N.K. Roerich devoted several paintings to one of the most ancient settlements of Russia – Izborsk. Izborsk is a town near Pskov, mentioned in the “Tale of Bygone Years” as the place of the reign of Truvor, one of the Scandinavian princes, called, together with Rurik and Sineus, by inhabitants of ancient Russia to rule them. This was a town of Krivichi, one of the Slavic tribes, that had appeared long before the formation of Kievan Rus. Later, it became a border guard outpost on the western borders of the Novgorod land, that protected the road to Pskov and further to Novgorod from Livonians. German crusaders called Izborsk “An Iron City”. In that far time, many battles took place under its walls.

Ancient graves, covered with oblong stone slabs, raise in our memory the tales of bygone times, feuds and raids of crusaders. Above one of the graves, a huge stone cross is erected, more than two meters high, slightly tilted back, cut out of a solid stone. The local inhabitants call this burial place the grave of Truvor. The ends of the cross slightly widen from the central crossing; barely noticeable letters erased by time, indicate some inscription in the Slavic language. In literary sources, it is dated back to the 14th or 15th century. Such crosses are characteristic of the Pskov church architecture.

“The Truvor’s fortress. A beautiful place near Izborsk, on the bank of a ravine – the former Chudskoye (Peipus) Lake, now having retreated by 12 versts. There are sign of a rampart. In the cemetery, there are many slab crosses, up to 3 arshins. The place is more beautiful than the site of the fortress of Izborsk.”

(From the travel notebook of the artist N. K. Roerich)