Read the legend of the invisible city of Kitezh. The legend of the city of Kitezh

The legend of the city of Kitezh

The book called the Chronicler was written in the year 6646 (1237) September on the fifth day

This holy noble and great prince George 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 Kyiv, 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 noble 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 to 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 Rus', 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 right-believing prince George in the city of Rostov 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), 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, the prince of 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 drove 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 miraculous image of the 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 river Uzola, 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 saw him off with great honor; and, having said goodbye to him, they let him go.

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, so that the image of the miraculous icon of the Most Holy Theotokos Fedorovskaya would be 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 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 Rus' 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 with the holy spirit, that the blessed prophet David the king, marveling, cries out with 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: there will be hidden cities and monasteries, 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).

As in the vetluzhsky forests of the Berendey
Behind the Uzola River and beyond Kerzhenets,
Where Lunda murmurs water,
Water spilled into a blue cup.
Don't go there, don't drive.
Flimsy swamps, but unsteady charuses (0),
Yes, age-old dark forests,
Yes beast, yes notch stripes
They guarded her peace from strangers.
Yarilo himself (1) God wove that lake
Turquoise dream in green forests,
Blessed him with the light of the sun,
At the edges grew ant-grass
And he called him Svetloyar (2).

How long, how short was the time,
Only once to those Berendey forests,
Having crossed the Kerzhenets,
One faithful husband approached
Georgy Prince Vsevolodovich himself (3).
And seeing the beauty of Svetloyarova,
Yes, having known the people of the Berendeevs,
This prince commanded, the faithful husband
Build a city that didn't exist
Two hundred fathoms by one hundred fathoms,
Sanctifying it with the light of wisdom,
The light of conscience and kindness.
And he called him the glorious Kitezh,
Temple city of Kitovrasov (4).
And this city grew in the domes of churches,
In the echoing belfries - evangelists,
In wise people, the efforts of those who wave,
This is the spiritual city of the uplifters.
And fussy rumors rushed
About the deeds of these righteous people,
About the clear water of Svetloyarova
Yes, about the holiness of the city of Kitezh.

But a great misfortune happened
Bitter trouble is worse than bitterness.
For human sins terrible,
Yes for Moroka (5) or fierce intrigues
The wicked tsar went to Rus',
The godless Khan himself with his horde.
He burned cities and people with fierce fire,
Destroyed the temples of God in a raid,
Betrayed little children to the sword,
He regaled young pure virgins with fornication.

As the thief heard the wicked king
About the holy fate of the city of Kitezh,
About great faith and courage,
About the affairs of the Berendeev people,
He screamed and got angry
He waved himself with a crooked saber:
“What kind of faith is persistent,
Fixed on the city of Kitezh,
What did I take to worry about?
Do not happen to that on my land,
So that their faith contradicts mine,
To fill with new strength
This land, watered with blood
These same human sinners!”
Khan himself commanded, the wicked king
Take in a full of Berendeev people,
Yes, ask, yes, ask
How to get through swamps and charuses
To the glorious city of Kitezh.
The godless khan himself began to execute and torture
Captured by him Russian knights
Pave the way to the city of Kitezh.
None of them opened the way
The secret path to the glorious city.
Only one sold a sinful soul,
A sinful, cursed soul.
Grishka Kuterma coped with the enemy
Your vile pledge against conscience.
When he heard the song of Sirin (6),
Da Morena (7) sickle screeched in the air
Beyond the distant river beyond Currant,
Where the Kalinov Bridge stands in an arc,
His black soul trembled,
Teeth chattered in fear
And then he revealed to the godless
Secret paths to the city of Kitezh.

And the khan himself, the wicked king, said:
“Is it for me to hide along the paths,
May I, the great one, roam on foot
Through swamps and through charms?”
Then the wicked king commanded
Choose forty of your minions
Yes, so that they go ahead of the horde,
They cut through the forest, put up the gati,
So that the great khan himself, the wicked king,
I didn’t torment my legs with dew,
I didn’t soak expensive kamcha in the grass,
Yes, I did not bow to every branch.
So that he enters the proud city of Kitezh
On his horse like a black crow,
Yes, with kamcha on the backs of the Berendeevs.
To see for himself how the fire will devour
This city with all its conscience,
These temples with all their wisdom
And people with all their goodness.

