Prince Sloven
Fortress city Izborsk is a very old city. One of the oldest in Europe, and, surprisingly, built entirely of stone, which the locals call "flagstone". This is limestone, the layers of which are abundant in this area. Almost ready-made building material. Raise the plates, and stack on top of each other. And the bonding solution was prepared on the basis of lime clay, which is also visible and invisible here.
The photo shows a classic example of Izborsk masonry. True, a modern mortar was used here. This is how everything was built here: from cattlemen to the fortress, including residential buildings. The city squares were also paved with large slabs. Sometimes, more than two square meters per piece.
But we will not talk about architecture, but about the legends of antiquity, which to this day are preserved by the local colorful folklore.
There are so many legends that it is impossible to collect them in one story. I will only tell you what I have heard myself, but after all, most of the legends are probably irretrievably lost. In order to preserve at least something, I will write it down for posterity, maybe it will come in handy.
Izborsk walls. N. K. Roerich.
Was it by chance that Roerich left traces of his visit to Izborsk? Everyone knows that he was the greatest mystic. It is obvious that anyhow where he did not go, but if he brought him into the provincial wilderness, it means that he knew something that we do not know. What could it be? Just a rich history? It may be, of course, that the respected artist did not shy away from sentimental patriotic feelings, but knowing about his inclinations, it is logical to assume that he was looking for ancient, lost knowledge. Did you find it? So he will confess to you! But to look here, apparently, there is something.
Promotional video:
Izborsk fortress.
As we can see, there is only one church left inside - the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. A little more than 100 years have passed only then …
The western wall has four towers at once. From left to right: Temnushka, Ryabinovka, Vyshka, Talavskaya (quadrangular), Lukovka and Kolokolnaya.
The names of the legendary personalities who have left their mark on the history of our entire country are closely related to the city. The main mystery is the Prince of Slovenes and Rus. The Chronicle says: -
“Slovenian and Rus live among themselves in love, the great, and the prince tamo, and have taken possession of many countries of the region. Possessing both northern countries, and throughout Pomorie, even up to the limit of the Arctic Sea, and around the Yellow-like waters, and along the great rivers Pechera and Vymi, and beyond the high and impassable stone mountains in the country, recomma Skir, along the great river Obva, and to the mouth of the White-water river, its water is white, like milk."
Firstly, this gives reason to believe that the country, which was ruled by the oldest known rulers, was approximately within the same borders as now.
Secondly, judging by the chronicle sources, in the summer of 2930 (more than four and a half thousand years ago) the Grand Duke Sloven built the city of Slovensk. And since then, “the firefighters are looking for, the police are looking for,” where is that hail buried …
And he didn't hide. And exactly like the legendary Veneta. It is known that it was sunk by the sea, well …? And Venice, isn't it the flooded city of Veneta?
Venice.
Someone will say: - “No … Venice is not Venice. It is not spelled correctly. " And nothing, what is it for us, unintelligible, edited the name so that no one would guess? Previously, they wrote with "t" …
Don't know any languages? I translate from foreign to human: - "VENETIA - the historical district of the Roman Empire". They lie, of course, Venice was never under the Romanians. Romania was in the Balkans, from the Adriatic to the Black Sea, and Venetia has always been a separate country inhabited by the Venet tribes.
Banner of Venice.
And the Venetian Republic was veche, where the Prince-Doge (Rain, DazhBog?) Was elected right up to 1866! Can you imagine? In London, the metro had been operating for 5 years already, at the time of the annexation of the Venetian Republic to Italy !!! This is according to the terms of the "Vienna Peace 1866".
Now let's remember how the Estonians call Russia …
Yes … It is "Vienna" (you). And Latvians called Russians "Vents", so M. N. Zadornov, in fact Ventspils is the word Venetopol, distorted in the Latvian manner. What is noteworthy, the Krivichi tribes have always lived next to the Latvians, therefore in the Latvian language "Russian", "Russia" are written as follows:
Moreover, it was not some ancient Rusichi who called themselves Krivichi, but at the beginning of the 20th century, the inhabitants of Pskov said that they were faithful, from the Krivichi clan. Oh how!
