This doctoral disseration examines the legend of the invisible city of Kitezh, its development and the role that it played in Russian culture between the years 1843 and 1940. It was during this period that the original folk legend was discovered by the Russian intelligentsia and transformed into a new myth about Russia. The legend is widely known and is the subject of a large number of publications and scholarly works. However, no research had yet been undertaken that presents a holistic account, which is what this dissertation attempts to do.