Kiev-Pechersk Lavra is one of the oldest monasteries in the world. For centuries, legends have been made about him. But the most mysterious of them is about the cursed treasure of the black prince Mafava, which to this day does not give rest to treasure hunters.
Monk from the Varangian cave
And the history of the ancient treasure began in the XI century, when the city dweller Fyodor took monastic vows in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. Being a wealthy man, he became disillusioned with his empty and idle life. Fyodor distributed all his property to the poor and withdrew from the world, hiding in one of the caves of the ancient monastery. The cave in which the monk settled was located not far from the Dnieper and from time immemorial was called Varangian, because before it became part of the lavra, Norman robbers once hid here, robbing merchant ships on the river that sailed to the capital city from all over land. It was said in Kiev that over the years the robbers accumulated untold riches and hid their treasures in one of the underground passages adjacent to their "base", but by the time the monks settled here, these rumors had become a legend. The monks were not interested in gold,they only thought about saving their souls.
However, being a monk turned out to be a heavy burden for the monk Fyodor, and soon he sincerely regretted his hastily taken decision. Life in a cold, damp cave, exhausting labor in the monastery and meager lean food exhausted the newly-minted monk, but he could no longer change anything.
It was impossible to return to the world, since other people had long been in charge of Fyodor's house, and he had no money left to start a new life. And it was then that the monk decided to ask the dark forces for help.
Black Prince
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Wanting to leave the disgusted monastery as soon as possible, Fyodor turned to the black prince Mafawa with a prayer, and his choice was not accidental. According to legend, Mafawa was once an important figure in heaven and was one of the angelic council. During the uprising of Lucifer, he sided with him, for which he was thrown to earth. Highly appreciating his faithful friend, the ruler of hell entrusted him with keeping all the underground treasures, and a magnificent palace was erected for Mafava among huge piles of gold and precious stones.
One of the legends says that, once on earth, the fallen angel changed his appearance, turning into a huge snake with paws. Like dragons from the Celtic and Scandinavian sagas, he guarded the treasures entrusted to him day and night and disposed of them very wisely.
It is believed that the dark prince bestows his mercy on people who turn to him for help, demanding worship and veneration in return. But if a person who has accepted the support of Mafava suddenly cheats on him, again turning to the "bright side", then a terrible punishment awaits him.
In addition to gold, the dark treasurer grants his admirers a happy destiny, which helps to make a profit even in the most hopeless situations, and besides, he heals - "takes into the ground" their ailments and illnesses.
Gold and silver in abundance
It must be said that Mafava quickly responded to the monk's request and pointed out where the stolen treasures of the Varangians were hidden.
The treasure excavated by Fedor turned out to be significant. A corrupt monk, preparing to escape, loaded nearly six carts with gold. However, his friend the monk Vasily prevented the monk from changing his fate. The honest inhabitant was horrified to learn about the origin of the treasure, and began to persuade Fyodor to refuse the demon's help. After long admonitions, Vasily persuaded Fyodor to get rid of the "wicked" gold and stay in the monastery, and the friends hid Mafava's treasure in the Varangian cave. However, the black prince, angered by such ingratitude, made it so that the son of the Kiev prince became aware of the treasure. Devoured by greed, the prince ordered Fyodor to be brought to him, and he confessed that he had indeed found a treasure in the cave, where there were "Latin vessels and gold and silver in a multitude", but this money was unclean, and therefore he had hidden it safely. The prince ordered to torture the monk,but even then Fedor did not indicate the place where the treasure was buried.
Then the prince ordered to put Fyodor in prison, and to deliver the monk Vasily to him, but he also did not tell the tormentors about the cache of Mafava's treasures. Beside himself with rage, the prince tortured the monks with his own hands all night. In a fit of anger, he seriously wounded Vasily with an arrow in the shoulder, and he, bleeding, said that if the prince did not repent, he would soon die from the same weapon. By morning, both monks had died from terrible injuries - this is how Prince Mafava took revenge on the apostate Fedor.
The bodies of the tortured monks were taken to the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra and buried in the very Varangian cave where they hid the treasure. Today Fyodor and Basil of the Caves are venerated as holy martyrs.
I must say that the prediction of Vasily Pechersky came true several years later. The prince was wounded by an arrow and died, experiencing terrible agony before death.
A pious person or a hardened villain?
The story of Mafawa's treasure could be called a gloomy legend, if all its "characters" were not characters from a real story. The treasure hidden in the Varangian cave has been sought by daredevils for many centuries. But. each time these searches ended in failure - after such campaigns the monks found mutilated, and sometimes even burned (!) corpses in the catacombs. Initially, treasure hunters entered the catacombs through a secret entrance from the side of the Dnieper, but in the 17th century it was filled up in order to avoid unnecessary victims.
After the October Revolution of 1917, a new boom in treasure hunting began. 6 caves were descended not only by professional archaeologists, but also by individuals wishing to get hold of Mafava's money. However, these searches were not crowned with success, but the disastrous consequences of these expeditions were more than enough. Often, people who spent a long time in caves, upon returning, went crazy and ended their days in psychiatric hospitals, and some disappeared without a trace in the catacombs. Archaeologists said that when examining the passages leading in different directions from the Varangian cave, water began to pour from the ceiling, and sometimes everything around was lit up with strange lights. Also, sometimes people were attacked by an unaccountable fear that drove them out.
An example of this was the deplorable fate of the Komsomol enthusiasts, who decided to explore this section of the caves at the end of the 1920s. Most of the group disappeared without a trace in the ancient catacombs, and those young people who nevertheless made it to the surface suffered from mental disorders until the end of their days.
I must say that the search for the treasure is also complicated by the fact that over the past centuries, some of the passages leading from the Varangian cave were laid. Several years ago, access to some of them was cleared, but even experienced treasure hunters rarely risk entering there. They say that in the caves that hide behind these passages, even the most modern technology fails, clocks stop and telephones turn off.
Apparently, the black prince reliably protects his treasure to this day, and according to legend, only a pious person who will spend the treasure on godly deeds, or a hardened villain who inspires confidence in the demon, can find him.
Elena Lyakina