Most likely, the Slovenes and Rus were related to the Veneti tribes, and accordingly Rurik, the son of Umila, the grandson of Gostomysl, a direct descendant of the legendary Slovenian.
Prince Rurik.
The date on the shield is summer 862 from the incarnation of God the Word (6370 from the creation of the world), it is considered the official date of the foundation of Izborsk.
“What is now called Veliky Novgorod, from the mouth of the great Ezer Ilmer along the Volkhov river, half a third of it. And from that time the newcomer Scythians began to be called the Slovenian …”.
("The book, the verb chronicler of the great land of Rosiskia, the great language of Slovenian, from the stake and in which summer began the princes", volume 31 of the Complete collection of Russian chronicles)
So why come up with the idea that Slovensk "disappeared without a trace"? Look for him in old Ladoga, in Novgorod - on - Volkhov? But the people's memory is alive! Only no one hears the voices of the old Izborsk men, meanwhile, this is what I came across as evidence. I quote: -
“Our God-saved city was initially called Slovenian. And why he became Izborsky, I will say little about that, but good.
Slovensk was built according to the first prince. So long ago that you can't remember.
The Sloven-prince departed to us in a chud from the very, therefore, the Novgorod tsar Gostomysl. He put the city over the Khodnitsa River: walls, ditches - he did all the honor. He reigned for three summers, and died in the fall. Why and how, nobody knows. We only know that his son, Izbor, altered the city in his own way …”.
How is it? And it's all logical. Slovensk has not disappeared anywhere. They just changed his name, and hordes of historians are writing their dissertations. But everything just turns out. And Lukomorye, and Hyperborea, and Arkona, and Veneta, and Slovensk, everything is in place. Only the names have changed in some places, or changed. And Tartary, by and large, also exists to this day. So what, they called her differently at different times? So what if some of the territories were taken away from her?
Talav tower from the inside. The floors have not yet been restored.
A small but essential digression:
Very often you can hear disputes about how to spell correctly, "slavs", or "slavs". In my opinion, this is reminiscent of a dispute between the parties about how to spell "Iran" or "Iraq" correctly. Slavs is an artificial term introduced into circulation by historians of the 18th century. And the slovens are people from the tribe of the Prince of Slovenia.
The prince is Sloven, the city is Slovensk, in the annals, too, it was always written through "O", for example, in the above passage: - "The Scythians began to be called a slovenian …", The first of the Gods - creators generally had the name of WORDS !!!
Svei clearly wrote: - "… years from the incarnation of the WORD God. There is no question of any birth of Jesus. There is an event that went down in history as the Incarnation of God the Word. And, accordingly, those who knew about it called themselves slangers."
At the very end of this cycle, I will once again return to the question of Slovenia, Russ and Izbor. For now, for relaxation, legend number 2:
Tiglitskaya ondina
Probably, none of the mythical creatures in Europe has been written as much as mermaids. But there are many people who are convinced that mermaids really exist, and I have had occasion to talk with some of them.
Zhukovsky, Pushkin, Andersen, Goethe, and many others wrote about mermaids. Gogol and Nabokov were generally sure of the reality of the existence of mermaids. So maybe they are not so mythical?
There is a mermaid girl in Pskov folklore, and I thought that it would be necessary to fix oral legends, because over the years people change interests, and what the generation of pioneers in the summer camp whispered about after the end of the day is no longer of any interest to the current generation. … It's a pity! After all, this is our history and culture.
From the inhabitants of the village of Tiglitsy, the Pechora district of the Pskov region, I happened to hear a very old legend about the Tiglitskaya mermaid. More precisely about ONE. This is how the locals pronounce the word for a girl with a fish tail instead of legs.
It happened so long ago that no one remembers how long ago. The legend is passed by word of mouth, and modern grandmothers heard about it when they were children from their grandmothers, and those, in turn, from their own, etc. And it is absolutely certain that we are talking about those times when Pskov still bore the proud Russian name Pleskava, and the lands around were called Pleskavia. Later the city began to be called Pleskov, and then simply Pskov.
