The Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow is known no less than the Kremlin, it is the burial place of the dead. The land area of seven and a half hectares is the whole history of the Russian people.
History of occurrence
The Novodevichy cemetery appeared next to the monastery of the same name in 1898, which is located on the peninsula in Luzhniki. The monastery was founded by Prince Vasily III and dedicated to the liberation of Smolensk from the Lithuanian invasion.
There are several versions of the origin of the name of the monastery. According to one of them, it came from the field on which it is located. Once upon a time, the Tatars selected Russian girls for themselves. Another version connects the name of the monastery with its first nun, Elena Devochkina.
One way or another, this place has a rich history: the monastery burned down more than once, wandered from hand to hand, was used as a laundry, a gym, a kindergarten.
Next to the monastery was founded a cemetery for the repose of the nuns. One of the first to be buried here was the author of the Novodevichy Convent - N. E. Efimov.
There were few burials in this place for a long period. However, over time, Novodevichy Cemetery became one of the most expensive and elite burial places. The graves of celebrities of the state and cultural-historical levels are located there at every turn.
Who was buried at the Novodevichy Cemetery?
People from higher circles found their last refuge under the Novodevichy Convent. These were statesmen - military leaders and ministers, painters and sculptors, poets and writers, academicians and scientists. The personalities buried at the Novodevichy Cemetery are known to many. These are (poetess), V. Bryusov (playwright), A. Chekhov and N. Chukovsky (writers), artists and sculptors A. Bubnov, N. Zhukov, V. Svarog, V. Shestakov. There are many relatives of famous politicians here - the wives of Stalin, Brezhnev, Gorbachev, Dzerzhinsky.
There were no cheap, let alone free, places at the Novodevichy Cemetery. It was and remains one of the richest and most comfortable burial places. In this regard, the graves were repeatedly abused and vandalized. After the revolution, in 1917-1920, most of the tombstones, crosses, sculptures and fences were destroyed or taken out.
History of Russia in burials
After the October Revolution, it was decided to make the Novodevichy Cemetery a burial place for "persons with social status." In 1930, the graves of N. V. Gogol, D. V. Venevitinov, S. T. Aksakov, I. I. Levitan, M. N. Ermolova and other public figures were transferred to the Novodevichy Cemetery. Celebrity graves take center stage here.
Geographically, the churchyard consists of three parts: the old cemetery (1-4th sections), the new (5-8th) and the newest cemetery (9-11th). It has expanded three times in its history. About 26,000 people rest in the necropolis.
Many historical figures are buried in the old site. Among them are M. Bulgakov and his wife, A. N. Tolstoy, V. V. Mayakovsky, I. A. Ilf, S. Ya. Marshak, V. M. Shukshin, V. I. Vernadsky, P. P. Kashchenko, A. I. Abrikosov, I. M. Sechenov, L. M. Kaganovich, V. M. Molotov, V. S. Chernomyrdin, N. S. Alliluyeva (Stalin's second wife) and many others.
The "new" territory of the cemetery is a columbarium for urns with ashes, which has about 7,000 urns. There is the ashes of the writers A. Tvardovsky and S. Mikhalkov, the aircraft designer A. N. Tupolev, the grave of the great actor of all times and peoples - Yuri Nikulin. Politicians B. Yeltsin and N. Khrushchev rest in these places.
The “newest” site is the burials of Russian cultural figures, among them - E. Leonov, L. Gurchenko, M. Ulyanov, N. Kryuchkov, S. Bondarchuk, A. Schnittke and hundreds of other people.
Novodevichy Cemetery - tourism direction
Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow is one of the ten most beautiful and unique burial places in the world. It is a cultural and memorial property of Russia, and is also included in the UNESCO heritage list.
It is not surprising that this burial place is on the list of many travel companies in Moscow. Indeed, in addition to the graves of celebrities, the Novodevichy cemetery is filled with the works of famous sculptors and architects. The tombstones of the Novodevichy cemetery were made by such creators as M. Anikushin, E. Vuchetich, S. Konenkov, V. Mukhina, N. Tomsky, G. Schultz. The works are made in the new Russian style, neoclassicism and modernism were also used.
Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow: secrets and mysticism
The land of the Novodevichy cemetery has absorbed a lot of human tears and grief throughout its history. And let it sound paradoxical, but for many women the churchyard gave healing and hope. Perhaps this is because its fate, like the fate of the monastery, was largely determined by the feminine principle. Many female individuals are buried here, who during their lifetime were deeply unhappy. They loved and suffered, believed and hoped, but did not find happiness. Now the "sufferers" are in a better world, and their energy is able to heal and heal. She helps to find female happiness - to meet her destiny, to get married, to give birth to a long-awaited child ...
More than one eyewitness claims that strange silhouettes and shadows were seen while walking around the burial sites. Perhaps this is Abbot Devochkin, who has been guarding these lands for centuries. Maybe it's Stalin mourning at his wife's grave. Or maybe Gogol is looking for those who desecrated his grave? Rumor has it that when the writer was reburied, his body lay on its side and without a head. According to one version, the head was stolen by an unknown collector.
