Russia (bbabo.net), - This is a discovery by scientists from NUST "MISiS" and FIAN im. P.N. Lebedev Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences was made with the help of unique experiments by installing so-called muon sensors on the territory of the Danilov Monastery in Pereslavl-Zalessky.

The devices found two unknown rooms, which, presumably, may be ancient crypts or monastic cells. In the underground part between the two temples, a long cavity was found, which can be either an air duct or a secret passage.

The ancient city of Pereslavl-Zalessky, founded in 1152 by Prince Yuri Dolgoruky on the shores of Lake Pleshcheyevo, is known for its monuments of ancient Russian architecture of the 12th-17th centuries. Holy Trinity Danilov Monastery - the youngest of the surviving monasteries, was founded in 1508. Ancient documents, including floor plans, have been lost, so buildings and underground spaces require special study.

The method of muon radiography helped to solve this problem without destroying buildings. Muons are elementary particles of cosmic origin that can penetrate into various objects, as well as into the soil to a depth of 2 km. This feature makes it possible to use them for "remote" study of the structure of natural and industrial objects on a kilometer scale. The essence of the method is as follows. The intensity of the flow of muons coming from space is measured by special sensors. By changing the flux density, one can judge which substances it passes through.

- With the help of 22 sensors installed in the underground space between and below the two temples, we have detected several new objects. In the basement of the Church of the Praise of the Mother of God of the end of the 17th century, unknown voids were found that were not on the plan. And between the church and the Temple of All Saints, a large longitudinal cavity was discovered. In front of the temple itself there is a rectangular room, - said Natalya Polukhina, scientific supervisor of the project.

According to hegumen Panteleimon, rector of the Holy Trinity Danilov Monastery in Pereslavl, most likely the underground cavities that were found outside the temples are burial crypts. "The Danilov Monastery was originally founded on a cemetery, and subsequently many wealthy people wished to be buried here, and they could be buried not just in an earthen grave, but laid out with bricks in an underground room - a crypt. As for the voids inside the walls, the buildings of the monastery underwent many repairs and redevelopments The basement ovens were built and destroyed, the purpose of the technical premises changed, there were big changes during the restoration after the fires," the abbot said.

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