Fragment of a medieval map by Sebastian Münzer.
To the west of Pskov, on the opposite shore of Lake Pskov, there is the village of Krupp, in which there was once a famous fish factory, the only one in the world that produced unique products: canned food “Snetok fried in oil in tomato sauce”. And this is not a legend, because the smelt fish lives in the only lake in the world - Pskov.
Why Krupp? No one knows. Even local ethnographers. One of the assumptions says that the name probably came from the cognate word "groats". They say, the village is small, "grain", and therefore "Krupp". But first of all, now it is a village, and there was a village and far from small. In fact, a fishing town with its own church. Second, why are there two Ps at the end? Therefore, I consider the most probable version that the name is the same alien as “Pskov”. And the reason for this is the abundance of immigrants from Prussia living in these parts for a long time. The city was then part of the Hanseatic trade union.
Across the road from the village of Krupp, right at the border with Estonia, is Lake Tiglitskoe, on the southern shore of which is the village of Tiglitsy, which gave the name to the lake. It is not large, about a kilometer long. and 200 meters wide. Warm, with sandy beaches and a hard, clean bottom.
Lake Tiglitskoye.
It was here, according to legend, that a beautiful young maiden committed suicide a long time ago. They say that she had a narrowed, handsome, strong man, a fisherman, who could easily swim the Pskov Sea from coast to coast on oars alone. But on the eve of their wedding, the beloved did not return from the sea. The king of the sea took him into the abyss. The beauty girl could not survive the loss, rushed from the footbridge into the waters of Tiglitskoye Lake, and drowned.
But she did not know that the souls of drowned virgins remain restless forever. Their destiny is eternal suffering to be an ondino. And Ondins live in rivers and lakes, and appear to people in the form of a maiden with a fish tail instead of legs. But there is one way that helps to get rid of the curse. If a man falls in love with Ondina, and a child is born from him, then her soul will finally find peace, and go to where the souls, dead ancestors are waiting. And the child will grow up and live a long and very happy life. He will do a huge number of good deeds for people, he will be honored and glorified.
Only there is one setback. The man who becomes Ondina's husband will die the very moment he falls asleep. He is doomed to suffer and not sleep as long as he can. But only the dream will overcome the man, his breathing will immediately stop forever.
And now, for many centuries, Tiglitskaya ondina, during the white nights, floats to the shore of the lake, hides in the reeds and quietly sings a beautiful sad song. If there is a young guy nearby, he will, as if enchanted, go to the sound of a magical, wondrous beauty of the voice, and fall in love with Ondina at first sight. Her hair enmeshes the victim's face, and they plunge into a deep pool, merging in a deadly kiss.
But every time Ondina cannot part, with the next kidnapped, and still remains a virgin. Therefore, the curse cannot be broken to this day. People often disappear near Tiglitskoye Lake. The bodies of some can be found at the bottom by divers, and many of them are still missing.
Such is the simple story. And all would be fine, only the locals still consider the lake to be enchanted, and only visitors swim in it. Those who have not yet heard the stories about Tiglitskaya Ondina.
Prince Truvor
The annals say that Rurik sat down to reign in Novograd, his brother Sineus in Beloozero, and the Third brother, Truvor, became Prince Izborsky. Everything is clear with Beloozero. This is Belozersk.
Fiefdom of Sineus.
In general, this is a separate topic for research, but it is simply impossible not to touch on it. The symbol on a blue background, in the upper part, is very common, and is present in the heraldry of many Russian and European cities. Its official interpretation, "the Christian cross over the horned month", does not stand up to criticism. These are statements of an obvious fact, without indicating its meaning. According to one version, this is a symbol of early Christianity, or even paganism. The symbol of a boat with a mast on which the souls of the dead travels to another world.
But there is another version, according to which this is some kind of astronomical sign, not abstract, but quite real. IT was once in the sky, and left a huge mark in many cultures of the peoples of the northern hemisphere. And someone saw a cross in this heavenly phenomenon, and someone a star.
