The Tikhvin Cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra is the territory where the greatest figures of Russian literature, music, fine, architectural, sculptural and theatrical art of the 19th century rest nearby. Many tombstones are a sight of the northern capital of Russia.
Alexander Nevsky Lavra of St. Petersburg
Alexander Nevsky Lavra is the heart of the city on the Neva. It was ordered to be built by Peter I, in honor of the Battle of Neva and the feat of Prince Alexander Nevsky. March 25, 1723 is considered to be the completion date for the construction of the Lavra (at that time a monastery). In May of the same year, Peter the Great ordered the relics of Prince Alexander Nevsky to be delivered from Vladimir to the new church. From that time to the present, it has been the main shrine. Peter I in 1724 awarded the monastery the status of a Lavra. Monastic life existed here until the 1930s. This is the time when all the monasteries and temples in the country were closed. The same fate befell the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. Monasticism was revived here only in 1996.
Necropolis Lavra
There are 4 cemeteries on the territory of the Lavra. Lazarevskoye was considered the most elite. To bury a deceased relative here, the permission of the emperor was required. The Tikhvin cemetery was reconstructed in the 20th century. Famous architects, sculptors, painters, composers and writers are buried here. The third cemetery is Nikolskoye. It received its name in 1869-1871 after the construction of the church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (former name Zabornaya) on the territory of the Lavra. During the years of the revolution, another cemetery appeared - the fourth, where the Cossacks were buried.
In addition, near the Trinity Cathedral, opposite its main entrance, there are burials of the late 19th century - early 20th century, but they do not belong to any necropolis.
Nikolskoe cemetery
S. P. Seleznev, commander of the Leningrad military district, and his wife were buried in the cemetery in 1996. Both died in a plane crash. Their grave is located next to the church.
In 1998, G. V. Starovoitova, a deputy of the State Duma, was buried near the temple, killed in the entrance of her house.
In 2000, A. A. Sobchak, the first mayor of St. Petersburg, found eternal rest.
F. G. Uglov, the famous surgeon, was buried here in 2008.
On the left side of the main alley is the grave of L. N. Gumilyov, a historian and son of famous poets A. A. Akhmatova and N. S. Gumilyov. Modest Korf, Lyceum friend of A. S. Pushkin, artist M. O. Mikeshin, architect V. A. Kenel and many other prominent people are also buried here. This isthe cemetery is not as clean and well-groomed as Tikhvin. Ancient tombstones are lopsided in some places.
Lazarevsky cemetery
This cemetery is one of the oldest in St. Petersburg. It originated around the beginning of the 18th century. It is located on the left side of the main entrance to the Lavra. The cemetery was founded simultaneously with the Alexander Nevsky Monastery. Only very noble citizens were buried here with the personal permission of Peter I. In this place, in 1717, Peter's sister Natalya Alekseevna was buried, as well as his son, Tsarevich Peter. On the site of the graves, the chapel of St. Lazarus was erected, after which the cemetery was named. Later, their remains were transferred to the Church of the Annunciation, which turned into a royal tomb in St. Petersburg.
Most of the burials in the cemetery date back to the 18th century, but they continued into the 19th and early 20th centuries. One of the last buried was Count S. Yu. Witte. In 1919, the Lazarevskoye cemetery was closed for burials, and in the early 1930s, a museum of artistic tombstones was organized here.
At present, the Lazarevskoye and Tikhvinskoye cemeteries, together with the Annunciation tomb, are part of the State Museum of Urban Sculpture. Entrance to the territory of the objects is paid.
Architects of St. Petersburg rest at the Lazarevsky cemetery: A. N. Voronikhin, K. I. Rossi, A. D. Zakharov, I. E. Starov, J. Quarenghi.
Buried in this placeM. V. Lomonosov, the tomb stele was revived in 1832. Here, not far from the chapel, is the grave of the wife of A. S. Pushkin - N. N. Lanskoy-Pushkina.
Pre-revolutionary history of the Tikhvin cemetery
Tikhvin cemetery is located opposite Lazarevsky. It is very popular among tourists and locals. The necropolis was organized at the beginning of the 19th century. On the territory of the Lazarevsky cemetery there was no longer any place for burials. In 1823, it was decided to organize a new cemetery, which was originally called New Lazarevsky. In the northern part of the territory of the necropolis in 1869, a temple of the icon of the Tikhvin Mother of God was erected. The same name was given to the cemetery.
In the late 1870s, the area with burials was fenced off. The stone fence has been preserved to this day. In the same year, the cemetery was expanded to include neighboring territories and monastery gardens. In 1881, it already occupied an area equal to the modern one. The territory of the necropolis is several times larger than Lazarevsky.
Initially, burials were carried out here as often as in the old Lazarevsky. However, since 1830, they began to bury mainly only here. Some monuments of this period have been preserved in the eastern part of the modern cemetery. For example, near the fence on the side of the square there was a gazebo, where the monk Patermufiy was buried in 1825.