The most visited monument at the Novodevichy Cemetery
Many famous people rest at the Novodevichy Cemetery. However, not all tourists are attracted by such gloomy places. This graveyard is an exception. There are hundreds of those wishing to visit the burial places of great cultural and political figures.
The Vagankovsky cemetery is probably the most famous necropolis of our time. The history of this place began almost three hundred years ago and continues to this day. It is unlikely that one day it will be possible to establish an exact list of everyone who is buried at the Vagankovsky cemetery for at least the last hundred years, not to mention its entire long history. The list of the deceased, who found their last shelter here, according to the most conservative estimates, should have numbered about half a million names. However, many burials remain unnamed.
and the foundation of the cemetery
One of the last outbreaks of plague in Russia in 1770-1772 was marked not only by the mass death of the population, but also by significant popular unrest in Moscow and its environs. The unrest was suppressed, however, by decree of Empress Catherine II, the deceased citizens were forbidden to bury within the city.
The preventive sanitary measure had an effect, the disease receded, and a necropolis grew up near Moscow in the village of Novoe Vagankovo, where ordinary Muscovites were buried.
Who is buried at the Vagankovsky cemetery? Of course, no one kept a list of burials in those distant times. In the 18-19 centuries, the last refuge of those who died from epidemics, soldiers who fell in the Battle of Borodino, died on the Khodynka field and many other victims of wars and historical tragedies found their last refuge there.
The Great Patriotic War added to the Vagankovsky cemetery of mass graves and monuments to the defenders of the city.
Do they remember everyone? Who is buried at the Vagankovsky cemetery from celebrities
Today, we associate the largest with the graves of all our beloved actors, cultural and art figures, politicians - our contemporaries. Meanwhile, many people forget that, in fact, this place became a necropolis of celebrities more than a hundred years ago. If at the very beginning of its history, the Vagankovskoye cemetery could only boast of nameless mass graves and modest graves of ordinary people, then after half a century it turned into the resting place of the greatest people of its era.
Among those buried at the Vagankovsky cemetery are the most famous families of the 19th century. These are politicians, military men, cultural figures, writers and artists. Next to the magnificent graves of famous historical figures, there are modest burials of now almost forgotten people, whose names are known only to specialists.
Memory of the Decembrist uprising
The list of those buried at the Vagankovsky cemetery can be started with the names of the Decembrists. Currently, only seven of their graves have been preserved. In one fence there are tombstones of Alexander Filippovich Frolov and Pavel Sergeevich Bobrischev-Pushkin, next to them is a pink marble stele of Ivan Nikolayevich Khotyaintsev.
The grave of Mikhail Alexandrovich Bestuzhev is located on the main alley. His daughters and sister Elena are also buried here. A great woman, whose name is undeservedly forgotten by descendants. It was she who preserved the most valuable archival artifact for history - the famous Bestuzhev gallery of portraits of the Decembrists, taking it out of Siberia after the death of her brother.
A black granite monument crowns the grave of the Decembrist Alexander Petrovich Belyaev, and the grave of Nikolai Aleksandrovich Zagoretsky is also nearby.
Friends of A. S. Pushkin
Few people remember where the burial place of the greatest poet is. No, of course, he does not rest at the Vagankovsky cemetery. The grave of the classic of Russian literature is located in the Svyatogorsky Monastery, in the Pskov region. Nevertheless, of those of his contemporaries who are buried at the Vagankovsky cemetery, many were closely associated with A. S. Pushkin and his family.
So, near the church ensemble are the graves of close friends of the poet: Count Fyodor Ivanovich Tolstoy and the famous theater figure and composer Alexei Nikolaevich Verestovsky.
brush masters
Famous people buried at the Vagankovsky cemetery, not always, having ended their lives, came to this place in glory and honor. Especially if it was about creative people who gave all their strength to art and thought little about worldly affairs.
The host of outstanding artists, painters and graphic artists who are buried at the Vagankovsky cemetery is impressive. Vasily Andreyevich Tropinin, a great painter of the Romantic era and the founder of a realistic portrait in Russian painting, is buried in a modest grave. He left more than three thousand portraits of his contemporaries, and it is to his talent and skill of the brush that Russian art owes the development of realism and the appearance of the portrait-type.
V. A. Tropinin was the first famous artist buried at the Vagankovsky cemetery. Following him, this Moscow necropolis became the last refuge for such masters of the brush as Vasily Ivanovich Surikov, Vasily Vladimirovich Pukirev, Nikolai Alexandrovich Klodt, Aristarkh Vasilyevich Lentulov and many others. The Wanderers and avant-garde artists, illustrators, decorators, graphic artists and painters who worked in the 19th and 20th centuries rest here.
The people buried at the Vagankovsky cemetery and who left an indelible mark on history are today mostly forgotten by their contemporaries. Many graves are dilapidated, some do not even have commemorative plaques. Nevertheless, they are gradually returning the names.
The grave of the author of "Rooks ..."
At the Vagankovsky cemetery there is the grave of the creator of a cult, or, as they say, "archetypal" work of Russian painting. The famous work "The Rooks Have Arrived" is still known from school. However, few people know the tragic fate of its creator.
