Local residents are sure that this is not a work of human hands. Pilgrims go to Lake Svyato from all over the region
There has never been such a pilgrimage on Lake Svyato in the Navashinsky District of the Nizhny Novgorod Region. And the fact is that exactly a week ago, on one of the main Orthodox holidays - the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos - an image of the Virgin Mary with a baby miraculously appeared on the sand.
- On that day, the architect Viktor Bykov came to us, - said the manager of the tourist center, on the territory of which the image appeared, Sergei GUSEV. - He and I had to determine where the entertainment center will be located after the reconstruction of the camp site. We went to the pier on the shore, and suddenly I noticed that Victor was numb …
The architect was staring at one point without stopping. Sergei approached him and also froze: a sandy island appeared above the water of the lake, the outlines of which exactly repeated the appearance of the Mother of God - as from Raphael's painting "The Sistine Madonna".
“It is simply impossible to convey our feelings,” admits Sergei Yuryevich. - In July, a scarlet water lily bloomed five meters from the pier, although no one has ever seen such flowers on the lake. So, of course, I knew that the lake was unusual, but I did not expect the appearance of the holy image.
Is the Theotokos calling for repentance?
The men, forgetting about their plans, immediately rushed to the nearest church in the village of Dedovo. From there, Father Victor came to the lake and served a prayer service. After that, pilgrims reached the lake. On weekdays during working hours there is nowhere to park a car near the abandoned tourist center: 50 cars accumulate on a small area in front of the entrance. People come to the image on the sand not only from the nearest Navashin and Murom, but also from Moscow, Vladimir and Kazan. People have different attitudes towards the miracle itself.
“Not otherwise, the Mother of God calls to repentance,” the old women whisper. - And then we got into the habit here, in a holy place, singing incomprehensible songs and drinking wine (on the lake every spring a famous singer-songwriter Sergey Trofimov organizes a festival - author).
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This lake is actually one of the most mysterious in the Nizhny Novgorod region. An ancient legend says that in ancient times there was a monastery "Rusaki". Then he went underground (like the city of Kitezh on Svetloyar), and a lake formed in its place.
“Previously, it was considered sacred, and it was allowed to swim in its waters only on great church holidays,” explained Sergey CHESNOKOV, candidate of historical sciences, plenipotentiary of the union of Orthodox citizens in the Volga Federal District. - Even the names of all the islands on the lake have Orthodox themes: Judas, the Twelve Apostles.
Water endowed with healing properties
Young people, on the other hand, treat what they see with a certain degree of skepticism. Some even try to rake the sand to the sides to see what is underneath, and thereby destroy the contours of the island.
- Indeed, there is nothing! - Irina Gorina, a hairdresser from Murom, poked her hand at the "miracle". - Then we must take some water from the lake home. What if she has healing properties?
Many believers hope so too. Next to the image, people made an impromptu bath, and at the feet of the Mother of God, candles are constantly burning and fresh flowers are lying. Some throw coins into the water.
- The owner of the camp site is already thinking about building on this place not an entertainment complex, but a chapel, - says Sergei Gusev. - Now everything depends on the decision of the priests. Photographs of the image and eyewitness testimonies are being prepared for sending to the Moscow Diocese to the commission "On the description of the miraculous signs taking place in the Russian Orthodox Church."
But the most cunning have already begun to trade in photographs of a "wonderful image". The cost of one picture ranges from one hundred to five hundred rubles. And, despite such biting prices, they sell like hot cakes …
OPINION
Psychotherapist Boris Kalabanov:
- What is happening now in Navashino is not a religious phenomenon, but a psychological one. In our hectic world, a person feels completely unprotected, hence various phobias and stresses. In order to somehow compensate for the increased anxiety, people begin to believe in the power of amulets, amulets, they hit a variety of religions.
The same is with the "prayed" places. People tend to go there to get rid of illness and fear, instead of going to a specialist doctor. And what is most striking is that healings in such cases are indeed possible. No wonder they say that all diseases are from the nerves. If a person really believes in the sanctity of the place, then his psychic energy is directed towards self-healing.