The small Belarusian town of Nesvizh on the Usha River is literally through and through with ancient legends, legends about untold treasures, great heroes and all-powerful wizards.
For several centuries Nesvizh served as the residence of the Radziwill princes, known not only for their wealth and power, but also for many mystical secrets associated with members of the clan.
The main treasure of the Radziwills, twelve golden statues of the Apostles, which were allegedly brought by one of the founders of the family, either from Constantinople, or were received as a gift from the Pope himself.
According to legend, the owner of the Twelve Apostles became invulnerable from any attempts to harm him from enemies.
It should be noted that during the Second World War, the top leadership of Fascist Germany actively hunted for such artifacts in the hope that ancient relics would bring invincibility to the Third Reich. For example, members of the secret Nazi order of the Ahnenerbe organized a secret expedition to search for certain "objects of power" allegedly stored somewhere in the underground of the Radziwills' ancestral castle. The search was accompanied by massive unexplained deaths of the participants, but in the end, the Nazis did not find anything.
History confirms the Legend
At first glance, the claim of the existence of the almighty Twelve Apostles, who are figures cast in gold and silver, is just one of many beautiful medieval legends. As, for example, the fairy tale about King Arthur and his sword Excalibur, which has become the basis for many films.
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However, a close study of historical facts suggests that there may be a grain of truth in the transcendental statement about the sacred artifact of the Twelve Apostles of the Radziwills. Otherwise, how can one explain the amazing vitality of the Radziwills themselves and the stable, practically independent existence of the principality for several centuries? And this is in the very epicenter of continuous wars and power struggles between the most powerful empires?
Ruthless hordes of conquerors came and went, plundered, but the specific principality of the Radziwills continued to flourish and be famous throughout Europe for its untold riches and high level of civilizational development.
Did the Golden Apostles really exist?
The history of the origin of the relic is shrouded in mystery. The statues themselves were first displayed in the castle for all to see. But, after several attempts to steal, they were hidden in a certain "skarbets", somewhere in the endless dungeons of the fortress complex. And since then, instead of gold statues in the castle, wax copies have been exhibited, as in Madame Tussaud's. In fact, no one has seen the Golden Apostles for most of the last centuries, and their existence has moved to the level of popular rumor and a beautiful fairy tale.
Some experts suggested that the 12 Apostles were actually stolen shortly after the start of the shows in the castle, but the Radziwills clan hid this unpleasant fact.
If the artifacts were originally positioned as a sacred amulet that provides reliable protection to the owner, then indeed, the Radziwills could not allow the spread of information about the loss of such an important artifact. Indeed, in this case, the authority and reputation of the princely family could also be lost.
The loss of power items could be used by numerous enemies who envied the wealth and success of the Radziwill princes, as an ideological base to justify a military invasion. In this aspect, the loss of a sacred relic could be tantamount to the death of the last heir to the ruling dynasty, which logically leads to the emergence of many pretenders to the throne.
What happened to the 12 Apostles of the Radziwills
For three hundred years now, numerous adventurers have been hunting for artifacts of the legendary Radziwill family. But, until now, no reliable information has been reported that someone was successful in this search.
At the same time, you can look at the situation from the other side. For example, if we assume that someone really managed to take possession of the statues of the 12 apostles containing mysterious powers, then such success would clearly be kept in the deepest secrecy.
There are suggestions that the Apostles of the Radziwills were taken out long ago and kept in hiding places among the descendants of Swedish or French, and maybe Polish or some other conquerors. In this case, the search for the Constantinople artifact should not be at all in the bowels of the earth around the glorious city of Nesvizh, but to investigate the history of all conquerors and adventurers who have ever been involved in the search for the Radziwills' treasures.
As noted above, based on the legend - 12 Golden Apostles bring security and success in life. After the theft of the Apostles, the Radziwills found themselves without the protection of higher powers and, logically, they should have started having problems. And in order to establish the time of the abduction, as well as find the loss, it would be possible to put forward and check several versions:
- in what year did the decline of the Radziwill clan begin? After the princes lost the relics, everything had to go very badly.
- who was in the vicinity of the Nesvizh castle at that time? These are the alleged kidnappers.
- what happened to the descendants of the supposed new owners of the Golden Apostles in the future?
And if one of the suspects has distinguished himself by some extraordinary success in business and life, this is the main goal for a detailed investigation.
Ghosts of the Radziwills Castle
Martin Nikolay Karol became one of the most picturesque and at the same time mystical characters of the Radziwill family. As they say, from an early age, Prince Martin was distinguished by an unusual interest in alchemy and other secret knowledge.
In his home laboratory, Martin Radziwill devoted many years to experiments in the manufacture of a philosopher's stone. In the inner circle of the mystic prince there were strange people, and the experiments themselves often turned into monstrous and cruel antics.
As a result of this defiant behavior, Martin was stripped of his power and declared incapacitated. But it may happen that the unlucky alchemist was busy looking for those very lost golden apostles.
Another, not recommended for reading at night, legend refers to Barbara Radziwill. A romantic story of passionate love with a sad ending. Spiritual summoning of spirits to inconsolable lovers. The appearance in the castle of a terrible ghost, still wandering under the gloomy vaults in search of unrealizable peace.
All of the above is only a small grain of sand in the total mass of secrets. Most of the secrets of the mysterious and powerful family of the Radziwill princes have not yet been solved and are still waiting for their fearless and tireless researchers.