In the action-adventure video game Rise of the Tomb Raider, Lara Croft discovers the ruins of a once mighty civilization and searches for the location of an artifact known as the Divine Source, supposedly buried in the lost city of Kitezh. And although the storyline of this game is fictional, historical texts suggest that Kitezh, known as the Invisible City, was a real place, which is believed to now lie at the bottom of the Russian Lake Svetloyar.
The first written mention of the ancient city of Kitezh was in the Kitezh Chronicle, which was written by the Old Believers in the 1780s (in the history of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Old Believers after 1666 broke away from the official Russian Orthodox Church in protest against church reforms).
According to this chronicle, the city of Small Kitezh at the beginning of the 13th century was founded by Prince George, Grand Duke Vladimir, on the banks of the Volga, in the Voskresensky district of the Nizhny Novgorod region. Then he discovered a beautiful place further upstream, on the shores of Lake Svetloyar. There he decided to build the city of Big Kitezh. It was founded as a monastery city, everyone considered this city a saint.
“The Grand Duke made a beautiful city, built it in the shape of a circle with churches, monasteries and boyar palaces. Then he surrounded it with a trench and erected walls with loopholes, wrote Adele Barker and Bruce Grant in The Russia Reader: History, Culture, Politics. Russian Reader: History, Culture, Politics.
Lake Svetloyar in the Voskresensky district
Photo: Public Domain
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Destruction of Kitezh
In 1238, North-Eastern Russia was captured by the Mongols under the leadership of Khan Batu, who ruled in 1207-1255. and was the founder of the Golden Horde. Having besieged the city of Vladimir and the surrounding cities, the khan learned about the powerful city of Kitezh and was determined to capture it. First, the Mongols came to Small Kitezh. Grand Duke George rode out to meet them and entered into battle with them, but in the end he was forced to flee back in the direction of Greater Kitezh, whose location remained unknown to the Mongols.
Mongols under the walls of Vladimir
Photo: Public Domain
Batu was furious and ordered to torture the prisoners until they give out the location of Greater Kitezh. The captives did not betray the secret of their holy city, because, in their conviction, this would bring eternal damnation on themselves and their descendants. However, one of the captives named Kuterma could not stand the torture and revealed the secret paths to the Svetloyar Lake.
Descriptions of further events in the annals are vague and ambiguous. “The only thing that is known is that the Grand Duke managed to hide church utensils in the lake, after which he fell in battle. By the will of God, the city itself became invisible; water and forest were visible in its place,”say Barker and Grant.
"The Invisible City of Kitezh". Painting by Konstantin Gorbatov (1876-1945).
Photo: Public Domain
Legends of the invisible city
It is unclear what exactly happened to Kitezh, but for many centuries its mysterious disappearance was told in legends and folklore. According to one popular tale, the whole city plunged into the lake by the will of God to prevent its treasures from falling into the hands of the Mongols. Because of this, Lake Svetloyar is sometimes called the Russian Atlantis. Legend has it that the army of the Golden Horde watched in dismay as the city plunged into the lake. The last thing they saw was the white sparkling dome of the cathedral with a cross. But in fact, the disappearance of the city may not have been so great. Some archaeologists have suggested that the city could have suffered from a landslide, which is why it fell into the lake.
According to folk tales, the city of Kitezh is visible only to those who are pure in soul and heart. Those who believe in these legends often say that they hear the sounds of church bells coming from the lake, see lights or even the outlines of buildings below the surface of the water. In times past, pilgrims used to visit the lake hoping to hear the bells. They went there to pray and left offerings for the inhabitants of the city. It is also said that during World War II, women went to the lake to pray for their sons.
Stage scenery for the second scene of the fourth act of the opera "The Tale of the Lost City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevronia" by composer Rimsky-Korsakov. 1929 year
Photo: Public Domain
In search of Russian Atlantis
In 2011, an archaeological expedition was carried out to the village of Vetluzhsky in order to search for archaeological remains in the area of Lake Svetloyar. Excavations have revealed traces of an ancient settlement, as well as fragments of traditional Russian ceramics. Scientists plan to continue their research. According to their estimates, the hill in which the artifacts were found has always been prone to landslides. Due to one of these landslides, the ancient city could well have plunged into the lake, which gave rise to fantastic legends about the invisible city of Kitezh.
Watch a video about the city of Kitezh