To know at all that night Svyatibor (8) did not sleep,
Seen off, to know, all night Bathing suit (9).
And on the dewy grass fell asleep only at dawn,
Rashristav their curls on the grass.
And Dawn-Zarenitsa (10) saw
Like thunder struck along a secret path,
That minions, but the wicked king
They cut through to the city of Kitezh.
Age-old forests fell to the ground,
They fell to the ground in the gati,
They were placed in the gati, to the city of Kitezh
Laying the path to Batyev.
Grishka Kuterma ran ahead,
To the city of Kitezh toiled a path,
And the wicked king himself grinned,
Yes, Kamcha stroked Grishka.

And on the approach to the city of Kitezh
On the notch path between the charus
Three heroes of the Berendeevs
They guarded the peace of the holy city.
With them was a young lad,
A heroic son who grew up in severity.

As the rumble spreads over the forest,
As the forest animal scatters,
That godless khan, wicked king
Eternal trees are felling,
He builds his filthy gati.
Three heroes heard the noise,
They stood side by side on the path,
To fight back the strength of the enemy.
And one said to his young son,
To the faithful son of the father's faith:
“You fly, my son, to the city of Kitezh
Fast lightning, clear falcon,
Preempt the Berendey people
About a big misfortune bitterer than bitterness,
An unholy thief is coming to us,
He brings with him a fierce destruction,
He is full and dishonorable.”
A lad flew up like a falcon to Kitezh,
But a vile arrow overtook him,
An arrow struck in the back.
Yes, the vile arrow did not take him,
Not embarrassed by the faith of the father,
She did not hobble a steadfast will.
He did not allow the fierce enemy
Take in full your dear homeland.
He ran to the city of Kitezh
He shouted: “Tati to us!” Dropped dead.
And the three heroes of the Berendeevs
We stood to death on a narrow path.

As a muddy wave hit them,
A wave of muddy enemy force,
Yes, she receded with dirty water,
Irrigated the grass with black blood.
As the second wave stands on end,
It rises to the sky.
How the second wave hit them,
Yes, rolled back again
Splashed across the bloody grass.
Then the wicked king cried out:
“What are you, brave murzas,
MURZA are brave, MURZA are evil?
Are three simpletons a hindrance to you?”
He waved his crooked saber,
He began to chop off her filthy heads.
Then the vile murzas got angry,
They began to rise above the sun,
And a terrible force struck
Right in the heart of three heroes,
And covered them with a black wave
Black blood of Murza Batyeva.

Diva retired (11) for the black forest
From the bloody roar of the bestial
Evil hordes of filthy Batyeva.
Silent Zhiva (12), hanging her head
From the black torment, like Murza's blood.
Only Zhelya (13) cooed in the forests
tormented by a lonely bird,
Yes Makosh (14) raised her eyes from the yarn,
Sickle Morena seeing over the yarn.

But the Berendey people heard
About your inevitable misfortune,
Everyone went out to a harsh battle,
A terrible, just battle.
The wind splashed with banners,
The sky lit up with prayers
The holy lake suddenly turned blue,
Yes, the wave hit the ground.
And a great miracle happened
The blue lake rose to the sky
And holy water scattered everything
The enemy army is on the surrounding mosses.
Batyevo's army went mad
Ran away like little children
Through swamps, and marshy charus.
Whom the swamp has taken, whom the beast has bitten,
Who went crazy with fear.
The godless khan himself, but the filthy king
He carried his legs on foot,
Forgetting the black crow horse
Having lost the road kamcha in the grass,
He fled faster than bunnies.

And the holy city is a holy lake
Filled with its blessed water,
Shielded from fierce enemies
I believe the ancient Berendeev,
Glory to the brave fathers and youths,
Honor for the virgins keeping unscold.