Alexei Kondratievich Savrasov is one of the founders of the Association of Traveling Exhibitions, a brilliant painter and teacher. Alas, he spent the last years of his life in poverty. Personal tragedies that the artist could not cope with, alcoholism and constant need led to the fact that he was completely alone, forgotten and sick. He died in a Moscow hospital for the poor.
Initially, his grave was crowned with the cheapest wooden cross and a modest inscription on it read: “Academician Alexei Kondratievich Savrasov. Born May 12, 1830, died September 26, 1897. The boards on the cross rotted and collapsed, in the end it disappeared, and the burial place of the great painter was abandoned and forgotten for many years.
However, the words of Isaac Levitan about Savrasov turned out to be prophetic: “One of the most profound Russian artists has died ... Since Savrasov appeared lyrics in landscape painting and boundless love for his native land ... and this undoubted merit in the field of Russian art has never been will be forgotten."
Today, his grave at the Vagankovsky cemetery is decorated with a granite obelisk with a laconic inscription: "Outstanding Russian artist Alexei Kondratievich Savrasov, 1830-1897."
The last journey of the servants of Melpomene
The list of celebrities buried at the Vagankovsky cemetery is impressive. Paradoxically, the necropolis, which appeared as a result of the greatest tragedies in the history of the state, has become a favorite burial place for theater and film actors, directors, musicians and composers.
According to legend, the tradition of burying people of acting professions here came from one of the Moscow mayors, by whose decree it was instructed to bury acting people on Vagankovsky. Perhaps because this cemetery was the largest and it was quick and convenient to get to it, which reduced the cost of funerals, which often took place at public expense. However, there is another mystical coincidence: it was on the site of the future necropolis that jesters and buffoons settled in the 17th century.
Today, the number of beloved actors, musicians and singers resting here is difficult to pin down. The actors buried at the Vagankovsky cemetery were the idols of their time, and the glory of many has not been forgotten to this day.
At the entrance stands a snow-white iceberg-monument in the style of constructivism on the grave of Alexander Abdulov. The original monument-memorial in the form of film frames reminds of everyone's favorite Mikhail Pugovkin. Not far away is the grave of “the best Watson in the world” Vitaly Solomin. Actors Andrei Mironov, Oleg Dal, Leonid Filatov, directors and playwright, playwright and satirist Grigory Gorin. Do not count all those who are buried at the Vagankovsky cemetery from celebrities who have enriched domestic and world culture. Below is a list (far from complete, of course, of celebrities not mentioned in the text):
- - writer.
- Alov Alexander - director.
- Yuri Bogatyrev is an actor.
- Braginsky Emil - playwright.
- Burkov George - actor.
- Balter Alla is an actress.
- Vitsin George is an actor.
- Voroshilov Vladimir - presenter.
- Spiridonov Vadim - actor.
- Garin Erast is an actor.
- Glebov Peter - actor.
- Gluzsky Mikhail - actor.
- Dvorzhetsky Evgeny is an actor.
- Kaverin Veniamin is a writer.
- Mikhail Kononov is an actor.
- Marina Levtova is an actress.
- Liepa Maris - dancer.
- Listyev Vlad - journalist.
- Migulya Vladimir - composer.
- Rozov Victor - playwright.
- Rostotsky Andrey - actor.
- Sazonova Nina - actress.
- Samoilov Vladimir - actor.
- - actor.
- Streltsov Eduard - athlete.
- Tanich Mikhail is a poet.
- Tulikov Serafim - composer.
- Fedorova Zoya - actress.
- Kharitonov Leonid - actor.
- Chekan Stanislav is an actor.
- Chukhrai Grigory - film director.
- Yumatov Georgy - actor.
- Yashin Lev is an athlete.
Two graves of one genius
There is also a monument to Vsevolod Meyerhold. Tragic, like the life of the director himself, is the fate of his grave. For a long time, the circumstances and place of Meyerhold's death were kept secret. Only in 1987 did his real burial place in the cemetery near the Donskoy Monastery become known. A black stone stele with the name of Meyerhold was installed on the grave of his tragically deceased wife Zinaida Reich 20 years before the discovery of the real burial place of the theater director reformer.
"Faithful Galya"
Poet Sergei Yesenin is buried at the Vagankovsky cemetery. The rebellious life and tragic death of the young genius of poetry attracted the attention of admirers and admirers to his resting place. Alas, the grave of Sergei Yesenin is notorious. Neither the bust, carved in a block of white marble, nor the granite plinth, immersed in flowers, can erase the sad facts of the history of this burial. One of the cemetery legends says that at night the ghost of a young woman appears near the grave.
“I committed suicide here, although I know that after that even more dogs will hang on Yesenin. But he and I don't care. In this grave for me all the most precious ... ".
Perhaps this legend was based on the sad fate of his friend and assistant. A year after the death of the poet, she shot herself at his grave, leaving the famous suicide note. She rests here, next to her idol. The first inscription on a modest grave: "Faithful Galya" very accurately reflected the essence of her feelings for Yesenin and their difficult, drama-filled relationship. However, now the snow-white slab is decorated with long lines from the poet’s letter to her: “Galya, dear! I repeat to you that you are very, very dear to me. Yes, and you yourself know that without your participation in my fate there would be a lot of deplorable things.
