In 1877–1879, Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin, a famous composer, was a guest in the village of Davydovo, Vladimir district, at the invitation of his best friend and studentAlexander Pavlovich Dianin.
For the last two seasons he lived in the house of M.I. Volodina, because Dianin's house had burned down. A.P. Borodin felt at home here, walking through forests, fields and marshes in a peasant's shirt and high boots. He was fascinated by folk life, old Russian songs and music.

His dialogue with Vakhromeich, a 73-year-old man from the village of Novaya Bykovka, who knew many folk songs, was particularly fruitful. It was from him that Borodin borrowed the musical version of the melody that formed the basis of the Chorus of Villagers' in the fourth act of the Prince Igor on which he was working here. While composing this opera, he made the exciting journey to the ancient cities of Vladimir, where he was able to gain a deeper understanding of the ancient times from the surviving monuments.

He was a frequent visitor to Vladimir, Bogolyubovo, and Suzdal, where he wrote, rewrote, and revised certain choruses and arias, as well as the opera's script and libretto. He had a real talent for writing, which enabled him to write the texts of arias and choruses with great success.