The Don cemetery, located in the south-west of Moscow, is one of the most significant historical necropolises of the capital. Many figures are buried on it, having left a noticeable mark in Russian history, politics, culture and science. Let us take a closer look at this architectural and historical landmark.
From Russian history
About the founding date of many historical and architectural objects that have existed over the centuries, we can only judge approximately. Don cemetery in Moscow does not apply to them. Historical sources have kept the exact date of the first burial on it, it is 1591. According to tradition, the cemetery was opened at the Donskoy Monastery founded in the same year on the outskirts of Moscow. It was erected to commemorate the victory over the Crimean Khan Giray and named after the Don Icon of the Mother of God. It was with this icon that Sergius of Radonezh blessed Prince Dmitry to the Battle of Kulikovo. For centuries, the Donskoy Monastery has been one of the most significant spiritual centers of the Russian Orthodox Church. Its architectural ensemble has become a unique collection of monuments illustrating the development of Russian architecture from the Middle Ages to the present day.
At the graveyard of the Donskoy Monastery
There is nothing surprising in the fact that it was the Don cemetery that became the final resting place of many significant people in Russia. Moscow, the ancient capital of the Russian state, was located in immediate proximity from it even at the time of its foundation. And with the natural growth of the city, the Donskoy Monastery, together with the necropolis, first became part of Moscow, and then ceased to be considered its outskirts. But as the burial place of the higher aristocracy and the nobility, the Don cemetery became known in the second half of the eighteenth century. This churchyard was considered one of the most respected and prestigious not only in Moscow, but throughout Russia. Not every mortal could be honored to be buried on it. Nevertheless, the Old Don Cemetery is the burial place of people from different social layers of Russian society. Here are the graves of participants in the Patriotic War of 1812, revolutionaries, Decembrists, prominent statesmen and public figures, writers and artists.
Don cemetery in Moscow today
The total territory of the historic churchyard is currently about 13 hectares. The modern Don cemetery is divided into Old and New. Each of the two territories has a separate entrance and is open for free visits. In the administrative sense, the Don cemetery is a structural unit of the State Unitary Enterprise "Ritual". It is this organization that provides care for the graves and the maintenance of the graveyard in proper form. Since the late twenties, a crematorium has functioned on the territory of the cemetery, and urns with ashes were buried in the walls of the columbaria located here. No burials are currently being carried out in the territory of the Don cemetery. Exceptions to this rule are very rare.