And that white-stone city stands
Under the holy water of Svetloyarova
Not forever hidden by the will of the highest,
Until the day of Christ's coming,
Until the judgment of our sins,
Over human sins heavy.
And the water of the holy lake is quiet,
Immovable from morning to evening,
Yes, and at night the water is stretched
Before last star early morning.
Only on holy days the bell ringing,
What will scatter on the souls of the Lord's hand (15),
Slightly wrinkle the blue water,
Yes, domes will appear slightly,
Above the steep wall of white stone,
Under the holy water of Svetloyarova.
And a long-drawn-out song will take off
Straight to the sky to the bright sun,
Directly to the souls of those who remember imperishably
About the great and bright city,
Holy city of Kitezh.
Yes, not everyone is given this -
Hear singing and wonderful ringing,
See heads, crowned with crosses,
To see the stone of the white stone walls.
Only those who have a pure heart
Yes, the soul is not given for meanness,
Who does not seek self-interest and profit,
Can hear the bells and singing,
Can see walls and belfries
The glorious city of Kitezh
Through the clear waters of the lake.
That's not our will - the highest,
Pure souls mountain path,
To whom hearing is given, let it be heard,
Whoever needs it will open it.

And where are the three Berendey sons
Shielded the people from the filthy hordes,
From the filthy hordes of dirty Murza,
The key was filled with holy water,
Holy as Kitezh city
Clean as the first day
Started when the Russian Land,
Rus' is primordial, Rus' is horse-drawn.
It flows like a stream between three hills,
Where glorious men lay down in battle
For the holy faith of the father,
For the native land and the will.
Three crosses guard the holy peace,
And the fourth, small, for the lad.
And near the shore of the bright lake
At the freshly cut chapel
Boulder-stone lies humpbacked
Ironed with wax tears
So that it glows with a bright flash
Above the land of a preserved conscience.

But the heavenly city stands under the water,
Faithful to his unshakable faith,
Gathers around the strength of conscience,
Strength of conscience, righteousness.
And their golden shields burn in the night,
Reflecting evil slander
Hangers-on Murza dirty.
The hand of the Lord beats the tocsin on the souls,
Calling out the innumerable regiments
Against meanness and oblivion
For Holy Rus' in the righteous faith.
And the day will come. Right Heralds
The life of a righteous, pure conscience
They will lead their glorious regiments
From the holy water of Svetloyarova,
Cleansing Rus' from filthy forces,
Destroying the slander of Morok,
Sanctifying Rus' with the light of the sun.

Fire-father, spread your wings,
Wake up the glorious servants of the Agunovs (16),
Let candles be lit according to conscience,
And the tears of the righteous flow down,
To remember good people
Our ancestors' covenants are glorious.

Explanations:

0. charus - swampy sucking "windows" in the swamps.
1. Yarilo - Slavic God of violent love.
2. Svetloyar - a lake named after the Slavic God Yarila, on the banks of the Svetloyar lived the Slavic tribe of Berendey.
3. Prince Georgy Vsevolodovich - grandson of Prince Yuri Dolgoruky
4. Kitovras - the Slavic god of wisdom and courage, who patronizes the construction of temples, is represented in the form of a half-horse, half-man. Kitezh was built and named after this God.
5. Morok - the Slavic god of deception and at the same time the keeper of the paths to truth and truth, which he hides using deception.
6. Sirin - the bird of death, lures its victims with marvelous singing.
7. Morena - Mara-Morena - the Slavic Goddess of death, cuts with her sickle the threads of fate that Makosh spins.
8. Svyatibor - Slavic God of the forest, lord of the goblin.
9. Bathing suit - Slavic Goddess of the night.
10. Zarya-Zaryanitsa - Slavic Goddess of the morning.
11. Diva - Slavic Goddess of the hunt.
12. Alive - the Slavic Goddess of life.
13. Zhelya - Slavic Goddess of sorrow.
14. Makosh - Slavic Goddess of fate, spinning the threads of fate in the sky.
15. The Lord's Hand is a deserted field near the shore of Svetloyar, from which, as they say now living by the lake, the church bells of the city of Kitezh are heard.
16. Aguna - Slavic God of earthly fire.

In the Volga forests there is a lake called Svetloyar.

The lake is not large, but its depth is up to thirty meters, and the water level is always the same, either in summer or in spring during high water. In winter, a special “lace” ice freezes on the lake. Svetloyarsk water is unusually clean, transparent and has healing properties. Locals say: "Drink water straight from the lake - don't be afraid, bring it home - it will stand for months, it won't go bad."

