Whether we like it or not, the cemetery occupies a significant place in our life. A person may never visit a theater, library or museum in his life. However, at least once everyone visits the cemetery. There are several such necropolises in the capital, including ancient ones. Both ordinary people and various celebrities can be buried here. The oldest cemeteries in Moscow can be located either within its borders or outside the Moscow Ring Road.
Mounds
Moscow, as you know, was founded in 1147. But even before that, an ancient tribe of Slavs-Vyatichi lived on these lands. Such communities were stubborn for a long time, not wanting to accept Christianity. Vyatichi buried their dead for a long time according to ancient pagan traditions. One of the most common types of Vyatichi burials was mounds.
Representatives of this pagan tribe previously laid the deceased in a funeral pit. Then the deceased was covered with earth so that a small hill formed above it. The late Vyatichi was sent to the last journey with gifts from relatives and all kinds of household items.
Most of these ancient pagan mounds in the capital are located on the right bank of the Moscow River. The most significant burial of the Vyatichi is located on the Setun River.
The oldest cemeteries in Moscow: ancient graveyards
In Moscow, the very first graveyards began to form, of course, next to the churches. Subsequently, if the temple was destroyed or moved for some reason, the cemetery usually gradually fell into disrepair. In ancient times, there were simply such a huge number of such spontaneous, abandoned graveyards in Moscow. Peter I tried to correct this disorder. However, the tsar-reformer died before he had time to issue a decree that would streamline the formation of necropolises.
The first official legalized city cemeteries in Moscow appeared only during the time of Elizabeth. At first, the decree issued by the empress on the need to obtain permission for burial and the prohibition of church cemeteries was received by many townspeople with hostility. Subsequently, Muscovites continued to bury relatives in parish graveyards for a while.
However, starting in 1771, city official cemeteries in the capital nevertheless occupied a dominant position. That year, in Moscow, as you know, a terrible epidemic of plague broke out. And burying the dead within the city - next to the temples - was simply unsafe. This could contribute to the spread of infection. People who died from the plague began to be buried outside of Moscow, in special "plague" cemeteries.
Finds of scientists
The churchyard, which at the moment, perhaps, can be considered the oldest in the capital, was found by archaeologists right under the walls of the Kremlin. According to scientists, in this place in the XIV century. Muscovites buried the victims of the raid of Khan Tokhtamysh.
Another ancient churchyard in the capital is the necropolis near the Manege. Where Manezhnaya Square is located in Moscow today, in the 14th century there were a posad and a cemetery. In the 16th century, in this place, Ivan the Terrible built the Moses Monastery, under which the necropolis was located.
Also, to the oldest cemeteries in Moscow, of course, can be attributed the graveyard of the Danilovsky Monastery. The earliest mention of this cemetery dates back to the 13th century. In 1303, the first Moscow prince Daniil Alexandrovich was buried in this now inactive necropolis.
Destroyed and extant graveyards
To answer the question of which is the oldest cemetery in Moscow is definitely quite difficult. In the capital at the moment there are many active ancient graveyards. Destroyed at different times by historians are also known a few.
In any case, the first citywide churchyard of the capital was once Lazarevsky. Following him was founded Semenovskoe cemetery. Both of these necropolises no longer exist at the moment. Only some pogosts, founded under Catherine or in later times, have survived to our days. For example, the very old cemeteries in Moscow are Novodevichye, Kuzminskoye, located in Old Kupavna, Donskoye.
Novodevichy cemetery
This necropolis in the capital was formed in 1525. It is he who at the moment can be considered the oldest cemetery in Moscow (active). Initially, this churchyard was intended to calm the nuns of the Novodevichy Convent. Quite often, women of the royal family were buried on this graveyard. For example, at Novodevichy Pogost, the daughters of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, Evdokia Lopukhin, Tsarina Sofya, Evdokia and Catherine Miloslavsky found their last refuge.
Later, secular people were also buried on this graveyard: musicians, wealthy merchants, writers, scientists, etc. In particular, the graves of such famous personalities as Denis Davydov, historian Pogodin, Muravyov-Apostol are still preserved at the Novodevichy cemetery. Prince Trubetskoy, General Brusilov, etc.
The Novodevichy necropolis in the past became so popular with the nobility that by the end of the 19th century there was practically no place for burial places. Therefore, in 1898, the cemetery was decided to allocate additional area. The construction of the walls of the new necropolis, the size of which amounted to 2 hectares, was then carried out under the guidance of the famous architect and professor I.P. Mashkov.
The officially new Novodevichy cemetery was opened in 1904. Nowadays, of course, it is already called "old."
Subsequently, the Novodevichy cemetery expanded twice more - in 1949 and in 1970. Thus, at the moment, this whole ancient necropolis consists of 4 sections formed at different times. The total area of the Novodevichy cemetery is 7.5 hectares. Since 1922, this necropolis is a monument protected by the state. Also, this churchyard was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is the oldest cemetery in Moscow in the photo below is presented to the attention of the reader. As you can see, the monuments here are often set really impressive.
