Vvedenskoye Cemetery
Encyclopedia
Vvedenskoye Cemetery or German Cemetery is a historical cemetery
in the Lefortovo District
of Moscow in Russia.
Until 1918 it was a main burial ground for Catholic and Protestant
communities of the city, principally the Germans from Russia
. After 1918 the cemetery was secularized and accepted the dead of all confessions, including the Orthodox clergy. Throughout its history it has also been extensively used as a military cemetery. It is located on a 20 hectare
lot between Gospitalny Val Street and Nalichnaya Street at 55°46′8"N 37°42′25"E.
, issued an edict
which decree
d that, from that point on, any person who died (regardless of their social standing or class origins), no longer had the right to be buried within church crypt
s or adjacent
churchyard
s. New cemeteries had to be built across the entire Russian empire and from then on they all had to be located outside city limits.
One of the main motivations behind these measues was overcrowding in church crypts and graveyards. However the true deciding factor which lead to the new laws being enforced on such a mass scale across the entire Russian empire was to avoid further outbreaks of highly contagious diseases, especially the black plague which had led to the Plague Riot
in Moscow in 1771.
When the Vvedenskoye cemetery was established in the early 1770s, an older, 16th century German cemetery was incorporated into it. This older cemetery was located near German Quarter
(on the opposite bank of Yauza River
), which had traditionally served the Lutheran
community and other western Christian denominations. In addition to German community, the cemetery tended to substantial English, Polish and Italian populations.
Unusual for Russian cemeteries, some graves, notably of Polish gentry, were set up as standalone crypt
s with walk-in chapels; these are now in dilapidated state. Most graves, however, are plain headstones or crosses; traditional Russian sarcophagus
-styled tombs of this period are rare and usually belong to Orthodox dead, originally buried elsewhere and relocated to Vvedenskoe later.
, Preobrazhenskoe and Semyonovskoe military facilities, Vvedenskoe also became a common site for burying deceased military - Russian servicemen as well as foreign prisoners of war. In 1889 the French government erected a memorial obelisk
at the mass grave of soldiers of Grande Armée soldiers who died during the French invasion of Russia
in 1812-1814. In 1914-1918 the cemetery also tended to the German and Austrian prisoners of First World War.
In the 19th century, the remains of Peter the Great general's Franz Lefort
and Patrick Gordon
, both who died in 1699, were exhumed and transferred to Vvedenskoye. Also buried at Vvedenskoye is the general-major Karl Staal, who was commander of Astrakhan cuirassier regiment in the 1813-1814 War of the Sixth Coalition
against Napoleon. One of the most unusual tombs, of railroad engineer and educator Christian Meyen, is assembled of rail car wheels and steam engine
parts and crowned with a 5-meter wrought iron
cross.
Upon secularization in 1918, new non-denominational graves gradually took over the older, untended, grave sites. As a result, today the historical graves are scattered among the majority of post-1918 graves.
During World War II, many soldiers who died in the nearby Lefortovo hospitals were buried here including 50 Heroes of the Soviet Union
among whom was Stepan Kretov
(1919–1975), and the deceased French pilots from the Normandie-Niemen
regiment. The latters' remains were relocated to France in the 1950s, however one tomb of Unknown French Pilot, killed in action in July 1943, is still preserved.
The cemetery still allows burials; some historical family lots continue to date since early 19th century (some under original surnames, some under different ones when changed through marriage). In some instances, like the Pikersgills descending from Englishman John Pickersgill of Howgrave in Yorkshire
(1765–1841), original lots were too small to accommodate future generations, and were eventually re-established on different sites.
There is also a cenotaph
to Iona Yakir
(1896–1937).
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
in the Lefortovo District
Lefortovo District
Lefortovo District is a district of South-Eastern Administrative Okrug of Moscow, Russia. Population: It is named after a close associate of Tsar Peter the Great Franz Lefort, whose troops were stationed nearby at the German Quarter. The district is considered to be founded in 1699. In the 18th...
of Moscow in Russia.