At the bottom of the coat of arms is the symbol of the first Christians - fish. Therefore, the version about the connection between the outbreak of the Crab Nebula (the Star of Bethlehem) and the emergence of Christianity at this moment does not seem so far-fetched at all.
Fiefdom of Rurik.
There are strange animals on the coat of arms of Novgorod. It is generally accepted that these are bears, and this is probably so. But they look a little strange. As unknown to modern zoology, a species. The lower part has in common with Beloozero. There are fish again …
Well, I could not find information about the pre-Petrine coat of arms of Izborsk. But something tells me that the image of fish was also present on its lower part. Moreover, it is even possible to guess how many of them were on the coat of arms of Izborsk. If there are two fish on the coat of arms of Belozersk, and on the coat of arms of Novgorod there are four, then the conclusion suggests itself that there could be three of them on the coat of arms of Izborsk
But the main thing for us today is different. No matter how many scientists try to assure us that Sineus and Truvor are the result of a mistake of translators from Old Russian, there is no faith in them and cannot be. The memory of Truvor is still alive today. And his grave in Izborsk is, although they say that nothing was found under it. If so, what's so strange about that? Grave-digging is not today's invention.
Here is the cross on the Truvor settlement, next to the Nikolskaya (Nikola again!) Church.
Cross of Prince Truvor. Izborsk.
The cross is carved from shell rock, like most of the "Maltese-like" crosses, which stick out from the ground in several pieces, on every square kilometer around Izborsk. The tombstone, like the cross itself, is dotted with incomprehensible symbols, very similar to runes, but I could not find a translation of them anywhere. Scientists have translated all the inscriptions of the great pyramids of Giza, and Truvor's cross, it turns out, is not needed by anyone …
In general, only the Izborians themselves believe that this is Truvor's own grave. "Legend", you see …
Izborsk fortress and Gorodischenskoye lake.
The approximate coastline of ancient Izborsk is highlighted in blue. It is hard to believe it now, but Izborsk has not always been a land fortress.
Eastern wall of the fortress.
“The cannons are firing from the dock, the ship is ordered to dock …” (AS Pushkin).
Like most settlements, the fortress was originally erected on the shores of the bay of Lake Pskov, and it was the same port city as Pskov. But one day the water was gone. First, there was the mouth of the Khodnitsa River, as the chronicle says, and the first fortress was on a pointed cape, where Truvorovo settlement is now located. Now there is a glade as smooth as a tennis court, and on the slopes that were once a pier, Pskov archaeologists are carrying out excavations.
It is very easy to imagine how the waves lapped at the very walls, receding from them year after year, until the sea fortification turned into an ordinary land fort.
A lot of interesting things have been found. Something, I even held in my hands. Specifically - a female hair clip made of bronze in an animal style, as experts say - Scandinavian. But I can't believe that someday we will see these findings in the museum …
And from the huge, by modern scale, the Khodnitsa River (ships went along it), there was only a small lake Gorodishchenskoye, where swans live at ease, adoring to snatch phones and cameras from tourists.
Former bed of Hodnitsa.
And the lake is filled not only with underground springs, but also with the help of another legend.
Slovenian Keys
And mind you, I didn’t come up with it! The keys are called Slovenian, not Slavic. And rightly so! Slavianskie should flow somewhere in Slavyansk in the Kuban, or in Slavyansk in the Donetsk region.
But in Slovensk, as it should be, twelve Slovenian keys flow!
Slovenian keys. Izborsk.
The place is very beautiful. Here, right from the stone wall, which has preserved the ruins of the wheel mill of the 19th century, twelve springs are gushing.
No matter how much I tried to count them, well, twelve never came out … Either fifteen, then twenty in general … But the water is very tasty, and really very chilly.
The healing power of the water of the Slovenian Springs, icy in any heat, has long been legendary.
According to old-timers, even a sip of water from the springs fills a person with the power of the earth.
And each of the twelve key streams has its own miraculous energy and bears its own name, so one of the sources is called "Maiden's Tears" …
And all twelve streams are called the "River of Life". To strengthen health, get a charge of vivacity, the wisdom of ancestors, courage and courage, you need to drink a sip from all twelve springs, walk with bare feet in streams of water and splash water jets on your face.
