Description of the attraction
The Zaonezhsky peninsula is located in the northern part of Lake Onega. It is included in the territory of the Medvezhyegorsk region of Karelia. This unique historical and cultural complex is also rich in mineral springs. One of the most popular sources is Tsaritsyn Klyuch located in the direction of Velikaya Guba, 5 kilometers from the village of Tolvuya and 70 meters from the highway. The first mention of the Tolvuya churchyard is found in the documents of the XIV century. It is one of the ancient Russian villages on the shores of Lake Onego. At the beginning of the 18th century, there were 33 settlements near the Tolvuisky churchyard.
The village of Tolvuya is surrounded on three sides by the waters of Lake Onega. There is a special microclimate here, possibly also due to the shungite deposit - a stone with unique medicinal properties. The healing properties of the waters in the springs of this region have also been known for a long time. Local residents used them long before 1714, when the world-famous Marcial ferruginous waters were discovered.
This spring has a long history associated with the Romanov dynasty. It is named in memory of the mother of the first Russian Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich - nun Martha, who was called "Tsarina" by the locals. At the end of the 16th century, Boris Godunov reigned on the throne, and since he was not the heir to the throne by royal blood, he strove to get rid of possible rivals of the royal family. Boyarin Fyodor Romanov and his children were the most possible contenders for the royal throne, since he was the brother of Ivan the Terrible's wife, Anastasia. Fyodor Nikitich was exiled to the Anthony-Siysk monastery. His son Mikhail and his sister were taken to Belo-Lake. His wife, Ksenia Ivanovna, was tonsured into a nun with the name Martha and exiled from 1601 to 1605 to the Tolvuisky churchyard.
The tower where the unfortunate prisoner was settled was small and stood behind the peasant houses, not far from the church. At the Tolvuisky churchyard in the 17th century. there were three churches: Trinity, Georgievskaya, Nikolskaya. In 1869, on the site of the wooden St. George's Church, a stone one was rebuilt, which has survived to this day. At the beginning of the 20th century, a chapel was built on the site of the Trinity Church in commemoration of the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty. The church annals indicate that the tower of the nun Martha stood to the north of the churches. The window overlooked Lake Onega and the forests of Paleostrov, located 6 km from Tolvuy.
Separation from her husband and children, poor food, the position of a prisoner led to a serious illness - epilepsy, as epilepsy was called before, began to torment the nun Martha. Local residents sympathized with the disgraced boyar and advised him to be treated with the waters of the spring. The water from this spring does indeed have a significant soothing effect. According to legend, it was she who eased the suffering and healed the unfortunate prisoner. Therefore, this place was called "Tsaritsyn Key".
Nun Martha did not forget and thanked the inhabitants of Tolvuy, after her son Mikhail ascended the throne to the royal throne, villages were granted to the peasants, and the priest Yermolai Gerasimov - small lands on the Petrovsky churchyard in Chelmuzhi.
Now this ancient source is not difficult to find, it is located to the right of the road to Medvezhyegorsk, in front of the village, a low wooden fence has been installed around it. The water in the spring is crystal clear, making its way through the natural filters of the soil, it is purified and mineralized, saturated with oxygen, which is why it has softness and amazing taste. Even in an ordinary plastic bottle, it sparkles with tiny stars and does not deteriorate for a very long time, retains its natural taste for up to 6 months. But every year, according to local residents, the spring dries up, and the water in it becomes less and less.