Until 1918 it was a main burial ground for Catholic and Protestant
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
communities of the city, principally the Germans from Russia
Germans from Russia
Germans from Russia refers to the large numbers of ethnic Germans who emigrated from the Russian Empire, peaking in the late 19th century. The upper Great Plains in the United States and southern Manitoba and Saskatchewan have large areas populated primarily of descendants of Germans from Russia...
. After 1918 the cemetery was secularized and accepted the dead of all confessions, including the Orthodox clergy. Throughout its history it has also been extensively used as a military cemetery. It is located on a 20 hectare
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
lot between Gospitalny Val Street and Nalichnaya Street at 55°46′8"N 37°42′25"E.
Origins
Between late 1771 and 1772, Catherine the Great, empress of the Russian EmpireRussian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
, issued an edict
Edict
An edict is an announcement of a law, often associated with monarchism. The Pope and various micronational leaders are currently the only persons who still issue edicts.-Notable edicts:...
which decree
Decree
A decree is a rule of law issued by a head of state , according to certain procedures . It has the force of law...
d that, from that point on, any person who died (regardless of their social standing or class origins), no longer had the right to be buried within church crypt
Crypt
In architecture, a crypt is a stone chamber or vault beneath the floor of a burial vault possibly containing sarcophagi, coffins or relics....
s or adjacent
Adjacent
Adjacent is an adjective meaning contiguous, adjoining or abuttingIn geometry, adjacent is when sides meet to make an angle.In graph theory adjacent nodes in a graph are linked by an edge....
churchyard
Churchyard
A churchyard is a patch of land adjoining or surrounding a church which is usually owned by the relevant church or local parish itself. In the Scots language or Northern English language this can also be known as a kirkyard or kirkyaird....
s. New cemeteries had to be built across the entire Russian empire and from then on they all had to be located outside city limits.
One of the main motivations behind these measues was overcrowding in church crypts and graveyards. However the true deciding factor which lead to the new laws being enforced on such a mass scale across the entire Russian empire was to avoid further outbreaks of highly contagious diseases, especially the black plague which had led to the Plague Riot
Plague Riot
Plague Riot was a riot in Moscow in 1771 between September 15 and September 17, caused by an outbreak of bubonic plague.-History:...
in Moscow in 1771.
When the Vvedenskoye cemetery was established in the early 1770s, an older, 16th century German cemetery was incorporated into it. This older cemetery was located near German Quarter
German Quarter
German Quarter, also known as the Kukuy Quarter was a neighborhood in the northeast of Moscow, located on the right bank of the Yauza River east of Kukuy Creek , within present-day Basmanny District of Moscow....
(on the opposite bank of Yauza River
Yauza River
This article is about a river in Moscow, a tributary of the Moskva River. There are three other Yauza rivers in Central Russia: tributaries of the Lama, Gzhat and Sestra....
), which had traditionally served the Lutheran
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
community and other western Christian denominations. In addition to German community, the cemetery tended to substantial English, Polish and Italian populations.
Unusual for Russian cemeteries, some graves, notably of Polish gentry, were set up as standalone crypt
Crypt
In architecture, a crypt is a stone chamber or vault beneath the floor of a burial vault possibly containing sarcophagi, coffins or relics....
s with walk-in chapels; these are now in dilapidated state. Most graves, however, are plain headstones or crosses; traditional Russian sarcophagus
Sarcophagus
A sarcophagus is a funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved or cut from stone. The word "sarcophagus" comes from the Greek σαρξ sarx meaning "flesh", and φαγειν phagein meaning "to eat", hence sarkophagus means "flesh-eating"; from the phrase lithos sarkophagos...
-styled tombs of this period are rare and usually belong to Orthodox dead, originally buried elsewhere and relocated to Vvedenskoe later.
19th century
Due to proximity of LefortovoLefortovo
Lefortovo could refer to a number of places or things in or around Moscow, Russia:*Lefortovo District, a district in South-Eastern Administrative Okrug*Lefortovo prison, a prison*Lefortovo tunnel, a road tunnel...
