* Kerzhenets is a harsh, mysterious place where thousands of schismatic Old Believers have found shelter since the 17th century. So far, there have been no studies of the Old Believers of the Volga region, and for more than 15 years I have been collecting material for my dissertation here. With me, you will visit several villages and hermitages, get acquainted with the guardians of ancient Orthodoxy. Our land was destined to play a significant role in a crucial period of the spiritual life of the country. Suffice it to mention the fact that the most prominent ideologists of the "opposing sides" — Patriarch Nikon, Protopop Avvakum, Bishop Pavel Kolomensky, Sergius of Nizhny Novgorod, Alexander Deacon — were born "within Nizhny Novgorod." The Old Believers' movement affected the region as soon as it was born, and the descendants of those who once opposed the "Antichrist force" still live both in Nizhny Novgorod and in the Nizhny Novgorod hinterland. Most of the Old Believers settled in the Semenovsky region, where the "peace and silence of the forests" carefully hid the people persecuted by the new charter. Documents and testimonies have been preserved telling about almost 40 thousand schismatics and hundreds of hermitages that existed on Kerzhenets until the 40s of the 20th century. 8-30 — Osinki, the origins of the Old Believers, the reasons for the development of Kerzhenets and the features of the costume. It will be possible to collect holy water. 10:00 a.m. — Fishing and the growth of activity in Kerzhenets. The story of the prototypes of merchants from Melnikov-Pechersky's novel "In the Woods. " 12:00 p.m. — Lunch, rest . 12:30 p.m. — The story of the settlement of hermitages and a visit to the Old Believers church, bell tower. Let's explore the ladder (a kind of rosary). Those who wish will be able to visit the bell tower. 13-00 −15-00 — Trefilikha, Komarovsky hermitage. Graves of schemers and schemers, holy places. 16-00 — Ulangersk skete and giant pine, a natural monument of regional significance.