MM. Prishvin, having visited Svetloyar, wrote in the essay “Light Lake”: “... a calm, clean oh looked at me from the forest. Light Lake - a bowl of holy water in a green jagged frame.

Here, on the shore of Lake Svetloyar, a legend arose about the invisible city of Kitezh.

The legend says that in ancient times, Grand Duke Georgy Vsevolodovich set up the city of Maly Kitezh or Gorodets on the banks of the Volga, and then, having crossed over the Uzola, Sanda and Kerzhenets rivers, he came to the Lyudna River, which originates from Lake Svetloyar.

The places there were beautiful, habitable, and the prince, "at the begging of the inhabitants", built the city of Kitezh the Great on the banks of the Svetloyar, but he himself did not stay in it, but returned to Small Kitezh.

At this time, "like dark clouds across the sky", hordes of the Tatar-Mongol under the leadership of Batu Khan moved to Rus'. The enemies approached Small Kitezh and took the city by storm, killing almost all of its defenders.

Prince George Vsevolodovich with the remnants of the army managed to hide in the forests. By secret paths he went to Kitezh the Great in order to gather new forces there.

Batu was unable to find traces of the prince and began to "torment" the captive inhabitants of Small Kitezh, wanting to find out the path along which the prince had left. One of the prisoners "could not endure the torment" and led Batu through the forest to Veliky Kitezh.

The Tatars laid siege to the city, but suddenly, by the will of God, Kitezh became invisible.

Terrified by the accomplished miracle, the enemies fled.

About how the Lord saved Kitezh from enemies, the people tell in different ways.

Some say that the city still stands in its place, but no one sees it, others say that the city has hidden under the high hills surrounding Svetloyar. Writer V.G. Korolenko, who visited Svetloyar as a messenger of the 19th century, recorded the following story of a local old fisherman: “(...) our place, brother, is not an easy place ... No, no ... Not an easy one ... It seems to you: a lake, a swamp, mountains ... But the creature here is completely other. On these mountains here (he pointed to the hills), they say there will be churches. Etto in where the chapel - the cathedral they have is the Most Pure Savior. And nearby, on another hill, is the Annunciation. Here in the old days a birch stood, so on the sa-ama, it turns out, on the church dome.

According to the third version, the city, together with its inhabitants, sank to the bottom of Lake Svetloyar. People still live in it, and sometimes the ringing of Kitezh bells is heard from under the water.

The legend of the invisible city of Kitezh existed for a long time in oral form, passed down from generation to generation.

In the 17th century, schismatic sketes began to appear in the forests of the Trans-Volga region - secret settlements of adherents of the "old faith", not recognized by the official church. It was the schismatics who in the 18th century first wrote down the legend of Kitezh in the essay "The Book of the Chronicler."

In the presentation of the schismatics, the legend acquired a pronounced religious character. In their view, the underwater city is a monastery in which the righteous elders live, and only people who truly believe can see Kitezh and hear the Kitezh bells.

Over time, Lake Svetloyar became a place of pilgrimage for believers. V.G. Korolenko said: “Crowds of people converge on the banks of Svetloyar, striving for at least a short time shake off the deceptive vanity of vanity, look beyond the mysterious facets. Here, in the shade of trees, under the open sky, day and night, singing is heard, (...) reading in a singsong voice, disputes about the true faith boil. And at dusk and in the blue darkness of a summer evening, lights flicker between the trees, along the banks and on the water. Pious people on their shins crawl around the lake three times, then they put the remains of candles on the chips into the water, and crouch down to the ground, and listen. Tired, between two worlds, with fires in the sky and on the water, they surrender to the lulling swaying of the shores and the indistinct distant ringing ... And sometimes they freeze, no longer seeing or hearing anything from the environment. The eyes are as if blinded to our world, but clear to the unearthly world. His face cleared up, there was a “blissful” wandering smile and tears ... And those who aspired, but did not merit due to lack of faith, stand around and look in surprise ... And shake their heads in fear. It means that it exists, this other world, invisible, but real. They themselves did not see, but they saw those who see ... "

Belief in the real existence of an invisible city was preserved in the vicinity of Svetloyar even in later times. In 1982, folklorists recorded the story of a local resident: “People say that somewhere in the middle of the lake there is a hole - not very big, but it looks like it will be like a ladle. It's just very hard to find it. In winter, the ice on Svetloyar is clean, clean. So you have to come, shovel the snow, and you can see what is happening there at the bottom. And there, they say, all sorts of miracles: white-stone houses stand, trees grow, bell towers, churches, chopped towers, people walk alive ... But not everyone will find it, not everyone will be able to find this hole.