Not everyone dares to do this even in summer - such cold water in the Slovenian Springs. But daredevils are and bathe in holy water even in winter …
According to legend, if the keys suddenly dry up, there will be a great misfortune in the lands of Rus and Sloven. Pestilence, or war will happen, but on the eve the flows will surely run out.
It may be that this is a coincidence, but in the new history of Russia, the keys dried up twice. At the beginning of June 1941. (scored again in the spring of 1944) and, briefly, in the summer of 2001. With the 41st, everything is clear, the Great Patriotic War began, and the 01st? Maybe there was a war, and we all died long ago, but we don't know about it?
The ruins of the mill at the pier on the Slovenske Springs.
The same pier to which swan geese swim if there are no ostrich penguins nearby. And in the foreground - the ruins of a mill, with intact millstones. Grandfathers still remember how the flow of mineral water (and it is actually natural mineral water, with 19% mineralization) set in motion the blades of wooden wheels, which rotated the wooden gears of the millstone drive.
5. Izborsk "Pandora's Box".
This legend tells about what happened during the time of persecution against the original Russian faith, when Christianity was spread by fire and sword.
There was an order to bring all the idols and idols into a heap and bury them at the Truvor settlement. And the Izborsk Magi were tortured, and then burned alive at the stake.
They say that one of the Magi, before his death, said that as soon as someone dug up the abused faces of Rod, DazhBog, Makosh, Perun and Veles with Sventovit, Svarog and Semargl, a terrible pestilence would break out, which would destroy those who betrayed the old faith, and took an oath to serve the Black God.
I remembered this legend when I learned that the Izborsk volost has the highest percentage of oncological diseases and infant mortality among the population in the Pskov region. Could this be related to a sinister legend?
6. Serpents.
Above, I quoted the story of one elderly residents of Izborsk to Prince Izbor. Let me remind you: - "… Three summers reigned (Sloven), and died in the fall. Why and how, nobody knows. We only know that his son, Izbor, changed the city in his own way …".
And now the continuation of the quote …
"… He did a little bit after the priest, but soon the serpent ate him up. Snakes in those days were flying and wheeled more and more in the trees: thin in body, on small legs, and the head is round, like a bucket, and a sting from the little finger. So young Izbor met the snake."
No translation needed? It is clear that we are not talking about a fairy tale, but about a beast that is unique to us, but common to our ancestors. Even its description is given, which does not fit any modern, or extinct, known to science, animal. So commonplace … Whelping in the trees …
7. Flying Towers.
I will again quote Izborsky's grandfather, whose name has not been preserved by history: - “Nikolushka is especially honored in our country, and there is a reason. (Did you notice that all the churches in Izborsk were built in honor of St. Nicholas?)
Once the enemy has besieged Izborsk, and our prince is not in place, there is no one to protect. They wanted to ask Pskov for help, but how? They put us on four sides.
I had to send a solid tower for help. Nikolushka moved her to Pskov in the sky with prayers. Yes, not one, but together with the bell ringer. The bell ringer thundered all the way to the spoloshny bell, demanded the army to Izborsk.
The Pskovites sent an army, they left the trouble. And our tower remained in Pskov. She is now called Gremyachya for that occasion.
Thundering tower. Pskov.
The rattling tower in Pskov, where locals often see a ghost - a spirit, in the form of a ghostly figure of a young beauty, allegedly to this day walled up in the wall of the tower.
And if they start gossiping about some princess that is hidden in the Gremyachya Tower, don't believe it. Then the Pskovians composed from surprise. As if this fierce stepmother was building a tower to hide her unloved stepdaughter in a dungeon. As if to this day the unfortunate beauty is chained there in a brass coffin and Satan is firmly guarding her.
The people of Pskov have a tongue in jelly, they will lie with three boxes! Only this tower of ours. Ours as it is. Her Izborsk prince Seloga on the hill, which is on the right, strengthened for restraint. She looked at Kiev.
From Kiev to Izborsk, help happened that came running. After all, the Pechersk caves, hey, converge with the Kiev ones. Earlier, monks from Kiev often moved to us: from the Germans to help, otherwise for so - for living water."
