In our country, ancient cemeteries have recently become part of popular tourist routes. Having visited the main necropolis of the ancient city, one can learn no less interesting facts than after studying the exposition of the main museum of local lore. If this is your first visit to Kazan, Arskoye cemetery must be paid attention to when exploring the city.
How did the necropolis appear in the Arsk field?
In the XVIII century, outbreaks of the plague epidemic were recorded in some regions of our country. Catherine II, in the framework of the fight against "black death", signed a decree according to which new places for the burial of the deceased should be created outside the settlements. In Kazan, the Arskoye field was chosen to create a new cemetery. It is known that the first burials here were made in July 1774. That summer, the Arskoye cemetery in Kazan became the resting place of at least 300 defenders of the city, who entered into battle with the army of E. Pugachev. Gradually the city of the dead grew. In the vicinity of the main necropolis, separate plots began to be organized, intended for the burial of representatives of various faiths. Over time, all the cemeteries were united. Today, on the territory of the Arsk necropolis, Orthodox, two Jewish, two Old Believers, Lutheran, Catholic, Polish, German and military sites are organized.
The true story of Arsky necropolis
In 1796, a church was built at the cemetery, consecrated in the name of the holy noble princes Theodore, David and Constantine, Yaroslavl miracle workers. This temple is the only one that continued to function under Soviet rule. Throughout its history, the church has been restored and rebuilt several times.
In 1835, the Arskoye cemetery in Kazan was surrounded by a perimeter fence. After another 9 years, an office was built on the territory of the necropolis, which has retained its appearance to this day. In the same 1844, a bell tower was added to the temple.
What is noteworthy, until recently, the cemetery keeper with his family constantly lived in the service buildings. Such a neighborhood did not bother anyone, on the contrary, even today many of the indigenous people of Kazan talk about how to visit the “house in the cemetery” was always interesting and pleasant thanks to the hospitality of its owners.
The doors of the church are open for parishioners today, there are services on weekends and holidays, you can order a funeral service.
Open air museum or historical monument in need of restoration?
In the Arskoye cemetery in Kazan, various historical periods invariably buried prominent people. Before the revolution, these were wealthy merchants and patrons of art, factory owners, officials, and artists.
In the USSR, on the ancient necropolis, the graves of valiant military men, order bearers, scientists, artists, writers and composers began to appear. So why is the necropolis still not officially turned into a museum? Only about 30% of ancient burials have survived to this day. A significant part of the gravestones of the 18th and 19th centuries was lost. This happened for various reasons. Some of the monuments were defeated and plundered by vandals, many monuments collapsed from old age. Even under Soviet rule, the Arsk necropolis began to create new graves in the place of the abandoned. Often not only places on the territory were reused, but also large stones. Nowadays, one can notice the monuments and obelisks of the times of the USSR with barely noticeable epitaphs written in pre-revolutionary style. Only in 2013, at the regional level, the proposal to improve the Arskoye cemetery in Kazan was considered. The burial archive for the entire history of the necropolis has also not been preserved, but according to the most conservative estimates, at least 300,000 people were buried here.
The most famous burial sites on the Arsk necropolis
It was in Kazan, at the Arsky cemetery, that the son of Joseph Stalin, Vasily Dzhugashvili, was buried. In the early 2000s, at the request of relatives, a reburial was carried out, the ashes of the leader’s heir were transported to Moscow.
What is the oldest burial in this necropolis? Specialists who investigated the territory managed to find the grave of the city governor Petrov, who was buried in 1818.
Who else is buried in the ancient necropolis, whose name is Arskoye cemetery? Kazan still keeps the memory of many prominent figures of the past. Many streets and other urban sites are named after famous citizens. For example, at the Arsky cemetery, the merchant Shamov was buried, who built a hospital for the poor, which works today. His "neighbor" Lozhkin found his last refuge here: during his life he was known as the owner of the largest almshouse. The list goes on and on: L. Galler (admiral), N. Zhiganov (composer), Z. Nuri (poet), V. Petlyakov (aircraft designer), M. Nuzhnin (mathematician) and many other prominent people.
Legends of the main cemetery of Kazan
People make up urban legends about any ancient necropolis. For the most part, these are terrible tales of visions of ghosts and restless souls. One of the most romantic legends associated with the Arsky necropolis is the story of Verochka on a hill. They say that a young and beautiful girl once lived. Her parents wanted to marry her son of a merchant, but Verochka herself dreamed of love. Seeing no other way out, the girl hanged herself on the day of her wedding, in 1885. They buried her here, and the
grave hill became a special place for all the inhabitants of the city. Many different stories are told about the temple in the Arskoye cemetery. Kazan remembers the times when this church was the only one operating in the whole city. At that time in the temple there were many relics brought here from closed monasteries and churches. Today, pilgrims come here in order to touch the relics of St. Guri.
Arskoye cemetery: address and opening hours
Created once on the outskirts of the city, Arskoye cemetery is now located in the center of Kazan. Necropolis is a closed memorial. Here, only family burials are carried out by individual agreement with the administration. For visitors, the territory is open daily from 9.00 to 18.00. The exact address of the necropolis is 25 N. Ershova Street. The nearest public transport stop is TsPKiO im. Gorky ”, you can get to it by buses No. 1, 10, 30, 63, 74, 89. If you want to find a specific grave, the administration can give a certificate.
The Arskoye cemetery in Kazan is still insufficiently studied and described. But every year more and more new graves are discovered and improved here. Perhaps very soon the necropolis will become a full-fledged open-air museum.