At the beginning of the 20th century, there were about 1330 tombstones in this cemetery. Next to each other stood crosses of various shapes, monumental steles, altars. Many family plots were in the form of chapels andcrypts.
Alexander Nevsky Lavra, Tikhvin cemetery: its history in the revolutionary years
The post-revolutionary years became a catastrophic period for the Tikhvin cemetery. It was not possible to save the graves and monuments, and they quickly collapsed. In 1918, Father Peter Skipetrov passed away in the Lavra. He was killed by soldiers who burst into the corps, whom he tried to stop. He was buried at the Tikhvin cemetery. But his grave, like other burials of 1917-1932, did not survive.
In 1926 the Tikhvin cemetery was closed. In the 1930s, the Church of the Icon of the Tikhvin Mother of God was closed. The building originally housed a post office and is now the Museum of Urban Sculpture.
In 1934, it was decided to create a museum on the territory of the cemetery. In the same year, burials at the cemetery were officially stopped.
In 1935, the reconstruction of the necropolis began, dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the death of A. S. Pushkin. In connection with this date, the cemetery receives its second name "Necropolis of masters of art and contemporaries of A. S. Pushkin."
The reconstruction project was developed by the architect of Leningrad L. A. Ilyin. During the work, many ancient monuments were demolished and were lost forever. After the reconstruction, the old Tikhvin cemetery was practically destroyed. At the beginning of the 20th century there were 1330 tombstones here. After the reconstruction, about 100 were preserved. The ashes of famous sculptors, artists, artists were transferred here from other cemeteries of St. Petersburg (at that time Leningrad) and reburiedcomposers and musical figures. About 70 monuments were moved. Currently, there are about 200 graves here.
War years
During the Patriotic War, many sculptural valuables from the monuments were kept under the floor in the cache of the Annunciation tomb. The cemetery was badly damaged by German airstrikes. In 1942, the tombstone of actress V. N. Asenkova was destroyed. Currently, you can see the new monument, which was installed in 1955.
Post-war years
Immediately after the end of the war, restoration work was carried out. The reconstruction and restoration of the necropolis ended in 1947, and it was opened to visitors. In the late 1960s, the old stone fence was overhauled. Burials were practically not carried out, only the most prominent and famous figures of Soviet art were buried. The last burial was in 1989.
Burials of prominent people
Eminent figures of Russian culture and art found eternal rest on the territory of the necropolis. Open Air Museum - Tikhvin Cemetery in St. Petersburg. Who is buried here? Who found their last resting place here?
On the right side of the entrance, F. M. Dostoevsky found eternal rest, next to which rests his wife Anna Grigorievna and grandson A. F. Dostoevsky.
Not far from the Dostoevskys, Pushkin's friends and seconds in his duel, A. A. Delvig, K. K. Danzas, rested. Next to them is the grave of the admiral, whotraveled around the world - F. F. Matyushkina. Along the northern wall, on the composer's path, there are the graves of composers P. I. Tchaikovsky, M. I. Glinka, N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov, A. S. Dargomyzhsky, M. A. Balakirev, A. P. Borodin, Ts A. Cui, A. G. Glazunova.
To the west of these graves the artists I. N. Kramskoy, I. I. Shishkin, B. M. Kustodiev, A. I. Kuindzhi are buried. Next to them is the grave of N. M. Karamzin, a famous historian, as well as his wife.
In the central part of the cemetery are the graves of famous artists - N. K. Cherkasov, V. N. Asenkova, Yu. Busts have been erected over many graves, but some of them are simple and modest.
The grave of I. A. Krylov, the great Russian fabulist, is located along the southern fence wall. N. I. Gnedich, a Russian poet, translator of the poem "Iliad", rests nearby. Across the road is the burial place of the great navigator Yu. F. Lisyansky, who made the first Russian round-the-world expedition.
In 1972, the ashes brought from France, the composer A. K. Glazunov, were reburied in the necropolis.
The last to be buried in 1989 was the famous theater director G. A. Tovstonogov, who since 1956 headed the Leningrad Bolshoi Drama Theater. A. M. Gorky. Above his grave there is a cross with the crucifixion of Christ - the work of the outstanding sculptor Levon Lazarev.
How to get to the necropolis
Tikhvin cemeteryPetersburg is especially old, it has preserved the unique architectural appearance of old Petersburg. To touch the culture of that time, you need to go to the address: St. Petersburg, metro station "Alexander Nevsky Square", Nevsky Prospekt, 179/2 a.
Tikhvin cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra: opening hours
Necropolis is open from Monday to Sunday, except Thursday. To visit, you must purchase a ticket at the box office, which is open until 17:00.
Tikhvin cemetery St. Petersburg opening hours: from 10:00 to 17:30.
Cost
Entrance to the necropolis is paid. Tickets can be purchased at the box office. The entrance fee to the territory of the Tikhvin cemetery is: for pensioners, students, and other privileged categories of citizens - 50 rubles, a regular ticket - 300 rubles.
