In Tatarstan, at the bottom of the Kuibyshev reservoir, divers found the remains of 15 churches and 2 mosques.
The divers spoke about this at a press conference held in the largest media company of the Republic of Tatarstan "Tatmedia" and dedicated to the award of the national prize "Crystal Compass".
In addition to diving to the bottom of the Volga, divers took part in diving to the bottom of Lake Labynkyr in Yakutia, located in the coldest place of the Northern Hemisphere, within the framework of the Pole of Cold project, Blagovest-info reports, citing information from the ProKazan.ru website.
Recall that one of the flooded Russian church buildings - the bell tower of St. Nicholas Cathedral in Kalyazin - claimed the title of one of the symbols of Russia.
At least, the local historian and headman of the Kalyazin Ascension Church Sergey Kruglov is convinced of this. In his opinion, this monument of church architecture and difficult Russian history has long ceased to be a symbol of local importance.
The bell tower of the former Nikolo-Zhabensky monastery, built in the style of classicism, is known abroad, it is called a "penitential candle" and a kind of monument to the irrevocably gone patriarchal Russia.
The Nikolsky Cathedral itself was erected in 1694, and the bell tower - in 1800. Then this place was the center of the city, and it was the most magnificent building of that time.
The bell tower was rebuilt in 6 years. Its height was 74.5 meters. It had 5 tiers, as well as a dome with a head and a spire. 12 bells were installed there. The largest bell of 1,038 pounds was cast in 1895 with the money of the monastery in honor of the accession to the throne of Nicholas II.
Promotional video:
In 1939, when the Uglich reservoir was created, the need for the appearance of which arose in connection with the construction of a hydroelectric power station in Uglich, on the Volga, the old part of Kalyazin was in the flooded zone. The cathedral was dismantled, and the bell tower was partially under water. They did not destroy it, as they planned to convert it into a parachute tower. On May 22, 2007, the Divine Liturgy was performed in the bell tower.
When the serfs built the bell tower, they gave a guarantee of strength and conscientiousness. There is even a record in a historical document, which says that if the structure cracks and looks askew, the serfs will destroy and restore it at their own expense. The strength of the structure has been confirmed by time.
The bell tower has always been surrounded by special attention, local historians say. In the 19th century, the city's market square was located here, merchant ships from the lower reaches of the Volga approached here. Today it remains the only memory of the monastery and Nicholas Cathedral that was once located here.
