Kitezh

Kitezh (Russian: Ки́теж) is a legendary and mythical city beneath the waters of Lake Svetloyar in the Voskresensky District of the Nizhny Novgorod Oblast in central Russia.

According to folk etymology, the name of the town came from the royal residence of Kideksha (near Suzdal), ransacked by the Mongols in 1237; Max Vasmer labels the place-name as "obscure".

[1] After having conquered some of the Russian lands in the late 1230s, the Mongol ruler Batu Khan (r. 1227–1255) heard of Kitezh and ordered his army to advance towards it.

Allegedly, one can sometimes hear the sound of chiming bells and people singing from under the waters of Lake Svetloyar when the weather is calm.

Some stories claim that the most pious individuals may actually see the lights of religious processions (called "крестный ход") and even buildings on the bottom of the lake.