, Preobrazhenskoe and Semyonovskoe military facilities, Vvedenskoe also became a common site for burying deceased military - Russian servicemen as well as foreign prisoners of war. In 1889 the French government erected a memorial obelisk
Obelisk
An obelisk is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape at the top, and is said to resemble a petrified ray of the sun-disk. A pair of obelisks usually stood in front of a pylon...
at the mass grave of soldiers of Grande Armée soldiers who died during the French invasion of Russia
French invasion of Russia
The French invasion of Russia of 1812 was a turning point in the Napoleonic Wars. It reduced the French and allied invasion forces to a tiny fraction of their initial strength and triggered a major shift in European politics as it dramatically weakened French hegemony in Europe...
in 1812-1814. In 1914-1918 the cemetery also tended to the German and Austrian prisoners of First World War.
In the 19th century, the remains of Peter the Great general's Franz Lefort
Franz Lefort
Franz Lefort was a Russian military figure of Swiss origin, general admiral , and close associate of Peter the Great....
and Patrick Gordon
Patrick Gordon
Patrick Leopold Gordon was general of the Imperial Russian army, of Scottish origin. He was descended from a Scottish family of Aberdeenshire, holders of the small estate of Auchleuchries, the family were connected with the house of Haddo.- Life :He was raised and remained a lifelong Catholic, at...
, both who died in 1699, were exhumed and transferred to Vvedenskoye. Also buried at Vvedenskoye is the general-major Karl Staal, who was commander of Astrakhan cuirassier regiment in the 1813-1814 War of the Sixth Coalition
War of the Sixth Coalition
In the War of the Sixth Coalition , a coalition of Austria, Prussia, Russia, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Sweden, Spain and a number of German States finally defeated France and drove Napoleon Bonaparte into exile on Elba. After Napoleon's disastrous invasion of Russia, the continental powers...
against Napoleon. One of the most unusual tombs, of railroad engineer and educator Christian Meyen, is assembled of rail car wheels and steam engine
Steam engine
A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.Steam engines are external combustion engines, where the working fluid is separate from the combustion products. Non-combustion heat sources such as solar power, nuclear power or geothermal energy may be...
parts and crowned with a 5-meter wrought iron
Wrought iron
thumb|The [[Eiffel tower]] is constructed from [[puddle iron]], a form of wrought ironWrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon...
cross.
Notable people buried before the revolution of 1917
- Santino Campioni (1774–1847), sculptor
- Semyon Eybushitz (1851–1898), architect
- John FieldJohn Field (composer)John Field was an Irish pianist, composer, and teacher. He was born in Dublin into a musical family, and received his early education there. The Fields soon moved to London, where Field studied under Muzio Clementi...
(1782–1837), composer - Friedrich (Fyodor) HaassFriedrich Joseph HaassDr Friedrich Joseph Haass was the "holy doctor of Moscow." As a member of Moscow's governmental prison committee, he spent 25 years until the end of his life to humanize the penal system. During the last nine years before his death he spent all of his assets to run a hospital for homeless people....
(1780–1853), physician and philanthropist - Gustav List (1835–1913), businessman and philanthropist
- Lucien OlivierLucien OlivierLucien Olivier was a Russian chef of Belgian origin. He was the owner of Hermitage restaurant in the center of Moscow in the early 1860's. Olivier is known for the creation of the famous salad recipe, named in honor of its founder - Olivier. The secret of the recipe was never disclosed until his...
(1838–1883), chef - Pavel Petrovich PahlenPahlenvon der Pahlen is a noble Russian, Lithuanian and Swedish family of Baltic German origin. The family probably originated from Pomerania but in the beginning of 15th century moved to Livonia...
(1775–1834), cavalry general - Leonid Timister (1844–1905), businessman and philanthropist
- Pavel PabstPavel PabstPaul Pabst Russ: Pavel was a pianist, composer, and Professor of Piano at Moscow Conservatory.-Life and career:...