A series of suicides that followed after that at the grave of the "Moscow reveler" enveloped the place with an ominous veil of fatalism and misfortune. In total, 12 people committed suicide here - all women.
Idols of millions
What celebrities are buried at the Vagankovsky cemetery and what stories and legends envelop their death and resting place, it is difficult to count. The grave of Vladimir Semyonovich Vysotsky was no exception. A slightly pretentious monument depicts everyone's favorite singer and artist, expressive, eager as he was during his lifetime. On the one hand - a portrait, on the other - a monument-allegory, the leitmotif of which was the lines of the artist's prophetic song "Fussy Horses". Pathetic, strange monument. Eyewitnesses to Vysotsky's funeral claimed that his widow Marina Vladi sobbed when she saw the tombstone, calling it an ugly example of socialist realism.
Vysotsky was not supposed to find his last resting place on the main alley. The authorities assigned him a place in the far corner. However, fate intervened in the person of the director of the Vagankovsky cemetery, a great admirer of the work of Vladimir Semyonovich. It was he who allocated an empty place for the funeral at the very entrance, where the singer rests to this day.
The gravestone of another great bard is distinguished by modesty and conciseness. Bulat Okudzhava is also buried at the Vagankovsky cemetery. A tombstone in the form of a large boulder with an intricately executed inscription - the name of the singer and composer. This tombstone can rightly be considered a magnificent example of artistic minimalism.
One of the few graves, to this day littered with flowers, belongs to Igor Talkov. Another idol of millions who tragically died at a young age. And his death is shrouded in secrets, rumors and legends, like many of his predecessors who were buried at the Vagankovsky cemetery. The photo of the singer in a frame with a wooden carved pediment, reminiscent of a Russian hut, is almost always framed with garlands of carnations and roses. The tombstone itself is decorated in the neo-pagan Slavic style. A huge bronze cross rises on a black pedestal, the surface of which is decorated with Cyrillic script, and at the base of the pedestal, the famous lines “And defeated in battle, I will rise and sing ...” are inscribed with gilding.
At the grave of Igor Talkov, as well as at the grave of Sergei Yesenin, there were some suicide attempts. Fortunately, in this case, suicide was prevented and the restless female fans were saved.
Who are they, the saints buried at the Vagankovsky cemetery?
There are special graves on this huge necropolis. Near them is always crowded, they come here from afar with prayers and requests for help. One of these graves belongs to Father Valentine. Although officially he was never canonized, people sincerely believe in his intercession and consider the grave miraculous.
Father Valentin during his lifetime was known for his good disposition, open generous heart. The poor and orphans, widows and the homeless turned to him for help. The clergyman took a sincere part in the fate of all those who sought his protection and support.
It is noteworthy that the exact burial place of Father Valentine is unknown. The priest died in 1908, and in the turbulent 20s they wanted to destroy his grave in order to stop the pilgrimage. In 1941, when they dug up the supposed burial site, no remains were found. It is believed that, fulfilling the will of Father Valentine, he was buried two meters deeper than it was customary to bury the dead.
Today, at the alleged resting place of the holy father, there are two crosses at once, literally a meter apart. White, stone, installed by the great-granddaughter of the clergyman, the second, wooden, erected by pilgrims. From somewhere there was a belief that it was here, away from the official grave, that the ashes of Father Valentine rested. Both crosses have flowers, candles, and there is always a line of people praying for help and thanking for intercession.
In the last series, we took a tour of Pere Lachaise cemetery. In this part, I propose to look at the graves of some famous people who have found peace on its territory.
monument of the dead (monument aux morts), next to which he was buried Adolphe Thiers (Adolphe Thiers), a multiple prime minister of France, as well as the country's president from 1871 to 1873.
Monument Alfred de Musset (Alfred de Musset), a French poet and playwright who wrote "Lorenzaccio", "Caprice", "No joking with love." His epitaph reads:
My friends! When I die
Grow a willow above me;
I love her sad look
With drooping, pale foliage;
And, quietly slumbering over the grave,
With its thin shadow
She will not burden that land,
Where eternal peace awaits me.
(translated by S. A. Andreevsky)
Monument to one of the "bison" of French literature - Honore de Balzac (Honore de Balzac), known for such works as "Shagreen Skin", "Father Goriot", "Colonel Chabert", "Eugenia Grande" ...
The spine of The Human Comedy, a multi-volume work that brought together many of Balzac's novels and short stories, with the aim of compiling a picture of the mores of the French people.
French painter's sarcophagus Eugene Delacroix (Eugene Delacroix). His most famous paintings are "Liberty Leading the People", "Death of Sardanapalus", "Massacre on Chios". By the way, Balzac is still visible in the background.
tombstone Marcel Proust (Marcel Proust), one of the most significant French writers of the 20th century. His main work - the cycle of novels "In Search of Lost Time", is distinguished by its incredible size. In addition, long and ornate phrases are sometimes called "Proustian" in France, since the writer was very fond of using them and always successfully brought them to the end, without losing the thread of the story at all, although the reader from time to time simply had to stop halfway to find at least some sense in the literary wilds, and sometimes returned to the beginning of the paragraph, mentally cursing the author, who ... In general, I think you understand.
grave Guillaume Apollinaire (Guillaume Apollinaire), a French poet of Polish origin, who worked in the style of avant-garde and surrealism. At the front, he was wounded in the head, and two years later he died from the Spanish flu epidemic.
