The Lost Library of Ivan the Terrible
A great library of ancient manuscripts is said to lie hidden somewhere beneath Moscow.
What was reported
Legend says that Sophia Palaiologina, a Byzantine princess who married Ivan III of Moscow in 1472, brought a collection of priceless Greek, Latin and Hebrew manuscripts from Constantinople, and that it passed to her grandson, Ivan IV, 'the Terrible'.
The library is said to have been hidden in tunnels beneath the Kremlin. It hasn't been seen since the 16th century.
Explanations offered
There's little firm evidence that it existed in the form described, and some historians think it's a legend. Others think it may have burned in one of Moscow's great fires. Searches beneath the Kremlin, including by archaeologists in the 20th century, have found nothing.
- When
- Lost after the 1500s
- Where
- The Kremlin, Moscow, Russia
- Witnesses
- Rumours and fragmentary records
- Status
- Never found
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.