(1854–1897) pianist, composer and teacher
Soviet period and beyond
During World War II, many soldiers who died in the nearby Lefortovo hospitals were buried here including 50 Heroes of the Soviet Union
Hero of the Soviet Union
The title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:...
among whom was Stepan Kretov
Stepan Kretov
Stepan Ivanovich Kretov was a Soviet military aviator. He was made a Hero of the Soviet Union on two occasions . Colonel Kretov was awarded two Orders of Lenin, two Orders of the Red Banner, Orders of the Red Star, and numerous medals.-Biography:Stepan Kretov was born in a peasant family in Malaya...
(1919–1975), and the deceased French pilots from the Normandie-Niemen
Normandie-Niemen
The Normandie-Niemen Regiment was a fighter squadron, later regiment of the French Air Force. It served on the Eastern Front of the European Theatre of World War II with the 1st Air Army...
regiment. The latters' remains were relocated to France in the 1950s, however one tomb of Unknown French Pilot, killed in action in July 1943, is still preserved.
The cemetery still allows burials; some historical family lots continue to date since early 19th century (some under original surnames, some under different ones when changed through marriage). In some instances, like the Pikersgills descending from Englishman John Pickersgill of Howgrave in Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
(1765–1841), original lots were too small to accommodate future generations, and were eventually re-established on different sites.
Notable people buried in Soviet period
- Osip AbdulovOsip Abdulov-Biography:Osip Naumovich Abdulov was born to a Jewish family in Łódź, Poland in 1900. He briefly studied at Moscow University in 1917 before turning his interest to acting....
, actor - Vsevolod Abdulov, actor
- Grigory Barkhin, architect
- Leonid Grossman (1888–1965), writer
- Anna Izryadnova (1891–1946), wife of Sergei YeseninSergei YeseninSergei Alexandrovich Yesenin was a Russian lyrical poet. He was one of the most popular and well-known Russian poets of the 20th century but committed suicide at the age of 30...
- Roman KleinRoman KleinRoman Ivanovich Klein , born Robert Julius Klein, was a Russian architect and educator, best known for his Neoclassical Pushkin Museum in Moscow. Klein, an eclectic, was one of the most prolific architects of his period, second only to Fyodor Schechtel...
(1858–1924), architect - Nikolai KolliNikolai KolliNikolai Dzhemsovich Kolli was a Russian Constructivist architect and city planner.Born in Moscow, Kolli studied at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture and then at Vkhutemas...
(1894–1966), architect - Nikolai KoltsovNikolai KoltsovNikolai Konstantinovich Koltsov was a Russian biologist. He was one of the creators of modern genetics. Nikolai Koltsov was a teacher of Nikolay Timofeeff-Ressovsky.-Scientific career:...
(1872–1940), biologist - Ivan Sergeyevich KuznetsovIvan Sergeyevich KuznetsovIvan Sergeyevich Kuznetsov was a Russian architect primarily known for his pre-1917 works in Moscow, Moscow suburbs, and Vichuga. Born into a working-class family, Kuznetsov independently broke into the elite architecture society of Moscow. He worked in many different styles, but was most...
(1867–1942), architect - Konstantin MelnikovKonstantin MelnikovKonstantin Stepanovich Melnikov was a Russian architect and painter. His architectural work, compressed into a single decade , placed Melnikov on the front end of 1920s avant-garde architecture...
(1890–1974), architect - Mikhail PrishvinMikhail PrishvinMikhail Mikhailovich Prishvin was a Russian/Soviet writer.Mikhail Prishvin was born in the family mansion of Krutschevo, near the city of Yelets in what is now Lipetsk Oblast into the family of a merchant. In 1893-1897, he studied at a polytechnic school in Riga and was once arrested for his...
(1873–1954), writer - Ivan RerbergIvan RerbergIvan Ivanovich Rerberg was a Russian civil engineer, architect and educator active in Moscow in 1897–1932. Rerberg's input to present-day Moscow include Kiyevsky Rail Terminal, Central Telegraph building and the Administration building of Moscow Kremlin...