In the youth of the 1930s, such a story was recorded from a certain old man Markelov. There lived in their village "a man, such a bold one." This brave man became interested in a hole, which he discovered under the roots of a fallen birch, and climbed into it. “Lez-lez, then he sees a bright place, and bright-faced elders sit in that place and sort out peasant affairs. And he recognized his grandfather, and his grandfather threatened him with a stick, ordered no more

Another local resident in 1982 told from the words of his father how he "had been to the city of Kitizh - they fed him there, they gave him money." The narrator's father "went to the cart", and then one day he was contracted with a wagon train to take sacks of grain. “And the convoy set off. It was only getting dark on the road. I don’t know how many hours we drove and where, they only see - the gates are boarded. Kind of like a monastery. They are moving in. It's dark there, some houses are standing. While the convoy was being unloaded, everyone was taken into the house, fed, given money - and generously. And before dawn the gates were opened, and the convoy, already empty, drove back ... Where were they at night? (...) While they were judging, rowing, they turned around - but there were no gates at all.

The stories about how the Kitezhans bought bread from the peasants are taken for granted by the locals. One narrator clarifies: “The Kitezh elders bought bread from the Vyatkas.” Another cites a case “with one Vyatichi”, who “brought rye from his Vyatka region to the market in the village of Voskresenskoye to sell. And so (...) a gray-haired old man approached him, looked at the grain, tried it on his tooth and said: “I will buy a whole load of rye from you (...). Only I will ask you, kind person, take some bread to us in Vladimirskoye. I will give you an extra fee for each bag of ladies for this. Vyatich agreed. Near Vladimirsky (the nearest village from Svetloyar) he saw a monastery. The monks met him, helped to pour the grain into the barn. Having received the payment, Vyatich went back. “I drove away from the lake for some time, stopped and wanted to pray to the monastery for good luck with the sale. I looked back - but there was no monastery. ” (Recorded in 1974.)

According to them, local residents are aware of cases when Kitezhans helped people in the most mundane affairs. “I remember that my grandmother told me, as a child, that he lived here in a village by the lake - in Vladimirskoye or in Shadrin, or something, the old man was alone. So, that old man once went to the forest for mushrooms. (...) I walked and walked, and all to no avail - there is not a single mushroom! The old man got tired, tired. And so he sat down on a stump, he wanted to rest. (...) It's a shame for him that he went around a lot, but there is no collection. Then he thought something: "If only the old men of Kitezh would help." Before he had time to think, drowsiness attacked him. (...) After some time, the old man woke up, opened his eyes, looked into the basket - and does not believe his eyes: there are mushrooms in it to the brim. Yes, even some - one to one, but all white! The legend of Kitezh is often compared with the legend of Atlantis. The historicity of the invisible city (as well as Atlantis) has repeatedly tried to prove or disprove.

Since the middle of the 19th century, the legend of Kitezh has become an object of research. It aroused the interest of a variety of specialists - folklorists, literary critics, historians, archaeologists. Scientific expeditions were equipped to Svetloyar more than once. In the 50-70s of the XX century, it was established that Lake Svetloyar was formed as a result of a "failure" - a sudden, strong shift of the soil, and this happened around the time to which the legend refers to the disappearance of Kitezh. At the bottom of the lake, a certain “anomaly” was discovered - a half-meter layer of semi-liquid rock, in which fragments of wood are present in abundance. The examination showed that these fragments “have traces of cutting tools”, that is, they were processed by human hands.

The poetic image of the city of Kitezh inspired many poets, artists, and composers. Maximilian Voloshin, Nikolay Klyuev, Sergey Gorodetsky wrote about Kitezh. ON THE. Rimsky-Korsakov wrote the famous opera The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevronia, N.K. Roerich created a picturesque panel-curtain for this opera - "The Battle of Kerzhents".