From the narration, one can draw a mind-blowing conclusion that in the old days the towers flew. Doesn't this resemble Vimanika Shastra?
And here, for the umpteenth time, the legend repeats that there is an underground road from Pechora to Kiev itself, along which the monks of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra can safely travel from Kiev straight to the Pskov-Pechersk monastery and back.
8. Ability of the chosen ones to see the future.
I will quote my grandfather again: - “Previously, people really remembered where and how long they had left to live. Until a small case.
Once stupid Matvey, the Izborsk peasant, began to put up a straw fence three days before his death. Knows his hour, but does not go to the Cathedral. It brings fuss. He was greatly surprised at Matthew the Savior and gave us - that we do not remember when we die.
Yes, it is fair."
Those. the narrator claims that in the old days, every citizen of Izborsk easily knew the exact date of his own death!
Fairy tales with fairy tales, of course, but after all, in every fairy tale there is only a fraction of a fairy tale, as you know. What scientists consider to be fictions, fantasies of old people who have nothing to do while sitting on the stove on long winter evenings, after all, may in fact be real messages from the past! The ancestors wanted to pass on knowledge to us, but we don't even pay attention to them, and how can we consider ourselves smart after that?
Holy Dormition Pskov-Pechersky Orthodox Monastery.
The mystery of the disappearance of the treasures of the Pechora sacristy
Legends about treasures, which are kept in a secluded place to this day, are very popular among the people. It is difficult to find a place in Russia where there would be no legends about the treasure buried by robbers, retreating troops of the interventionists, etc. There are similar legends in the Pskov land.
Local residents of the city of Pechora are very fond of telling visitors a story about the treasures of the Pechora Monastery. It sounds like this:
Say, in 1941, when Army Group North under the command of Field Marshal Wilhelm von Leeb was advancing on the Soviet Union, monks and priests of the Holy Dormition Pskov-Caves Monastery were puzzled by the problem of how to protect the countless treasures of the monastery sacristy from invaders.
And then one night, when the enemies were already visible nearby, the monks began loading the objects of worship, which had a special material and historical value, onto horse carts.
Sacristy of the Pechora Monastery.
Sacristy, translated into mundane language - "safe", "money depository".
In the sacristy, in addition to the vestments - garments for solemn services,
Riza (felonne). The priest's overalls are embroidered with threads of pure gold and silver.
a lot of other valuable things have also accumulated. Ancient icons in silver and gold frames, crosses, chalices, fonts, censer, gold and silver coins, gems and precious stones, and much, much more. Including invaluable ancient books. And all this was done with the greatest grace and skill. It was impossible to evaluate it even in monetary terms, and nothing could measure the artistic and historical value at all.
Some talk about eight carts, some about twelve, but it seems like there were a lot of values, a whole train was gathered. And the train went into the night, and disappeared forever. Nobody else ever saw any of the exported items, and not a single living participant in the evacuation operation.
Version number 1.
They say differently, that, they say, the monks perfectly knew all the caves in the area (and the city got its name precisely from the caves. Pashery - Pyachary - Pechery - Petseri - Pechory), and hid the carts securely together with the horses, underground.
Particularly courageous even claim that under the monastery there are underground tunnels, through which the train went straight to Kiev! Yes, there is such a statement that the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra and the Pskov-Pechersk monastery are connected under the ground by a road along which three horsemen can ride in a row.
Version number 2.
Others are sure that the monks drove the wagon train to the shores of Lake Ragozin, which is located within the city limits, and began to take out the treasures by boat to the middle of the lake and throw them to the bottom.
Lake Ragozino.
Lake Ragozino (accent on the letter "A") is small, half a kilometer long and 110 meters wide at its widest part. There is a city beach on the southern and eastern shores.
