On the Don and in the Volga region, there are many legends and legends about the treasures hidden by the famous ataman. They even whisper that Stenka Razin is still alive - as a punishment for his sins, he is doomed to immortality and wanders in the mountains near the Caspian Sea, guards his treasures … They say he will give them only to those who will help him to atone for his sins and find eternal peace.
So, do the legendary treasures of Stepan Razin really exist? Here is what one of the written testimonies of the 17th century says: “He buried many treasures. Yes, all those treasures are conspired.
There were many hunters to take them, but no one can boast of luck. It will throw the unlucky treasure hunter away by the wind several miles, then suddenly the treasure will appear, but it will go deeper into the ground, and no matter how much you dig, you will not get to the bottom. Those treasures on the heads are conspired: to the place where the treasure is buried, you need to bring 12 severed heads - equally male and female”.
Legends are not born from scratch. After the execution of Stepan in 1671, a large expedition was sent to the area of the Zhiguli mountains by the tsar's decree. Stepan's brother Frol undertook to indicate the burial place of the treasures. But while he dragged the king's servants for five years through the mountains, the treasures were hidden by a confidant, the mistress of the executed ataman, Alena, and his associate Esaul Luka.
Frol for non-fulfillment of the tsar's decree was beheaded in Moscow on Bolotnaya Square in 1676, the esaul died, and the enterprising Alena moved to Lodeynoye Pole, to the patrimony of Razin's former friend and adviser, a Swede by birth, Baron August von Rode. As a gift, she brought with her all the maps and schemes of buried treasures. However, the baron decided that it was unwise to divide the treasures in half, and … betrayed the simple-minded Alena to the authorities, becoming the sole owner of the papers. In folk legends it is said that Stenka Razin buried his treasures because there was no one to save them: there was no worthy person next to him at that time. And from the unworthy, the Razin treasures are charmed by a strong curse. Therefore, probably, when the daughter of Baron von Rohde and her husband tried to excavate in that place,where there were supposedly thirty cellars with treasures underground, she failed. The earth collapsed and hid the search site, and the treasure hunters themselves were taken into custody by the authorities.
Von Rohde's great-grandson, military engineer Pyotr Myatlev, was a little more fortunate. Checking old charts and maps, he excavated near the legendary Volga cliff and discovered a whole network of underground galleries. However, even in this case, the treasures eluded him: not having time to finish the excavations, Myatlev died. He was literally one step away from luck: 27 years ago, caches of weapons and utensils of the 17th century were found on this place.
The discovery of 100 years ago in Tsaritsyn turned out to be very interesting. Near one of the local churches, the ground suddenly collapsed, revealing coffins filled with Persian gold. Later, an underground corridor was discovered leading to the pier on the Volga, where the ships of the famous chieftain, laden with loot, moored.
A Razin treasure was also discovered in the Stalingrad area during World War II. After another raid of German bombers, the Volga bank crumbled, exposing several old cast-iron cannons stacked in a row. The muzzle of one of the cannons, heavily rusted, chipped, and golden bracelets, earrings, rings, pearls poured out of it along the slope … Silver and gold objects quickly went through the hands of the soldiers. They tried to extract other trunks from the frozen ground, but in vain. And soon the bombing became more frequent, the coast crumbled, and the treasures went underground. In a few days it became so “hot” here that there was no time for it.
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These are reliable facts. And the popular rumor tells about several more amazing treasures of Stepan Razin. The largest treasure, according to legend, is hidden near the village of Shatrashany, Buinsk uyezd, Simbirsk province (this money could have been used to rebuild the entire province 40 times!). Near the village beyond the river stretches an earthen rampart, a cave was dug in the rampart, partially collapsed. It is there, in the depths, behind an iron door, that countless treasures are kept - gold bullion and chests with pearls. There is also an icon of the Mother of God, and in front of it is an inextinguishable lamp. Whoever finds the list of this icon will get the treasure. This enchanted treasure was repeatedly tried to open, but all in vain. It is not given into the hands of people.
Another treasure is located near the village of Peskovatovka in the Tsaritsyn district: they say that in one of the mounds there is hidden a whole ship filled to the brim with gold, brought there during the flood by Razin's associate Stepan Usom.
There is still rumor about treasures in the Saratov province, not far from the mouth of the Bolshoi Eruslan river; in the Durman gorge near the city of Kamyshin, the ataman kept his captives here) and on the Don (according to other sources - on the Volga) there is Nastya Gora - a mound, where Stepan buried one of his lovers, burying countless treasures in the grave.
There are hundreds of such stories - from Astrakhan to Zhiguli. There is a flooded boat with silver, and a basement full of barrels of gold, which is guarded by a bear, and chests with silver … However, in all legends, Stepan Razin's treasures have common features: they are certainly conspired, hidden with the use of complex underground engineering structures (multi-room dungeons, cellars with ingenious locks that are almost impossible to open), and most importantly, contain untold treasures. They tried to overcome Stenka's witchcraft (and he was, according to the stories of his associates, a strong sorcerer) with the help of prayers, but everything was in vain. At the last moment, someone necessarily spoiled the case with a careless word or action, and the treasure went underground. And it happened that the treasure hunter was so frightened by the visions that invariably appeared in the place where the treasure was hidden, that he ran away without looking back. Returning to the excavation site, he usually found that the treasure had disappeared …
Many profited from the topic of Razin's treasures: a myriad of storeroom records were circulating around. Newspapers fanned a sensation, adventurers received permission from the authorities and subsidies for excavations and … then disappeared in an unknown direction.
… There is a belief that at night Razin guards his treasures. He appears to amazed people either galloping on a white horse, or sailing along the Volga in a boat with silk sails. And if you happen to meet with him and he touches your shoulder with the tip of his sword - you will be the owner of all his countless treasures!
Antonina Voznesenskaya