Wonderful icons and springs: traditions of worship in the history and culture of the peoples of Samara

The article argues that the origins of the veneration of water sources are found both in pagan Russia and among many peoples of the world. In total, there are more than 1,500 springs in the Samara region, of which 55 are revered by believers as saints. Most are consecrated in honor of the miraculous icons of the Most Holy Theotokos and saints revealed. The article argues that the Soviet government fought not only with monasteries and churches, but also with sources revered by the people, since in the absence of churches in the popular mind there was a substitution of images, and instead of closed churches, believers began to pray to the sources.