The enthusiasm for treasure hunters is added by the fact that none of the items of the church sacristy has surfaced to this day either at auctions or on the "black market", and this, as you know, indicates that the treasure is actually still located where they hid him. And the value of the treasure during the years of its absence has increased many times. Even before the Bolsheviks came to power, information about the fabulous wealth of the Pechora Monastery did not seem real. They say that Ivan the Terrible envied the treasury of the Pechora monks, because it was comparable to the royal treasury of the entire Russian state at that time. It is logical that since the time of Ivan the Terrible, the treasures have multiplied many times over.
Why was the treasure not found?
It is possible that at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the treasures did not exist. But most likely, the values were all the same, and if the version that he was hidden at the bottom of Ragozin is correct, then everything is explained simply.
The fact is that the lake is very unusual, which the monks simply could not know. When, after the war, a diving service appeared in Pskov, equipped with equipment for deep-sea diving, it turned out that the lake was literally bottomless.
Several divers in different years died in the dark waters of Ragozin Lake. The reason is the incredible depth (about forty meters), lack of visibility at the bottom due to strong silting of water, and a great many submerged logs at the bottom, which not all lie, but many swim, having sank to the bottom with one end, forming an impenetrable forest of logs and snags.
But the main thing is that the lake has virtually no bottom. As soon as a diver in lead boots tries to move along the bottom, he suddenly falls through and finds himself in the lake under the lake! And no one has yet reached a real solid bottom alive. If, in fact, several centners of a valuable cargo were thrown into the water from the boat, then it inevitably fell into the abyss. Then it is unlikely that in the foreseeable future it will be possible to confirm or refute the urban legend.
Mysterious, beautiful, but …
The version is true, canceling all others:
In fact, the Pechora region was annexed even before the official normative act of the Government of the USSR, in September 1939. It was a dark day in the history of the city, so it is necessary to remember this.
At night, trucks with Red Army men in bodies under tarpaulin awnings appeared in the city. They were led by officers of the NKVD. The cars simultaneously stopped at different, previously known addresses, and the arrests began. All city officials, municipal and government officials, police, military, banking and postal officials, as well as Lutheran and some Orthodox priests were detained overnight. The lists of persons subject to arrest were prepared in advance.
All the detainees with their families were loaded into freight cars, which had been brought to the platform of the Petseri railway station in advance, and taken away in an unknown direction. None of these people were seen alive anymore. Most likely, they were destroyed one and all.
Then the repressions against ordinary citizens began. Not many Estonians suffered, because they, for the most part, were poor. All the strong peasant farms belonged to the Russians, and so they were dispossessed. Those whom I knew returned from Kazakhstan after Stalin's death. The parents of my friend were enrolled in the Kulaki because they had a horse and two cows, and several hectares of arable land.
Horseless peasants were simply herded into collective farms.
All merchants, owners of shops, shops and taverns were also sent into exile. Owners of mills, workshops, and small factories producing linen products: tow, ropes, cords, tarpaulins and textiles.
Now it is clear that the Germans were expected here as saviors. And they met the hopes of the local population. In the very first days of the occupation, the new authorities returned the confiscated land to the peasants, gave them seeds of cereals and potatoes for free, and raised them in cash.
Inspection of the Petseri garrison.
This is what the soldiers of the Estonian army looked like in 1931. (on the right, line up behind the firemen's orchestra). The inspection of the Petseri garrison was organized in honor of the arrival of the then President of Estonia Konstantin Päts (pictured with a cane).
So, why would monks fuss and hide treasures, in fact, from their own? There was no motive, which means that there was no point in believing in the legend. However, you will have to tell the whole truth, no matter how bitter it is …
So, the story of one betrayal.
Pskov. 1942
In 1997, the abbot of the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery Pavel Gorshkov was posthumously rehabilitated.
He was legally recognized as a "victim of the bloody Stalinist regime", and it was decided that he was a patriot, a decent person, he helped everyone, and loved everyone. They repressed him, allegedly, only because he was a priest. Take a look at this "decent" …
Representative of the fascist commandant's office and father Pavel.
Of course, in those harsh times, the innocent also "fell under the hand", everything happened. And judicial errors, and incompetence, and sometimes negligence of the investigation, but there is no reason to claim that only innocent people were imprisoned.
