The Old Believer Malookhtinskoye cemetery is located in St. Petersburg on Malaya Okhta, right in the center of a residential area on the banks of the Okhta River. It is one of the most ancient and mysterious graveyards of the city, with which many stories and legends are associated.
History of the cemetery
In the 18th century, “schismatics” began to settle on Malaya Okhta, who belonged to the Pomor and Fedoseevsky consent. In 1752 they were granted permission to open their own cemetery. It opened in 1760 and became official in 1786.
It is worth noting that initially, this cemetery was simply called the Old Believer, or Raskolnich's. And Malookhtinsky was called, located nearby a large churchyard, which was closed for burial in 1970.
Now the former Orthodox cemetery of Malookhtinsky 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. Undzorovon the territory of the Malookhtinsky (Old Believer) cemetery, a rich chapel with a high dome and a bell tower was erected. 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 Humanitarian Society.
In 1852 burials were forbidden. The cemetery, with its rich tombstones, was plundered, and the chapel was turned into an Orthodox church.
In 1865, the Malookhtinsky cemetery, by numerous petitions, was returned to the Old Believers. They also received a chapel for their use, but the hospital and the almshouse were taken away from them forever.
In 1946 the cemetery was closed again. For a long time it was in an abandoned state. Buried there rarely and on special occasions.
Shelter for the elderly girls
After the seizure of cemetery property from the Old Believers in 1850, the Imperial Society of Humanity founded the House of Contempt and the Shelter for the Elderly Widows and Maidens on the site of the hospital and almshouse. For the shelter, a building of 4 floors was built. On the last floor, the Church of John the Baptist was equipped. There was a dome with a cross on the roof.
The building faced Maly Prospekt, and the yard occupied part of the Malookhtinsky cemetery. The shelter accommodated about 450 people. After the revolution, the church was looted and desecrated, and the shelter with the almshouse was closed. The shelter has been converted intopsycho-neurological dispensary, and the building of the almshouse was transferred to communal apartments, which were settled only in 2010. Moreover, no one was embarrassed that the building was located on the territory of the cemetery.
It's hard to even 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, the residents walked past the crosses and churchyards, and children played there. Inviting guests to their place, the inhabitants of the former almshouse said that they lived in the cemetery. Moreover, until 1985 there was also a mortuary in the courtyard.
The building is located at 3 Novocherkassky Prospekt, building 3. Now it stands with closed windows and is very dilapidated, because the house has never been repaired. In 2013, it was included in the Register of Cultural Heritage.
Famous burials
Immediately in the courtyard of the former shelter there is a family burial place of the merchants Skryabins. All headstones are well preserved. Ivan Scriabin himself, his wife, son and grandchildren are buried here.
It is known that these burials played a big role in the history of the Malookhtinsky cemetery in St. Petersburg. When the Bolsheviks wanted to raze this churchyard to the ground, these graves saved the entire necropolis, because the Scriabins were close relatives of V. Molotov, because his real name was Scriabin.
Next you can see the Mineev family place. These are three very high icon cases made of black marble. M. Konovalova is buried on the left, and the merchant Bekrenev is buried on the right.
A very unusual granite sarcophagus onpaws, in which the merchant Ivan Zabegaev rests. Here is the place of another influential Old Believer family - the Pikeevs. Vladimir Pikeev himself, his wife and the babies Pikeevs are buried here.
Interestingly, many graves bear dates from the creation of the world.
There are also graves of Professor Belonovsky, merchant Ilyinsky, merchant Chernyatsky and his mother, tradesman Dubrovin, pediatrician M. Lichkus and many others. In 1970, the cemetery had about 2,300 graves. Some significant burials were moved to museum necropolises.
There are also a lot of Soviet graves from the pre-war and blockade times. All this can be seen in the photo of the Malookhtinsky cemetery.
Merchant Vasily Kokorev
Vasily Kokorev should be mentioned separately, because he played an important role in the history of the Malookhtinsky cemetery.
In the person of their co-religionist, the Old Believers found, in their time, an ardent defender and intercessor before the authorities. Media mogul and oilman, founder of the Volga-Kama Bank, owner of railways - he was not only a we althy 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 at the Malookhtinsky cemetery in St. Petersburg. The Old Believers carried his body dressed in elegant clothes in a chic oak coffin,which was made without a single nail, on towels to the very grave.
There is a whole family grave of the Kokorevs in the cemetery, in front of which there is a large eight-pointed cross.
Secrets of the Malookhtinsky cemetery
Many legends are associated with this ancient necropolis. Rumor has it that sorcerers, suicides and all those who could not be buried in Orthodox cemeteries used to be buried here. Also, the bodies of those deceased who did not have money for a decent burial were brought here.
They say that at night you can hear the groans of the not inveterate dead, the rattle of the shackles of the robbers and murderers buried here, the sound of footsteps, the smell of incense, and among the graves you can see the outlines of obscure figures.
But this is highly doubtful, because the Old Believers fanatically devoted to their faith would hardly have allowed anyone else to be buried here. Most likely, the locals took the Pomeranians themselves for sorcerers, who used the churchyard as a place for religious rites.
In Soviet times, a legend circulated around the city, allegedly told by a local policeman. One day he was walking past a cemetery and saw guys running out of there. They looked very frightened. They told the orderly that they were going to drink at the cemetery, but as soon as they poured vodka into glasses, a dead man appeared nearby and handed them his glass. Terrified, the boys threw the bottle down and ran away.
The policeman was not afraid and went to the place where the young men were going to drink. There he found an abandoned bottle of vodka and gave it toexamination to check fingerprints. And what a surprise it was when, among the fingerprints of these guys, the fingerprints of a bandit who died many years ago were found on it.
There are a lot of similar stories about the Malookhtinsky cemetery in St. Petersburg - this is the legend of a grave digger who stumbled upon a grave and was cursed by a dead man, and stories about werewolves and satanists. Although, the latter actually gathered here, which is not surprising, given the reputation of the place.
At one time, torn corpses of animals were found here. Some thought it was the work of a werewolf, others blamed the Satanists.
Modern Cemetery
Now the Malookhtinsky cemetery is being improved, has a well-groomed appearance and no longer looks so ominous. The territory is constantly ennobled, the paths are paved with paving slabs.
Urn burials are allowed, for which a special place has been allocated. It is also possible to carry out burial in related graves and in free places (if available).
Address and opening hours
The cemetery is open to visitors daily from 9:00 to 17:00 in winter, and from 9:00 to 18:00 in summer.
Malookhtinskoye cemetery is located at the address: Novocherkassky prospect, 12.
How to get there?
On foot from Novocherkasskaya metro station in Malookhtinsky park.
Either by bus No. 5, 174 or fixed-route taxis No. K5, K118, K289.
You should get off at the stop “Ul. Pomyalovsky.”