The legend of the city of Kitezh - miraculously saved by God from devastation by enemies, sheltered and saved until better times, when it will reappear to the world, retaining its ancient root, ancient faith and truth - is one of the most cherished legends of the Russian people, which has been invaded by external enemies for centuries.

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The legend of the invisible city of Kitezh Updated: February 5, 2018 By: admin

In the very heart of Russia, in the Nizhny Novgorod region, there is Lake Svetloyar - the pearl of Russian nature. This lake is sometimes called a small Russian Atlantis: its history is covered with legends. A unique place asks researchers a lot of mysteries…

The main Svetloyarsk legend is about the invisible city of Kitezh. The legend says: there is a lake in the Vetluzh forests.

It is located in the forest thicket. The blue waters of the lake lie still day and night. Only occasionally a light swell runs through them. There are days when long-drawn-out singing reaches the quiet shores, and distant bells are heard.

A long time ago, even before the advent of the Tatars, Grand Duke Georgy Vsevolodovich built the city of Maly Kitezh (now Gorodets) on the Volga, and then, “crossing the quiet and rusty rivers Uzolu, Sanda and Kerzhenets”, went to Lunda and Svetloyar on the “green beautiful" the place where he put the city of Kitezh Bolshoy. So the glorious Kitezh-grad appeared on the shore of the lake. Six domes of churches towered in the center of the city.

Arriving in Rus' and having conquered many of our lands, Batu heard about the glorious Kitezh-grad and rushed to him with his hordes ...

When the "evil Tatars" approached Kitezh the Small and killed the prince's brother in a great battle, he himself hid in the newly built forest city. The prisoner of Batu, Grishka Kuterma, could not endure the torture and betrayed secret paths to Svetloyar.

The Tatars surrounded the city with a thundercloud and wanted to take it by force, but when they broke through to its walls, they were amazed. The inhabitants of the city not only did not build any fortifications, but were not even going to defend themselves. Only the church bells reached the Tatars. The inhabitants prayed for salvation, since nothing good could be expected from the Tatars.
And as soon as the Tatars rushed to the city, high-water springs suddenly burst out of the ground, and the Tatars retreated in fear.
And the water kept running and running...

When the noise of the springs subsided, there were only waves in the place of the city. In the distance glimmered the solitary dome of the cathedral with a shining cross in the middle. She slowly sank into the water.

The cross soon disappeared. Now there is a path to the lake, which is called Batu's path. It can lead to the glorious city of Kitezh, but not everyone, but only those who are pure in heart and soul. Since then, the city has been invisible, but intact, and the especially righteous can see the lights of the processions in the depths of the lake and hear the sweet ringing of its bells.

The legend of the city of Kitezh is closely connected with the name of the outstanding Russian writer V.G. Korolenko. Having moved to the Volga, Korolenko visited the Vetluzhsky region, where on the Holy Lake, near the invisible city of Kitezh, seekers of truth from the people gather - schismatics of various persuasions - and lead passionate debates about faith. Here is what he wrote: “I carried away heavy, not joyful impressions from the shores of the Holy Lake, from the invisible, but passionately sought by the people of the city ... As if in a stuffy crypt, in the dim light of a fading lamp, I spent all this sleepless night, listening how somewhere Behind the wall, someone reads prayers for the dead in a measured voice over the thought of the people that has fallen asleep forever.

... Judging by how easily Kitezh-grad "migrated" from the legends of the era of the Tatar-Mongol yoke to the Old Believer legends, the poetry of the Silver Age and the current age, we are dealing rather with a common for Russian culture and always a modern mystical symbol. But this is not just a symbol of care and salvation from the banal "surface".

We would like to point out one interesting difference between the Russian Kitezh and the Tibetan Aggarta. If the latter went underground in dark times, then Kitezh, as you know, hid in the lake, under water. This is not accidental - and therefore in the Russian consciousness (and subconsciousness) all the above-mentioned topics often simply do not know the strict "earthly" division and structuring, but exist as a water reflection in which the contours of any "surface" merge and dissolve ...