The Legend of the City of Kitezh: The Invisible City of Russia, the Waters of Lake Svetloyar, and the Bells Under the Water
The Russian Atlantis of the Volga In the dense forests of the Nizhny Novgorod region of Russia, hidden near the banks of the Volga River, lies the sacred Lake Svetloyar . According to the ancient Russian chronicles—the Kitezh Chronicle compiled in the late eighteenth century but drawing on medieval oral traditions—this deep, circular lake is the site of a miraculous city that was saved from destruction through the direct intervention of the divine power. Greater Kitezh ( Grad Kitezh ), built in the thirteenth century by the Grand Prince Georgy of Vladimir, was a city of impossible beauty, filled with white stone churches, golden domes, and royal palaces. The legend of Kitezh is the mystery of the invisible city . In 1238, during the Mongol invasion of Russia under Batu Khan, the Mongol forces defeated the prince at the battle of the City of Vladimir and marched toward the forest stronghold of Kitezh. When the invaders approached the city, they were astonished to find that the cit...