The grave of a film actor and pop singer willow montana (Yves Montand) and his wife Simone Signoret. During the filming of his latest film, "IP-5", Montand took a dip in a cold lake and suffered a heart attack. He was 70 years old. Surprisingly, the character he played in the film was supposed to die of a heart attack according to the script. Just like Moliere, who felt ill at the performance of "The Imaginary Sick" and subsequently died.
Speaking of Molière. The most famous French playwright (Molière) is also buried in Pere Lachaise. His real name is Jean Baptiste Poquelin ( Jean Baptiste Poquelin). Molière is the creator of the classic comedy: "Tartuffe", "The Miser", "The Misanthrope", etc.
Molière's neighbor in the cemetery is Jean de La Fontaine (Jean de La Fontaine), a famous fabulist, a contemporary of Molière. Ivan Andreevich Krylov began his journey as a fabulist with translations of La Fontaine's fables.
Some celebrity graves can be easily found if you navigate by crowds. So it was with the grave Edith Piaf.
The famous French singer was born in Paris, her real name is Edith Giovanna Gassion ( Edith Giovanna Gassion). Probably the whole world knows the songs of Edith Piaf - "My Lord", "Hymn of Love", "No, I do not regret anything", "Life in Pink", etc.
Edith Piaf's neighbor in the cemetery, Henri Salvador (Henri Salvador) is a singer from French Guiana. For 70 years of his career, Henri performed a huge number of songs well known to several generations. He died quite recently, in 2008, and appeared on stage until his death.
Let's digress for a moment from celebrities to take a look at the Russian presence at the Père Lachaise cemetery. The Cyrillic alphabet is found in some places: for example, on a monument in honor of the joint efforts of Russian and French partisans in World War II.
Traces of Russian immigrants can be found in the columbarium.
Ashes of a Russian princess in one of the columbarium niches. The plate looks old, although the dates are quite modern.
After this short pause, let's return to the two main celebrities of Père Lachaise. The first of them - Jim Morrison (Jim Morrison), vocalist and leader of the group The Doors. This legendary frontman died in Paris in 1971, either from a drug overdose or something else. One way or another, the grave has become a place of pilgrimage for many of Jim's fans. His epitaph reads: "He was faithful to his demons."
The grave is located rather inconveniently - in the photo it is in the depths, in front of a man with a camera. You can only approach on the right or left. Apparently, the cemetery workers did not expect such popularity of Morrison.
The second celebrity of the cemetery - Oscar Wilde (Oscar Wilde), Irish writer and founder of aestheticism. In my Georgian Dublin, after visiting the place where Wilde was born, I promised that I would visit his grave. This led me to the Père Lachaise cemetery.
To be honest, I didn’t particularly like the monument, but judging by the numerous kiss marks, I was left in the minority. Initially, Wilde was buried in the Bagno cemetery (cimetière de Bagneux) near Paris, but 10 years later he was reburied at Pere Lachaise.
Women consider it their duty to leave an imprint of lips on a pink stone.
Men are limited to inscriptions. "You are one of the few reasons why I am proud of my Irish heritage."
"Life imitates art much more than art imitates life."
That's it for this time!
Père Lachaise Cemetery:
Part two. Celebrity graves.
Celebrity graves at the Novodevichy Cemetery - the most famous and prestigious necropolis in Moscow - are included in the list of "must see" sightseeing and tourist routes in the capital of Russia. The churchyard was founded at the end of the 19th century near the southern wall of the Novodevichy Convent. Subsequently, the burial places of prominent compatriots, major politicians, scientists, and people of art were located here.
Yeltsin's grave and statesmen at the Novodevichy Cemetery
Boris Yeltsin, the First President of the Russian Federation, is buried in plot 6 of the Novodevichy cemetery (central alley). A Russian tricolor of red porphyry, sky-blue Byzantine mosaics and white marble spread out in monumental folds on a wide tombstone.
The grave of Alexandra Kollontai, a Russian revolutionary of noble origin, is decorated with her sculptural image. Kollontai became the first woman minister in the world, then the plenipotentiary representative of the USSR in Mexico, Norway, Sweden, and in 1944-1945. - Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the USSR to the Kingdom of Sweden.
Tombstone of the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR in 1958-1964. Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev confirms the unspoken rule that disgraced statesmen were not buried near the Kremlin wall. The difficult political fate of the Soviet leader is symbolically reflected in the tombstone made by Ernst Neizvestny, commissioned by Khrushchev's son. Simple, sculpted with the maximum portrait resemblance, the face of the First Secretary is surrounded, like an angular spacesuit, by a white and black vertical composition - faith in a bright communist future and the dark legacy of mass repression.
Andrei Gromyko, the foreign minister, Mr. No to Soviet foreign policy, was the last to be buried at the Kremlin wall. Nevertheless, the grave was placed at the Novodevichy cemetery at the will of Gromyko himself and at the request of his relatives.
The monumental monument to General Alexander Lebed, governor of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, who died in a plane crash, depicts the commander sitting, in full dress with a full set of orders.
