In the camp

My photographer friends and I from the “Photokarton” community have been camping by the Tvertsa River for two seasons in a row. More specifically, we’ve been camping on a small clearing between the river and a forest in the Spirov District of the Tver region. We set up camp under the shade of pine trees near a bend in a fast-flowing river and set up everything we needed, like a shower, a makeshift water tank, and a table for a shared lunch. All this became possible thanks to the father of one of our comrades – Ilya, and, of course, Ilya himself. A Ilya’s father brought us drinking water from the spring each time and picked us up and drove us to the campsite. The campsite is not very accessible for people without a car, and the nearest train station is located in the village of Spirovo. Spirovo is the center of the district of the same name (now a municipal district) and is located about 10 kilometers from our camp.

Our camp in the first year – Kodak Ektachrome E100D

Ilya is chopping – Kodak Ektachrome E100D

The Tvertsa River is a tributary of the Volga. In this area, the river takes on an unusual brown or even “tea” color. This hue is a natural phenomenon caused by the river’s flow through forests and marshes. The water gets its color from the high content of humic acids and peat compounds washed out of the soil by tributary streams and rivers. This effect is completely safe for the local ecosystem, and the river’s water is considered quite clean and is home to many species of fish.

In fact, the water is perfectly clean, and many people swim in the river without any problems.

To the village of Babye

Not far from the campsite is the village of Babye. The ruins of an old, beautiful church remain in this village. The village is located on both sides of the Tvertsa River and is connected by a solid reinforced concrete bridge, which, incidentally, leads nowhere except to houses on the other side of the river. The history of the village and its old church goes back centuries.

In Babye – Kodak Ektachrome E100D

The first mention of the church, and consequently the village, dates back to 1583. According to legend, after the Time of Troubles, when Livonian bands invaded the village and slaughtered its entire male population, only women remained – and the village became known as Babye – “Women’s village” / “place of women” – if you translate the toponym literally. The legend is not supported by historical records but such names of villages are often found in Russia and Ukraine and may well indirectly confirm at least the theory of an entirely female population – wars often passed through these lands in ancient times. Babye was previously a large village on the old road from Vydropuzhsk to Spirovo, not far from the Moscow-St. Petersburg road (highway now). The adornment of the old settlement is the partially preserved buildings and a remarkable example of classical architecture of the classical era – the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (1812-1823).

The surviving part of the church brick fence – Kodak Ektachrome E100D

Part of the church has been stabilized to prevent further deterioration, but repairs are not ongoing. The bell tower and most of the structure are in ruins, but it is possible to climb the old brick staircase to the second floor of the former bell tower. Like many churches I’ve encountered in ancient Russian sites, it is located on a hill, offering a beautiful view of the river and the village beyond. Near the church, part of the old stone fence and several tombstones remain.

A bird flew into the preserved part of the church through a dome window and became trapped.

Almost every morning I went for a walk to the village of Babye to watch the morning fog gradually dissipate and the sun illuminate everything around. The locals keep horses, which they sometimes let out to graze freely. One day, the horses showed curiosity towards me: one white horse came up and let me pet its massive head.

Sun glare – Kodak Ektachrome E100D

The morning mist is one of my favorite sights. The mist quickly burns off in the morning sun, and I only had about 30 minutes to enjoy it. Now, as far as I know, the village is almost entirely occupied by summer residents, and it’s probably quite deserted in winter. In the morning I heard only one rooster and met only a couple of goats.

The bottom photos are for comparison on film – Kodak Ektachrome E100D

and also on film:

The absence of people, the mist, and the dew-covered grass created the most magical feeling of this place. It felt as if everything around was ghostly, and that at dawn the village would disappear and reappear only after sunset.

Early misty morning – Kodak Ektachrome E100D