Limbaži Lielezers Lake (Holy Lake)

Description

In everyday speech the lake is being called the Lielezers Lake (the Great Lake), but it has also a second name related to sacrality – the Svētezers Lake (the Holy Lake), for which there is no explanation found. In written sources, this name appears already in the Medieval Times. The area of the Lielezers Lake of Limbaži is 256 ha, the maximum depth is 6.5 m, average depth is 3.8 m. The lake has sloping hardly accessible banks. Several brooks flow into it, but out – the Donaviņa, which is joining the Lielezers lake with the Dūņezers Lake. The lake, which has muddy bottom, was lowered in 1947. The Lielezers Lake is picturesque.

Narrative

Once in the last century, the people from the nearby Lielezers lake’s surroundings started fishing fish with iron bayonets, thus in the lake fish crippled by bayonets started to live. The lake did not like that at all, thus it was planning to move to another area, which would be more favourable for the fish. Preparing to move with all the fish, the lake was strongly rising in waves on the first day; on the second day, it was also strongly rising in waves and roaring; but on the third day, water pillars were raising into the air. The people being afraid that the lake would leave for good found twelve holy people and placed them around the lake as guards. On the fourth day, the lake waters also raised for moving away. The holy people blessed at once the restless water and threw a golden cross into the deepest part of the lake. The water settled down at once and remains in its old place till nowadays. Latvian Folklore Repositary 556, 13824.

Location

Koordinātas: 57.48333, 24.70000

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Comments

Within the last few years, there have been walking plank-ways/paths facilitated around the lake, infrastructure arranged, a bathing place facilitated, a view tower.

Photo, video

Archive of the “Cult Identity” project