Voronezh and its environs have many places with a turbulent historical past. Many of them are fanned by mystical legends, most often of a dramatic nature.
Cross over Akatov Monastery
The Akatov women's monastery, built in the 17th century, was closed in the 30s of the last century, allegedly at the request of the workers of the local plant named after "Comintern". Archimandrite Tikhon Krechkov and abbot Theodor Yakovlev were sentenced to death in 1926. The monks were also arrested and who were shot, the property of the monastery was plundered, the bells were removed and sent to be melted down.
Even the Thorny cemetery at the monastery was disturbed. From there, gravestones began to be taken out to be used in the construction and paving of streets. True, the locals were outraged, and the cemetery was defended. However, the desecration of burial places was not in vain. On the path leading to the churchyard, ghosts began to be met. They also said that on Velvet Bugor Street, on the other side of Voronezh, a phantom of the girl Praskovya, once buried in the Ternovoye Cemetery, began to appear. It turned out that the slab from her grave is just in this place.
In 1941, a huge glowing cross was seen in the sky above the belfry of the closed monastery. A few days later, the war began. The second, the same phenomenon was observed a week before the death of I. V. Stalin.
For some time after the closure of the Akatov Monastery, icons still remained in it. But during the occupation they burned down, including the miraculous icon of the Three-handed Mother of God. After the war, a dump was set up on the territory of the former monastery.
In 1989, the restoration of the Akatov monastery began along with the Alekseevsky temple. And in 1991 the miraculous icon "Life-Giving Source" returned there.
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Black Monk of Divnogorie
Another religious legend of Voronezh is connected with the young monk Pavel, who wandered, collecting funds for a new church bell. He also visited Belogorie. But since he was told that it was restless there - robber bands were playing pranks, Pavel hid the money for a while, burying it in a hole under a tree on the banks of the Don. However, the robbers nevertheless attacked the monk. Seeing that he had no money with him, they began to torture the unfortunate man, demanding that he reveal the secret of the treasure's location. However, he was silent, and in the end, tortured, they threw him at the walls of the Belogorsk monastery. Upon recovering, Paul found that he did not remember anything, including where the donations for the bell were buried.
Many years later, while already in the rank of archbishop, Pavel, together with a monk, visited the monastery in Divnogorie. There the memory returned. Remembering where the money was, the archbishop became seriously ill from the stress. A few days later he died, having managed to inform the monk about the treasure.
Another week passed, and that monk was found dead in front of a hole dug under a tree on the banks of the Don. Where the money went is unknown. But since then in these places began to see a translucent black figure. They said that this black monk was guarding his treasure …
Phantom of the Venevitin Marshes
Here's another story about the treasure. Not far from Voronezh there is a place called the Venevitinsky cordon. An eerie legend is associated with him. As if Count Venevitin fell in love with a serf girl. And that one already had a groom. Then the count decided to eliminate the obstacle by sending the guy to the soldier. And in those days, the soldier's service lasted for twenty-five years. Upon learning of this, the girl drowned herself in a swamp with grief. And she began to appear in the form of a ghost.
But there is another version. They say that Countess Venevitina hid her treasures in the swamps. Apparently, there was no safe place for a cache in her estate. Or maybe there was some other reason … One way or another, the robbers found out about the treasure, came to the countess and began to find out where the treasure was. But the woman never revealed the secret to them. Then the furious robbers cut off her head. And now the ghost of the countess walks through the swamps, keeping its head under its arm. Maybe he is looking for his treasure, or maybe he is guarding it …
Ghosts of the Rotunda
The rotunda in Voronezh is the dome of the regional children's hospital. The hospital itself, built before the war, was destroyed in the course of continuous multi-day fighting. The ground around was literally drenched in blood.
In post-war times, teenagers and young people began to gather in the ruins. And then one guy somehow imagined that soldiers with machine guns were running to the entrance to the building. Others heard shots on the territory of an abandoned hospital, and someone even saw how people in uniforms of the Great Patriotic War fought with each other here.
In 2008, most of the dome of the Rotunda collapsed, a large opening was formed. Since then, city officials have been banned from entering. But the ruins are preserved as a historical monument.
Garkun - the kidnapper of maidens
According to legend, a monster named Garkun lives in the forests of Divnogorie. Eyewitnesses describe him as a creature similar in appearance to a person, but very hairy and two meters in height. It does not know how to speak, but it barks. Hence the nickname.
In the old days it was said that Garkun, or, as he was also called, the Forest Man, watched beautiful young girls and carried them to his den. One of them allegedly even gave birth to a son from him, who grew up as wild as his father.
If you believe the testimonies, then a similar creature is found in these parts and today. Maybe it's still not a mythical monster, but a very real Bigfoot, a descendant of that same Garkun?
Author: Margarita Troitsyna