Probably, in every city there are such memorable places that are not customary to show to all city guests, tourists are not taken there. However, they have a rich history and are of great importance for the past and present. Serafimovskoye Cemetery (St. Petersburg) is one of such sights of the city.
It is located in the area that was once one of the poor outskirts of St. Petersburg. At the end of the 19th century, peasants from the surrounding villages or those who decided to try their luck in the big city, having come to work, settled here. By that time, two cemeteries were already operating in the district: Blagoveshchenskoye and Novoderevenskoye. But the number of inhabitants grew and, sadly, all people are mortal. And therefore, over time, these cemeteries of St. Petersburg simply could not accept new dead.
The question arose about the allocation of land and the construction of a new churchyard. The diocese acquired a site near the Primorskaya railway. This became the site of a new necropolis. Here, in 1906, a church was laid, and by the beginning of 1907 it was consecrated with the name of St. SeraphimSarovsky, one of the most revered Orthodox saints. And the graveyard was named "Serafimovskoye Cemetery". And the burials began even before the laying of the church, in 1905.
Serafimovskoye cemetery served as the last shelter for poor peasants, soldiers of the First World War who died at the front or in hospitals. For a long time it was one of the main city necropolises. A huge number of "guests" found peace here during the Great Patriotic War - more than a hundred thousand soldiers and civilians.
The lion's share of their number fell on the blockade of Leningrad. Trucks daily brought here mountains of corpses found on the streets of the city, heartbroken people came here to bury friends and relatives. Some time after the beginning of the blockade, it became clear that the Serafimovsky cemetery simply could not accommodate all those who met their end in the besieged city. The mass graves were moved to the Piskarevsky cemetery. As soon as the blockade was lifted, the Church of Seraphim of Sarov filled the city with a two-day bell ringing, the first time since churches and cathedrals were banned from it in 1933. By the way, throughout the war, the church worked, instilling hope in the souls of believers. The only exception was 1942, when she replaced the morgue.
After the war, the territory of the cemetery was expanded. Nowadays, mass graves are no longer held on it. It remained the only one among the three: Novoderevenskoye and Blagoveshchenskoye cemeteries were destroyed duringhigh-rise buildings in the area. Now Serafimovskoye cemetery can be called a military memorial complex. In recent decades, soldiers who died in the line of duty have been buried here. Many famous people - military, scientists, cultural figures - have found their last refuge here.
Memorials serve as a tribute to the memory of the heroes of our country. This is a memorial ensemble in memory of the victims of the siege of Leningrad and an eternal flame in front of it, a memorial to the soldiers who died in Afghanistan, a monument to the dead crew members of the Kursk submarine, installed at their burial place.