(1869–1932), architect - Alexander Filipovich Samoilov (1867–1930), physiologist
- Pyotr SobolevskyPyotr SobolevskyPyotr Stanislavovich Sobolevsky was a Soviet actor. He appeared in more than 50 films between 1926 and 1973.-Biography:Pyotr Sobolevsky was born on 22 May 1904 in Tomsk. Studied in the Factory of the Eccentric Actor under Grigori Kozintsev and Leonid Trauberg, in 1932 graduated from Leningrad...
(1904–1977), film actor - Ivan SusloparovIvan SusloparovIvan Alekseyevich Susloparov was a Soviet general who served as the Military Liaison Mission Commander with the French government and the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe in 1944-45. He is mostly known as the person who signed for the Soviet Union the German Instrument of Surrender on May 7,...
(1897–1974), Red Army general who signed the first set of documents for unconditional surrender of Germany May 7, 1945Victory in Europe DayVictory in Europe Day commemorates 8 May 1945 , the date when the World War II Allies formally accepted the unconditional surrender of the armed forces of Nazi Germany and the end of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich. The formal surrender of the occupying German forces in the Channel Islands was not...
in Rheims - Valeri PopenchenkoValeri PopenchenkoValeri Vladimirovich Popenchenko was an amateur boxer from the Soviet Union, who competed in the Middleweight division during his career, winning 200 of his 213 fights....
(1937-1975) Olympic Gold Medal winning Boxer. - Ivan Sytin (1851–1934), businessman, publisher and educator
- Metropolitan TrifonMetropolitan TrifonMetropolitan Trifon November 29, 1861, Moscow—June 14, 1934) is a revered hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church. In 1901 he became the Bishop of Dmitrov and a vicar of the Moscow Eparchy. On February 26, 1915 Trifon was awarded the Panagia on the Ribbon of Saint George and the Order of St....
(Boris Petrovich Turkestanov, 1861–1934) - Artists Victor Vasnetsov (1848–1926) and Apollinary VasnetsovApollinary VasnetsovApollinary Mikhaylovich Vasnetsov , 1856, the village of Riabovo, Vyatka province - January 23, 1933, Moscow) was a Russian painter and graphic artist whose elder brother was the more famous Viktor Vasnetsov. He specialized in scenes from the medieval history of Moscow.Vasnetsov was a painter and a...
(1856–1933) - Stanislav Vaupshasov (1899–1976), NKVDNKVDThe People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
guerilla operative, Hero of the Soviet Union
There is also a cenotaph
Cenotaph
A cenotaph is an "empty tomb" or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been interred elsewhere. The word derives from the Greek κενοτάφιον = kenotaphion...
to Iona Yakir
Iona Yakir
Iona Emmanuilovich Yakir was the Red Army commander and one of the world's major military reformers between World War I and World War II.-Early years:...
(1896–1937).
See also
- German QuarterGerman QuarterGerman Quarter, also known as the Kukuy Quarter was a neighborhood in the northeast of Moscow, located on the right bank of the Yauza River east of Kukuy Creek , within present-day Basmanny District of Moscow....
- Volkovo CemeteryVolkovo CemeteryThe Volkovo Cemetery , is one of the largest and oldest non- Orthodox cemeteries in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Until the early 20th century it was one of the main burial grounds for Lutheran Germans in Russia...
- Smolensk CemeterySmolensk CemeteryThe Smolenskoye Cemetery is a Lutheran cemetery on Decembrists' Island in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is one of the largest and oldest non-orthodox cemeteries in the city. Until the early 20th century it was one of the main burial grounds for ethnic Germans.- History :The Lutheran cemetery on...
- Germans from RussiaGermans from RussiaGermans from Russia refers to the large numbers of ethnic Germans who emigrated from the Russian Empire, peaking in the late 19th century. The upper Great Plains in the United States and southern Manitoba and Saskatchewan have large areas populated primarily of descendants of Germans from Russia...