Old Believer Maloohtinsky cemetery is located in St. Petersburg on Malaya Okhta right in the center of a residential quarter on the banks of the Okhta River. It is one of the oldest and most mysterious graveyards of the city, with which many stories and legends are associated.
Cemetery history
In the 18th century, “schismatics” began to settle on Malaya Okhta, which belonged to the Pomeranian and Fedoseyev consent. In 1752, they were given permission to open their own cemetery. It opened in 1760, and acquired official status in 1786.
It should be noted that initially, this cemetery was called simply Old Believers, or Raskolnichy. And Malookhtinsky was called a nearby large churchyard, which was closed to burials in 1970.
Now the former Orthodox Maloohtinsky cemetery does not exist. In its place since 2006 there has been an active construction of residential buildings.
Gradually, the name "Malookhtinsky" changed to "Old Believer Cemetery."
In 1792, with the financial support of the local merchant M. Undzorov, a rich chapel with a high dome and a bell tower was erected in the territory of the Malookhtinsky (Old Believer) cemetery. Later, a hospital and an almshouse were built and opened nearby.
In 1850, the Old Believers were persecuted by the authorities. The chapel, almshouse and hospital were closed, and transferred to the use of the Imperial philanthropic society.
In 1852, burial was prohibited. The cemetery, with its rich tombstones, was plundered, and the chapel turned into an Orthodox church.
In 1865, the Malookhtinsky cemetery, according to numerous requests, was returned to the Old Believers. They also received a chapel for their use, but the hospital and the almshouse were taken from them forever.
In 1946, the cemetery was again closed. For a long time it was in an abandoned state. They rarely buried there in special cases.
Shelter for the elderly
After seizing cemetery real estate from the Old Believers in 1850, the Imperial Society for Humanitarianism established the House of Contempt and the Shelter for Elderly Widows and Maidens on the site of the hospital and almshouse. For the shelter was built a building on 4 floors. The Church of John the Baptist was arranged on the top floor. On the roof was a cupola with a cross.
The building overlooked Maly Prospect, and the courtyard occupied part of the Maloohtinsky cemetery. The shelter accommodated about 450 people. After the revolution, the church was looted and desecrated, and the shelter with an almshouse was closed. The shelter was converted into a neuropsychiatric dispensary, and the building of the almshouse was transferred to communal apartments, which were resettled only in 2010. Moreover, no one was embarrassed that the building is located in the cemetery.
It is hard to imagine how people lived in the house in the courtyard of which there was a cemetery, and the windows went straight to the graves. Every day, residents walked past crosses and graveyards, and children played in the same place. Inviting guests, residents of the former almshouse said they live in a cemetery. Moreover, until 1985, the morgue was also located in the courtyard.
The building is located on Novocherkassk Prospect Building 3, Building 3. Now it stands with the windows closed and very dilapidated, because the house has never been repaired. In 2013, it entered the Register of Cultural Heritage.
Famous burial places
Immediately in the courtyard of the former shelter is the family grave of the Scriabin merchants. All tombstones are well preserved. Here Ivan Scriabin himself is buried, his wife, son and grandchildren.
It is known that it was these burials that played a large role in the history of the Maloohtinsky cemetery in St. Petersburg. When the Bolsheviks wanted to level this graveyard to the ground, these graves saved the entire necropolis, because the Scriabin were close relatives of V. Molotov, because his real name is Scriabin.
Next you can see the Mineev family place. These are three very high cases made of black marble. M. Konovalova is buried on the left, and merchant Bekrenev on the right.
The granite sarcophagus on its paws, in which the merchant Ivan Zabegaev rests, is very unusual. Here is the place of another influential Old Believer family - the Pikeevs. Here Vladimir Pikeev himself, his wife and infants Pikeev are buried.
Interestingly, many graves have dates from the creation of the world.
There are also burials of Professor Belonovsky, the merchant Ilyinsky, the merchant Chernyatsky and his mother, the tradesman Dubrovin, the children's doctor M. Lichkus and many others. In 1970, the cemetery numbered about 2,300 burials. Some significant burials were transferred to museum necropolises.
There are also a lot of Soviet graves of pre-war and siege times. All this can be seen in the photo of the Malookhtinsky cemetery.
Merchant Vasily Kokorev
About Vasily Kokorev should be mentioned separately, because in the history of the Malookhtinsky cemetery he played an important role.
In the person of their co-religionist, the Old Believers acquired, in due time, an ardent defender and intercessor before the authorities. A media tycoon and oilman, founder of the Volga-Kama Bank, owner of railways - he was not only a wealthy philanthropist, but also a talented publicist and public figure.
Thanks to his extensive connections, he did a lot for the Old Believers. His friends were D. Mendeleev, S. Mamontov, M. Pogodin.
He died in 1889, and was buried in the Malookhtinsky cemetery in St. Petersburg. Old Believers carried his body dressed in elegant clothes in a chic oak coffin, which was made without a single nail, on rushnyks to the grave.
The cemetery has a whole family burial of the Kokorevs, in front of which there is a large eight-pointed cross.
Secrets of Malookhtinsky cemetery
There are many legends associated with this ancient necropolis. Rumor has it that earlier there were buried sorcerers, suicides and all those who could not be buried in Orthodox cemeteries. Also, the bodies of those deceased who did not have money for a decent burial were brought here.
They say that at night one can hear the groans of not dead corpses, the rattle of the shackles of the robbers and murderers buried here, the sounds of steps, the smell of incense is felt, and among the graves one can see the outlines of obscure figures.
But this is subject to great doubt, since fanatically faithful Old Believers would hardly have allowed anyone else to be buried here. Most likely, for the sorcerers, the locals took the Pomors themselves, who used the churchyard as a venue for religious rites.
In Soviet times, a legend walked around the city, allegedly told by a local policeman. Once he walked past the cemetery and saw guys running out of there. They had a very scared look. They told the minister of order that they were going to drink at the cemetery, but as soon as they poured vodka into glasses, a dead man appeared next to him and handed them his glass. In horror, the guys threw the bottle and rushed away.
The policeman was not afraid and went to the place where the young men were going to drink. There he found an abandoned vodka bottle and gave it for examination to check his fingerprints. And what a surprise it was when on it, among the fingerprints of these guys, were found the fingerprints of a bandit who died many years ago.
There are a lot of similar stories about the Malookhtinsky cemetery in St. Petersburg - this is the legend of the grave-digger who came across a grave and was cursed by a dead man, and stories about werewolves and Satanists. Although, the latter gathered here in fact, which is not surprising, given the reputation of the place.
At one time, torn corpses of animals were found here. Some believed that this was the work of a werewolf, others blamed the Satanists.
Modern cemetery
Now Maloohtinsky cemetery is being improved, has a well-groomed appearance and does not look so sinister anymore. The territory is constantly ennobled, the paths are laid with paving tiles.
Urn burial sites are permitted, for which a special place is reserved. It is also possible to carry out burial in related graves and in free places (if any).
Address and opening hours
The cemetery is open for visits daily from 9:00 to 17:00 in the winter, and from 9:00 to 18:00 - in the summer.
Malookhtinsky cemetery is located at the address: Novocherkassky prospekt, 12.
How to get there
On foot from the Novocherkasskaya metro station in Malookhtinsky Park.
Either by bus No. 5, 174 or minibuses No. K5, K118, K289.
You should leave at the stop “Ul. Pomyalovsky. "