Chernigov began for me like in a fairy tale: If you go to the right, you will find Kievan Rus and its history. If you go to the left, you will find Saints, monasteries and temples. If you go straight, you will find a modern city and its goodies.
The directions are conditional and each branches into many roads. First of all, we went “to the left” to Boldina Gora and to Antoniev Pechery. The car was left inside the Trinity-Ilyinsky Monastery,
consisting of a stunningly beautiful bell tower, Trinity Cathedral of the 17th century,
Vvedenskaya church, cells and other buildings. This nunnery also includes the 11th century Elias Church, which is located in front of the entrance to the Anthony Pechery. In the Trinity Cathedral there are the relics of Saints Lawrence of Chernigov and Theodosius of Uglich. To the right of the large cathedral is an interesting building related to the historical heritage – the Vvedenskaya Church of 1677.
I liked her very much for her appearance and for what exuded from her – antiquity and originality. The cells are located behind the Trinity Cathedral.
They also belong to the architectural monument of the 17th century. We tuned in to the saints inside the cathedral and, apparently, with their blessing, went to the Anthony Pechery. Why am I talking about the highest blessing, because from the very beginning of the trip, many happy accidents happened to our small group. We came to where we needed on time, met people who knew the city and received full help and support. As if they were waiting for us here for a long time on all plans. Starting with our friends living in Chernihiv and ending with a chance meeting with the city’s most knowledgeable guide. We go through the Boldina Gora park to the Antoniev’s stoves.
The park looks strange: green lawns and trees, paths between them, but the lawns seem to be dug and consist of small hills overgrown with grass. Below there are caves, catacombs, underground churches and passages. Only some of them have been restored and opened, judging by the large territory of the park and the relatively small size of the cave complex. There is no doubt that this mountain is a place of power. Here the power of the planet mixed with the energy of the holy channels. In 1069, the father of Russian monasticism, Anthony Pechersky, lived here. According to legend, he dug a cave here and settled in it. He did not live in Chernigov for long, until it became safe in Kiev. Anthony of Pechersky returned to Kiev, where he went to a cave for 40 years and became the founder of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra and the Antoniev Pecher. We are waiting for the entrance for about 30 minutes, since they are allowed into the dungeons in small groups. In front of the entrance to the Anthony Pechery is the Ilyinsky Church.
We enter the first hall, then we go down the narrow underground passages to the second hall with niches.
There are rooms with altars, niches with bones. If you go even deeper, you find yourself in the ossuary. Only the energy of death is present in this place, and from here we quickly left. A woman was waiting for the entrance with us and entered the caves. She visited here and showed us interesting places that we explored. Each niche in the large hall carries its own energy.
In one of the niches, I saw behind me a figure in black monastic clothes with a high black headdress. Is this the same black figure that archaeologists working here and visitors wrote about? Later we learned that it was in this niche, where I saw the figure in black, that they tune in to their past lives. The strongest place that I found in the dungeon was closed by a grate and a large cross stood on it. As it turned out later, bones lay here and visitors dragged the bones home for souvenirs. When the bones were removed, the visitors began to break off pieces of the cross. We also learned that in this place they treated the possessed, cast out demons. Even through the lattice, a powerful stream of high-frequency energy comes from there. In the cold dungeon, I felt hot, as if I were standing on a light source. Explored the place where wishes are made. I didn’t like it. I looked at the place where the spine is being treated. There really is a leveling force there.
Then we went up to the Boldina Gora park. At the end of the park there are two large mounds – Bezymyanny and Gulbische.
They offer a magnificent view of the city. But everyone had been pulled out of the mounds long ago.
The next item on our program, after relaxing in a cozy coffee shop
in the center of the city, became Detinets.
This is the path to the right to Kievan Rus.
