One of the cemeteries of the Central Administrative District of Moscow and one of the most famous cemeteries in the capital is called Kalitnikovsky. About what it is famous for and what are its features, we will discuss below.
general information
The state unitary enterprise "Ritual" manages most of the capital places intended for burials. Kalitnikovsky cemetery is no exception. It was discovered in 1771 during a plague epidemic. At the same time, the Rogozhskoye, Vagankovskoye, Danilovskoye and Vvedenskoye cemeteries opened in Moscow . All of them owe their appearance to this terrible disease, which claimed many lives in the capital. However, at that time, the region where Kalitnikovsky cemetery is located today was not, in fact, Moscow, that is, urban territory. Then there was the village of Kalitniki. It was by his name that the cemetery was named.
Church in the cemetery
Once upon a time there was a beautiful wooden church on its territory. But it so happened that it was completely destroyed by the fire of a sudden outbreak of fire. In its place in 1838 another Orthodox church was erected. This time the church was made of stone, and it still exists. The throne was consecrated in honor of the icon of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow."
The design of this building was developed and prepared by architect N. I. Kozlovsky. Then at the end of the 19th century the church was rebuilt, its interior decoration was modified. The interior and decor of the temple was performed anew in accordance with the project of architect I.T. Baryutin in the 1890s. Among other things, the sacristy and the iconostasis underwent alteration.
Graves in the cemetery
Before the revolution of 1917 , Kalitnikovsky cemetery served as a resting place mainly for peasants from nearby villages. They also often buried merchants and entrepreneurs who left the peasant class. However, with the advent of Soviet power in the Kalitnikovsky cemetery, representatives of the metropolitan intelligentsia were often buried. Among them were both scientists and people of art - artists and artists.
In this cemetery there are a lot of buried Orthodox clergy and monks. Some of them are worth mentioning separately.
Firstly, behind the altar of the Grieving Church in the family burial complex is the grave of the notorious ideologist of the Renovationist Orthodox Church in the USSR, Metropolitan Alexander Vvedensky. He died in 1946 from paralysis and was buried here near his mother Zinaida Savvichna. In 1963, the wife of the First Hierarch Olga Fedorovna Vvedenskaya was buried here. And in the 80s, the last refuge near the grave of his father found two sons of the Metropolitan.
Secondly, the grave of one of the nuns enjoys great reverence here. Believers call her blessed old woman Olga. During life, this woman was a nun and was distinguished by a peculiar way of life. Today, her admirers gather at the Kalitnikovsky cemetery to honor the memory of their patroness and pray. Nun Olga died at the age of 103.
The territory of the complex
As for the size, today Kalitnikovsky cemetery covers an area of 19 hectares of land, divided into two parts by a ravine. Both halves of the cemetery complex are divided into thirty sections. On some of them burial sites are still being made. In particular, there are territories reserved for family and family burials. They are located to the left of the main entrance in the depths of the cemetery. In addition, an open columbarium is currently operating on the territory of the burial complex, intended for burial of ashes in the urn. If for some reason there is no desire to use a columbarium, the urn can be buried in the ground. At Kalitnikovsky cemetery, such a service is provided.
If, entering the Kalitnikovsky cemetery, turn right, then you can go to the memorial dedicated to the soldiers who fell during the battles in World War II.
In order to allow visitors to take care of the graves, an inventory rental station operates at the cemetery. This allows you to not carry bulky tools with you around the city from home.
Kalitnikovskoe cemetery: how to get there
Many people coming to Moscow want to visit the Kalitnikovsky funeral complex. This is not surprising, given how many distinguished figures rest there. A logical question arises for those intending to visit the Kalitnikovsky cemetery - how to get to this place? Since the cemetery is now located within the city, it is very simple to do. In the immediate vicinity of the cemetery there are as many as three metro stations: Volgogradsky Prospekt, Krestyanskaya Zastava and Proletarskaya. From any of them to the cemetery can be reached on foot.
Kalitnikovsky cemetery: opening hours
You can visit the burial complex in Kalitniki daily from 9:00 in the morning. It closes depending on the season: from October to April at - 17:00, and from May to September at - 19:00. Burials are made daily from the opening until 5:00 p.m. throughout the year.