Viktor Chernomyrdin, Chairman of the Council of Ministers - the Government of the Russian Federation in 1992-1998, rests in a paired family grave, decorated with monuments in the traditional Russian style, carved in black marble.
The gravestone of Yevgeny Primakov, intelligence officer and diplomat, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, was a massive monolith of gray granite and a light stone scroll with the text of a poem written by this outstanding politician: “I firmly decided everything: to be in a team to the end, until I won't breathe until I fall. And if it becomes unbearably hard, then I won’t leave the road either.”
Famous scientists at the Novodevichy cemetery
Powerful thinkers, founders of scientific directions and schools, who lived extremely fruitfully, are buried in the Novodevichy necropolis.
The snow-white marble monument, covered with a transparent protective case, marks the burial place of the Russian cosmic scientist, an outstanding mineralogist Vladimir Vernadsky, who first introduced the terms "biosphere" and "noosphere". At the base of the monument is a quote: "We live in a wonderful time when man becomes a geological force that changes the face of our planet."
The tombstone of the brilliant theoretical physicist, Nobel Prize winner Lev Landau was made by Ernst Neizvestny. A block of dark granite with a pectoral sculptural portrait of a scientist rests on a metal column formed by three concave sections.
The grave of geologist and geographer Vladimir Obruchev is marked by a gray granite monolith with a sculptural portrait and a symbolic image of a geological hammer crossed by a writer's pen. Obruchev perfectly mastered the art of effective time management, successfully combining intensive scientific work with the creation of science fiction works, including such voluminous ones as "Plutonia" and "Sannikov Land".
Famous composers at the Novodevichy Cemetery
The names of the composers buried at the Novodevichy Cemetery entered the history of music as significant phenomena.
The black marble stele with the dates of Sergei Prokofiev's life marks the burial place of the world famous author of instrumental concertos, symphonies, seven operas and eleven ballets.
No less concise is the tombstone of Dmitri Shostakovich, one of the most performed composers in the world. His numerous works had a significant impact on the development of the musical culture of mankind.
The restless grave of Gogol. Burials of writers at Novodevichy
The great classic Nikolai Gogol was buried at the Danilovsky cemetery. In 1931, during the liquidation of this monastery churchyard in the midst of the struggle against religion, the ashes of the writer were transferred to the Novodevichy cemetery. In 1952, instead of the old cross with a stone foot, a sculptural monument with the inscription "To the Great Russian Artist of the Word from the Government of the Soviet Union" was erected over the new grave. In 2009, the tombstone again acquired its former appearance: only a stone and only a cross.
A special black stone with a bumpy surface, located on the original grave of Gogol, reminiscent of Golgotha - the place of the crucifixion of Christ, was installed as a tombstone over the burial place of another master of the word - Mikhail Bulgakov.
The Novodevichy Cemetery as a whole has become a real pantheon of writers and poets. Here, under a white stele in the new Russian style, lies Anton Chekhov. The urn with the ashes of the frantic futurist, proletarian poet Vladimir Mayakovsky is buried under a massive slab of dark gray granite. Above the grave of the creator of new words, "Chairman of the Globe" Velimir Khlebnikov laid an ancient statue from the Kyrgyz steppes. The tombstone of the intellectual symbolist Valery Bryusov, who sought inspiration at the intersection of science and poetry, adorns an accurate, stylistically consistent profile portrait of the poet. The medallion with a bas-relief profile of Alexei Tolstoy, favored by the Soviet authorities, is accompanied by sculptural images of the characters of his most monumental works - the novels "Peter the Great" and "Walking Through the Torments". The monument to Alexander Fadeev is complemented by Krasnodon heroes from the Young Guard. There are no sculptures or portraits on the grave of the remarkable poet Andrei Voznesensky. The tombstone, made according to his own design, is an inclined polished plane of dark granite. It is as if a large stone ball is about to roll down it, which keeps only a small bronze crucifix from swift movement down the slope.
Steel arms-wings, fiery motor of the heart - creators and heroes
Bas-relief and sculptural portraits mark the burial places of prominent aircraft designers - Pavel Sukhoi (Su fighters), Andrei Tupolev (Tu aircraft), Semyon Lavochkin (LaGG and La fighters), Alexander Yakovlev (Yak fighters).
Polar pilot Anatoly Lyapidevsky, the first to receive the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, and Air Marshal, three times Hero of the Soviet Union Alexander Pokryshkin, an ace fighter, one of the most productive pilots of the Great Patriotic War, are buried at Novodevichy.
Space. Earth. Ocean
Above the grave of cosmonaut No. 2 German Titov, his sculptural portrait with an eagle is installed. "Eagle" was Titov's call sign in radio communications with the Earth. Pilot-cosmonaut, test pilot Georgy Beregovoy, who piloted the Soyuz-3 spacecraft, buried at Novodevichy, received his first title of Hero of the Soviet Union during the Great Patriotic War.
The space theme is displayed on the exclusive tombstone of Yuri Senkevich, who for 30 years was the permanent TV presenter of the Film Travel Club. Senkevich was engaged in medical training of space and high-latitude expeditions, took part in ocean voyages on papyrus boats "Ra" and "Tigris" at the invitation of Thor Heyerdahl. On the tombstone, these journeys are represented by a sculptural wave with a reed ship under direct sail.