In Chernigov, all together the secular life and the princes in Kievan Rus and its spiritual part, designated by the temples. Detinets is over a thousand years old. It was a part of the city, surrounded by a defensive rampart with the prince’s house, a cathedral and other buildings. In the 10th century, the buildings were wooden and they had the opportunity to burn to the ground many times – during the invasion of the Mongol horde, the invasion of the Crimean Tatars, the internecine wars of the princes, as well as the Polish, Lithuanian and Russian conquests. There was no chance of surviving. Remains of the stone Transfiguration Cathedral, founded by Prince Mstislav Vladimirovich at the beginning of the 11th century and the Borisoglebsk Cathedral of the 12th century. Next to the Borisoglebsky Cathedral is the 17th century Collegium building. Despite the late construction, the building has a memorable fabulous look. If you walk along the path past trees with large roots,
then you get to the Historical Museum. We were in front of the museum’s closing and took a quick look at it.
We were interested in the history of Kievan Rus. There were not many exhibits on this topic.
But the next day in the morning we were in the Transfiguration Cathedral
and they were looking for the sarcophagus of Prince Igor, the hero of The Lay of Igor’s Host. I asked church officials – Where is Prince Igor’s sarcophagus? – Under the bus. In the right corner of the entrance, scientists were looking for. Not found. The service is going on and we try not to disturb the believers and quietly scan the floor. The distance between the current floor and the 11th century floor is one and a half meters, as our guide Oles told us later. We agreed that in the central part of the cathedral, closer to the altar, in a deep underground there are princely burials. And in confirmation of our scan, a couple of hours later the guide told us the legend that it was as if long ago, during the rebuilding of the temple, princely burials in stone sarcophagi were opened in the underground. There were also princely diadems. Now no one will allow to break open the floor in the central part of the current shrine cathedral, for the sake of excavation. And we decided that there was something behind the cathedral. Indeed, something was buried behind the temple. We walked around the cathedral and saw an excursion group. They immediately decided to join it, having agreed with its organizer. What not only did they not regret, but were completely delighted with the information received, knowledge and artistry of the best guide of Chernigov – Olesya. And again he confirmed our scans, saying that behind the Transfiguration Cathedral, where we stood, princely burials were found. The Transfiguration Cathedral is considered to be the burial vault of the Olgovichi princes. In the neighboring Borisoglebsk cathedral there were burials of the princes of the Davidovich clan. After this trip, the epic princes of the times of Kievan Rus were overgrown with characteristics, became living people. Mstislav Vladimirovich, the founder of Chernigov – possessed physical strength and courage, wisdom. What all the local princes have in common is that they were great warriors. In the Transfiguration Cathedral, I felt that the princes and their ideas still inspire fear, that the history of Kievan Rus is still full of dark spots and not just spots, but whole dark eras. Another story connected with the great warrior opened up to us on the Cherny mound.
According to legend, Prince Cherny, the founder of Chernigov, was buried here. Everything that was found in the mound is kept in the Moscow museum. And we can only sit on the mound, enjoy life and guess about that. what happened here a thousand years ago. Walking around the Chernihiv Detinets you will definitely get to 12 guns.
The cannons are on the paved red carpet. The red carpet was laid where the walls of Detinets were. Further on is the house of Lizogub, which later passed to Mazepa.
Both are outstanding personalities in the history of Ukraine. Opposite the cannons, there is a view of the Catherine Cathedral. In the evening, we visited another spiritual place in Chernigov – the Yeletsky convent. Since its founding in the 12th century, it has been male, since the 90s of the 20th century, it has become female. This fact surprised me and became one of the reasons for visiting the monastery. The monastery is a park, temple, bell tower, cells, and some other buildings located on a low mountain. The monastery has survived in the troubled history of the city. The rich monastery life is felt here. I was also surprised that you can’t laugh here. We sat on a bench, talking and laughing. They made a remark to us. I am not familiar with the monastery charter, but, apparently, the rules are necessary for a certain attunement to life in the monastery, so that there is no emotional swing. The place is ancient, you can feel history under your feet.
Wikipedia says that “the mountain on which the Eletsky Dormition Monastery stands is dug and permeated with many underground passages, caves and catacombs. Thus, an underground gallery 70 meters long connects the Assumption Cathedral and the Peter and Paul Church. ” I was in Chernigov for two days, and I got the impressions as if I had lived here for two weeks. October 9-10, 2020
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