N.K. Roerich, making a trip “to ancient places”, admired the nationalities who retained their identity. In Pechory, he described the Poluvertsi (Half-Believers) – the remnants of the colonization of the ancient Pskov land. By some miracle, in a number of settlements, they preserved their costumes, customs, even their own language, very close to the Livonian dialect. On holidays, women decorated their chest with a set of ancient rubles, crosses and a huge convex silver plaque – fibula.

“The Russian costume breaks up into an infinite number of species. Casual neighbors, local conditions, time – all this determined the features of costumes.

Even now, 250 versts from Petersburg, near Pskov, there lives a special nationality “Poluversty (Half-Believers)”, who preserved not only a special costume, but also a very special language.

A simple Russian peasant woman has no idea what multicolored layers she wears in her costume. And what a symbol of human evolution is recorded in her homespun patterns.”

(N.K. Roerich. The Apparel of the Spirit // Ways of Blessing.)