nizhny Novgorod Region). Scientists from all over the world have been trying to solve its riddle for several decades now.
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 Small town, lost in forests and swamps, which can hardly be called 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 holy city, which is evidenced by 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 unusual city, Batu decided to take possession of his 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, the higher powers ordered otherwise, hiding 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 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, at the bottom of Svetloyar, anomalous zone in the form of an oval, 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 put forward the assumption that ruins may well be located in this zone. ancient city, however, no firmer evidence of this has 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 Svetloyar region, could be transferred to a parallel dimension, which was facilitated by the fervent 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 not far from 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. Attract them here and glory mysterious place strength, and healing water, and land from the banks of Svetloyar, which can 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.