Understanding the details of the "planting" of innocent lambs, you certainly come to the conclusion that there were only a few innocent ones! For example, my uncle, who is not related to me by blood, he was the husband of my father's sister. The story deserves a separate article, but I'll tell you, nevertheless, in a nutshell.
Alexi Morrin, an Estonian, served conscript service in the Estonian army from 1940 to 1941. As soon as he had time to return from service to his native farm, the Germans came and shaved him again, this time in the Wehrmacht. He got to serve in a construction battalion, was appointed a squad leader for digging trenches. Either ours broke through from the encirclement, or the reconnaissance was in force, no one then understood, but Alexi managed to withdraw his squad from the battle without loss, despite the fact that nine of them had only one rifle.
For this he received some kind of cross from the army command. But four months later, they, along with boys like him, Russians and Estonians, were able to escape through the front line, surrendered, and asked to fight for the Red Army. Then no one understood, there were not enough soldiers, and they were immediately given weapons and sent to battle.
This story surfaced in counterintelligence almost a year later, when Alexi already had a medal "For Courage". They were deprived of awards and titles, and as a German spy they were condemned to the highest measure, which was immediately replaced by 15 years in the camps. Alexi Morrin was imprisoned until 1953 in Vorkuta, then he was rehabilitated, and even the awards were returned to him.
He was buried in the late 90s, with honor, as a veteran of the Second World War. They carried a pillow with orders and medals in front of the procession, as it should be. Everything is fair, sorry for the years that were ruined in the taiga, and the best, young years, but there was a war! The spies were actually planted in the thousands. There was simply no time to sort out that situation, and, not justified, it was dangerous.
And it is quite another matter when betrayal is committed consciously, ideologically!
Whatever is said in justification now, the documents are impartial. Evidence does not divide people into Stalinists, Liberals, and Democrats. You can't add or subtract anything here. Here is how Abbot Pavel and his associates provided voluntary assistance to the “liberators of Pechory from the Bolshevik infection”:
Composite sheet. Donations to fight your own people.
And the handwritten signature of His Eminence is below.
The gratitude of the occupier.
They have a friendly correspondence with Beckling, from which it is clear that they exchange gifts … Let me explain why it says "Pechur" instead of "Pechor".
This is now the name of the city spelled through "O", before the reunification of the Pechora region with the RSFSR, the correct spelling was considered through "E", i.e. Pechery. But the secretary of the standard commander (who would explain what it is) probably lost or broke the letter with the letter E in the typewriter, so she pressed "U", which, in her opinion, is more like "E".
But here are some more documents that irrefutably testify to the cooperation of the priests and monks of the Pechora Monastery with the occupation authorities:
Traitor's letter.
"With true Respect, your servant …" It is strange that he was not immediately shot.
But these are all flowers … All this can be attributed to the fact that Paul was concerned about the safety of the monastic brethren, and was forced to turn to the Nazis for help, which served as the main argument in the rehabilitation of Gorshkov.
But the next document is murderous …
This is the solution to the mystery of the sacristy treasure.
It follows from it that Pavel Gorshkov, in his collaboration with the Germans, went so far that with his own hands he gave them the treasures of the sacristy, the heritage of Russian culture, which cannot be measured with any money. It means that they and the monks themselves collected everything, packed it, and handed it over to the police to be sent to Germany, and this is already a crime that cannot be washed off!
That is why the legend was invented that the monks reliably hid the baggage train with icons, chalices, vestments and mitres weighing tens of kilograms of silver, gold, pearls and precious stones. They did not hide anything, but gave it to the fascists, in order to save their own lives.
I would like to ask a question to the fighters against the "dark legacy of the bloody Stalinist regime": -
Now do you understand that it is in your interests not to declassify the FSB archives?
Is anyone ready to see the names of their relatives in documents like the ones above? After all, for example, the translator Putilina may well have grandchildren and great-grandchildren living in Pskov. And the descendants of those who voluntarily donated money for the needs of the Estonian punishers still live in Pechory, and it is not difficult to establish them. Only I will not do it. But I can never forgive the traitors who killed half of my family.
Continuation: "Legends of Pleskavia. Titov stone. Part 2".