Act four, last and eternal
Life, like a play in three acts - presentation, twists and turns and denouement - for the people of the stage can have a fourth action, which continues in the memory of followers and admirers.
The author of the acting technique of genuine emotions, which has been followed for a hundred years, Konstantin Stanislavsky rests at the Novodevichy cemetery under a red granite slab. On it is a white vertical stele-curtain with the emblem of the Moscow Art Theater - a seagull, topped with a large Orthodox cross.
On the grave of a direct follower of Stanislavsky, Yevgeny Vakhtangov, a bronze figure of a woman is installed, whose sadly bowed face is hidden by a cape.
The burial place of the great Maria Yermolova is marked by a vase made of dark polished granite with a flowing drapery. A bas-relief profile of the actress is placed on a dark pedestal.
The bas-relief profile of the actor of unique talent, Innokenty Smoktunovsky, is depicted in a round medallion on a gray grave boulder. The bronze sculpture by Vyacheslav Tikhonov reproduces the image of an actor in the role of a scout Stirlitz. On the grave of Oleg Efremov there is a white marble rounded stele with a bas-relief Orthodox cross. The monument to Lyudmila Gurchenko combines black polished granite and snow-white marble with a full-length sculptural image of the actress. Yuri Yakovlev's grave is overshadowed by a white marble eight-pointed cross, decorated in the style of Chekhov's tombstone. The great comedian Yuri Nikulin is forever imprinted in bronze, sitting on a low curb-pedestal.
There are many memorable places at the Novodevichy Cemetery that allow you to remember the great voices of Russia - Chaliapin, Zykin, Yuri Levitan, a whole galaxy of artists, outstanding chess players, film directors, doctors, teachers, architects. This necropolis with twenty-five thousand graves is a real encyclopedia of Russian celebrities.
Novodevichy cemetery. Celebrity Lists
- Alexander Vertinsky
- Ludmila Zykina
- Elena Obraztsova
- Galina Vishnevskaya
- Claudia Shulzhenko
- Fyodor Chaliapin
- Leonid Utyosov
- Yuri Levitan
World Chess Champions
- Vasily Smyslov
- Mikhail Botvinnik
A galaxy of artists and famous patrons
- Valentin Serov
- Witold Byalynitsky-Birulya
- Isaac Levitan
- Mikhail Nesterov
- Tretyakov brothers
actors
- Arkady Raikin
- Yury Nikulin
Film directors
- Sershgei Eisenstein
- Sergei Bondarchuk
- Eldar Ryazanov
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The Vagankovskoye cemetery is one of the largest and most famous necropolises in Moscow. This memorial complex covers an area of 50 hectares of land. Its location is the northwestern part of the capital.
The Vagankovo cemetery in Moscow has become one of the monuments of history and culture.
Necropolis - the last refuge
In the capital of our country there are three cemeteries where it is customary to bury folk idols: Novodevichy, Vagankovskoye, and Kuntsevo cemetery.
The first is the most prestigious, people who officially made history are buried here. The Vagankovskoye cemetery is a kind of alternative, those who “did not reach” Novodevichy for some reason are buried here, mostly public figures, surrounded by people's love, rumor and glory. Surprisingly, the word "vagant" is translated as "wandering artists", thus, the necropolis seems to tell in advance about the kind of activity of those who found their last shelter here.
History of occurrence
The Vagankovo cemetery was founded in 1771 by order of Count Grigory Orlov. Catherine II personally sent him to Moscow to prevent the consequences of the plague.
The formation of a new burial place was a necessary measure due to the many deaths from a terrible disease. Land in the old cemeteries was sorely lacking.
Over the next years (until the middle of the 19th century) this place was the last refuge of peasants, petty officials, ordinary residents of Moscow.
The Vagankovskoye cemetery in Moscow gained its popularity after the burial of the dead soldiers of the Russian army in 1812 in the battle of Borodino. After that, the graves of people who wrote their names in history began to appear here: politicians, writers, poets, scientists, military personnel, actors and others.
By the end of the 20th century, the Vagankovo churchyards had become well-known and prestigious places for burial.
Today, there are no places for new graves in the necropolis, however, related burials and burials of urns are allowed (in closed, open columbariums and in the ground).
Sightseeing tours are held here once a week. People visiting the Vagankovskoye cemetery take photos here quite often, taking pictures of the graves of idols.
Temple
At the entrance to the territory of the necropolis there is a complex of buildings: on the one hand, the church, on the other - administrative premises.
In 1772 a small wooden church named after John the Merciful was erected. Instead, in 1824, a stone Church of the Resurrection of the Word was built; A. Grigoriev became its architect. Funds for the construction were provided by Moscow merchants. Historical bells have been preserved in the Temple to this day.
In memory of the old church, a rotunda chapel was built, which is still there today.
The doors of the Temple were always open, even in Soviet times.
Mass graves at the Vagankovsky cemetery
The tragic moments of our history can be traced through local burials.
Here are the mass graves of the soldiers of the battle of Borodino, the burials of those who died during the stampede on the Khodynka field.
