The Lake Issyk-Köl (Ysyk-Köl, Issyk-Kul) is the second largest alpine lake in the world after the Lake Titicaca in South America. The name, which means “hot lake”, is something of an exaggeration. A combination of great depth, thermal activity and mild salinity ensures that the lake never freezes, even in the harsh winters of Central Asia, despite being at an altitude of more than 1600 m.
The lake's origins are unknown, but the existence of a city built in the 5th century BC, submerged by flooding caused by an earthquake in the 16th century, has been demonstrated. Underwater expeditions over the years have found coins from that period.
Lake Issyk-Kul is known for the purity of its waters. It has always been considered as Holy water, where locals have never swum because of stories of a monster lurking in its depths. Legend has it that anyone who dared swim was dragged to the bottom.
The remains of a monastery of Armenian priests have been found submerged in the lake, including numerous crosses now displayed in the Hermitage Museum of St. Petersburg. Experts say migrations occurred roughly every two centuries in ancient times, as shown by the discovery of a cemetery near Bishkek where a tomb with Armenian inscriptions was found, suggesting the existence of a religious community with monks and a bishop.
According to legend, the body Matthew the Evangelist who died in Ethiopia, was placed in a rsilver reliquary and, according to religious tradition, the saint’s relics could be shared and distributed worldwide. This is how they are thought to have reached the Armenian monastery at Issyk-Kul. It can only be proved by recovering the reliquary from the lake bed.