Kuzminsky Pogost
This one of the oldest cemeteries in Moscow is located in the Southeast administrative district in Kuzminki. Compared to the Novodevichy cemetery, this is simply huge. Its total area is 60 hectares.
This necropolis got its name from the village of Kuzminki. This ancient settlement at the beginning of the 18th century was granted by Peter I for special services to Grigory Stroganov. Subsequently, the new owner built a large estate in Kuzminki, where separate rooms were reserved for the king.
After the death of Stroganov in 1715, his widow began to build next to the estate a wooden church of the Vlaherna Icon of the Mother of God. This small temple was completed and consecrated in 1720. At the same time, the village of Kuzminki was renamed Vlacherna. In 1753, the estate passed into the possession of the princes Golitsyn as a dowry of the bride. Subsequently, it was precisely these nobles that the village belonged to until the revolution.
In the middle of the XVIII century, in Kuzminki, instead of the old wooden church, a new stone large church was built. The architect of this building was I.P. Zherebtsov. Also at the end of the XVIII century the temple was rebuilt by R. R. Kazakov.
Almost all the time that the temple operated in Kuzminki, there was, of course, a churchyard. Some history buffs are also interested in where the old Kuzminskoye cemetery in Moscow is located. Initially, this necropolis was located in the area of the current Kuzminsky forest park. At this point, at the moment, several ancient graves have been preserved. This first necropolis was removed from the forest park in the 70s of the last century.
New churchyard
The remains from this one of the oldest cemeteries in Moscow, it was decided to move to the new Kuzminsky churchyard. The latter was formed back in 1956. At the moment, this necropolis consists of two parts: Central and Muslim. At the Kuzminsky cemetery, as well as at many other large graveyards in Moscow, there are, of course, notable burials. For example, it was here that the sailors of the K-19 submarine found their last refuge.
Old cemetery in Moscow in Old Kupavna
This ancient necropolis is located 22 kilometers from the Moscow Ring Road, 1 km from the Gorky Highway. The cemetery is located on a site of mixed forest, outside the city of Staraya Kupavna. It is believed that for the first time people in this necropolis began to be buried in the XVII century. At that time, the village of Demidova Kupavna was located in this area. In this settlement, among other things, there was also a wooden church, next to which was a churchyard.
In 1751, the owner of the Kupavna silk factory D.A. Zemsky built a stone Holy Trinity Church in the village. In the 19th century, honorary villagers, as well as clergymen, were buried outside the fence of this church. On the north side of the settlement there was another cemetery, which today is called the "old".
In the 30s of the last century, the Holy Trinity Church ceased to exist. Many of the monuments from his yard were then transported to the old cemetery. Unfortunately, part of the tombstones was used to build houses for workers.
Don Necropolis
It is also one of the oldest cemeteries in Moscow. In the photo below you can see how this ancient necropolis looks today. The Don cemetery was founded almost as long as Novodevichye. Burying the dead here began in 1591 at the Donskoy Monastery. At the moment, this necropolis is located in the southern administrative district of the capital. Muscovites call this graveyard “old”, since there is also a New Don Don cemetery in this area. The new necropolis appeared a little later than the old one and is currently a branch of the Novodevichy cemetery.
Beautiful monuments
The old cemetery was originally buried mainly by clergy. In the XIX century, the Don churchyard became the burial place of the Moscow aristocracy. One of the features of this necropolis are very beautiful monuments. In the photo, the old Donskoy cemetery in Moscow, of course, looks simply impressive solemnly. In this ancient necropolis, one can see busts, stella and graces, which are real works of art.
Noteworthy burials
Such famous people as Faina Ranevskaya, Klara Rumyantseva, poet Boris Barkas are buried in the new Don necropolis. At the old Don cemetery you can see the graves of the Decembrists, heroes of the war of 1812, poets and writers of the XIX century, as well as the Georgian princes David, Matvey and Alexander.
Graveyards, on the site of which quarters are now located
Many old Moscow necropolises were destroyed at the beginning of the 20th century. At that time, it was believed that burials restrained the development of the city. Many cemeteries, including ancient ones, located in the area of residential quarters, were outlawed.
In total, in the 20th century, 12 necropolises were destroyed in the capital. The most famous old cemetery in Moscow, built up with residential buildings, is perhaps Dorogomilovskoye. This necropolis was once located where the Taras Shevchenko embankment now passes, from the Bagration bridge to the 12 houses of Kutuzovsky Prospekt. This ancient churchyard was founded in 1771 and was one of the "plague". When the cemetery was disbanded, the ashes of the dead were transferred to the Vagankovsky necropolis.
Also quite famous destroyed ancient cemeteries of the capital are Filevskoye, Mazilovskoye, Bratskoye, Lazarevskoye and many others. At the moment, on the site of these ancient necropolises are either city blocks or parks.