On the territory of the famous necropolis are:
- a memorial dedicated to the victims of Stalin's repressions;
- the mass grave of the defenders of Moscow who died in 1941-1942;
- monuments to those who died during the 1991 coup, the defenders of the White House and child actors who were victims of a terrorist attack in 2002 during the musical Nord-Ost.
Vagankovsky cemetery: graves of celebrities (photo)
Not all people come to the Moscow necropolis to visit the burials of their deceased relatives. Most visitors are looking for the burial places of famous people, for whom the Vagankovskoye cemetery has become the last refuge.
Photos of celebrities, forever immortalized in stone, have always attracted the eye. For some, this is comparable to going to a historical museum. On the territory of the Moscow necropolis there is a map that will help you navigate the terrain.
One of the most popular graves is the grave of Archpriest Valentin Amfiteatrov. It is considered miraculous, many pilgrims come here every day and pray at the cross on the grave. In the 20th century, they tried to destroy it twice, the first time they could not find it, the second time no remains were found.
Thus, the Vagankovsky cemetery keeps its “quiet residents”. Not everyone dares to take a photo of this grave, fearing to disturb the rest of the archpriest.
The starting point for visiting the most famous burials is the columbarium. Already from the entrance, along the alley, there are burials of athletes, actors, musicians, and poets in chains.
Following the directions of the map, you can easily find the most visited graves - the poet Sergei Yesenin, the poet and actor Vladimir Vysotsky. Many legends about them are kept by the Vagankovsky cemetery.
At the burial site of Yesenin, according to rumors, they see the ghost of a girl. A year after his death, G. Benislavskaya committed suicide at the poet's grave. In total, 12 people said goodbye to their lives here.
Vladimir Vysotsky rests in someone else's grave. Contrary to the order of the authorities to bury the poet and actor in the far corner, the director of the Vagankovsky cemetery gave other instructions, allocating a place at the entrance. Earlier, relatives of one of the deceased removed the remains from the artist's burial place for reburial, after which the grave was vacated. There is an opinion that those who visited his monument are inspired in creativity.
The Vagankovskoye cemetery stores the graves of celebrities and famous artists such as A. K. Savrasov, V. A. Tropinin, V. I. Surikov.
Tombstones of folk idols of the late 20th and early 21st century
Many monuments amaze with their architectural design. You can see the majestic statues of the deceased themselves in full growth, such as, for example, by Leonid Filatov.
For others, the tombstones are made in the Slavic style, for example, for Igor Talkov - a large cross was built in memory of him, and his photo is located in the headboard under a wooden canopy. This is one of the few graves with fresh flowers all year round.
Guides say that one girl wanted to bury herself alive next to a famous singer on her own, but she was not completely covered with earth, and the young woman was saved.
Many similar stories are kept by the Vagankovsky cemetery. The graves of celebrities, photos of which are presented in this article, like magnets attract living people.
You can always meet someone at the graves of Andrei Mironov and Vlad Listyev. The first one has a monument in the form of wings, and a bronze angel-girl with one broken wing is crying over the grave of a well-known journalist and presenter.
Actor Mikhail Pugovkin's unusual tombstone is like a film reel containing frames from films in which he played.
Alexander Abdulov, who died of a serious illness in 2008, has a white monument in the spirit of constructivism, in the form of a rock with a large cross, a photograph of the actor and three-dimensional letters with his name.
Many athletes are also buried here: the Znamensky brothers, Inga Artamonova, Lyudmila Pakhomova, Lev Yashin, Stanislav Zhuk and others.
Monuments of "ordinary" people
"Vagankovskoye cemetery" - "graves of celebrities", for some, these phrases have long become synonymous. However, when you walk along the narrow alleys of the necropolis, tombstones and “mere mortals” catch your eye, whose close people tried to decorate the burial place in an unusual way.
It is impossible to pass by some of the tombstones, they are so striking in their architecture. So, a golden angel was erected on the grave of the daughter of the artist A. Shilov.
Here you can see family crypts, moments of life literally carved out of stone, and sculptural sketches. There are graves with simple crosses or monuments erected almost 200 years ago.
Vandals and other horror stories
Unfortunately, not all people treat cemeteries with respect, and vandals often appear here. Most often they steal precious metals. So, an easel disappeared from the grave of the artist N. Romadin, and copper strings were stolen from the harpist M. Gorelova, and the fence disappeared from A. Mironov. However, photos of idols most often disappear.
Not far from the entrance to the Vagankovskoye cemetery there is a statue of a woman without a head - this is a monument erected by Sonya the Golden Handle. Its pedestal contains many handwritten inscriptions. She lost her head by accident - drunken vandals climbed to kiss the monument and accidentally broke it.
There is an opinion that it is impossible to bury on the territory of the Moscow necropolis, since here the holy cemetery ground was desecrated by the blood of suicides, and murders took place here. Also, many criminal authorities are buried here.
On the grave of A. Abdulov, they often see a glow and feel the warmth coming from somewhere below. Against this background, the photo of the actor seems alive.
There is another strange burial - A. Tenkova. Those who linger near it may fall into a trance, after which they suddenly find themselves near another grave.
