Thoughts about cemeteries do not belong to the category of positive, so they try not to recall them without special need. But cemeteries are a significant element of urban infrastructure. And in their appearance, we can draw conclusions about the degree of civilization of the inhabitants of the village, and about the cultural traditions of society. The famous historical cemeteries of St. Petersburg have always been distinguished by special expressiveness and aristocracy. And this is a tradition that should not be forgotten at the beginning of the twenty-first century.
Beyond the eastern outskirts of the city
Kovalevskoe cemetery is difficult to attribute to the ancient. It was founded in September 1984 by order of the Leningrad City Executive Committee. The Kovalevskoe cemetery is located outside the city limits, in the Vsevolozhsk district of the Leningrad region. In the administrative sense, it is a structural unit of the State Institution "Specialized Service of St. Petersburg for Funeral Matters". The total area of the churchyard is currently 110 hectares. There is a reserve of free space that can be attached to the main territory when such a need arises. Kovalevskoe cemetery on the map is divided into fifty nominal sections. Most of them have a shape close to square, and is divided into four “quarters”. There are areas for burial on a confessional basis, as well as a site for the burial of military personnel.
Background of the Kovalevsky cemetery
The first burials in this area appeared much earlier. This was due to such tragic events in the history of the city as the Great Patriotic War and the blockade of Leningrad were. It was during these years that many residents of the city were buried in this territory, which served as a platform for mass graves. Those who died from the bombing and shelling, those who died of starvation. By the way, near the place where the Kovalevskoye cemetery is located today, during the years of the war, the famous Road of Life passed, linking the besieged Leningrad with large land. Currently, local lore specialists are conducting research aimed at systematizing the available information about the burial places of the blockades. Not least, this also applies to the Kovalevsky cemetery. It only remains to be regretted that the burial sites of the blockade were not properly marked in the cemetery.
Mode of operation of the necropolis and improvement of the territory
Kovalevskoe cemetery is currently open. Burials are carried out both in related graves and in free places. They also carry out the burial of urns with ashes, and the burial in the common graves of those who were not claimed by relatives. The cemetery territory is open for visiting from 9 to 17 hours from October to April, from 9 to 18 - from May to September. The first of January is considered a day off. Since 1997, the church of Saints Efimius and Gennady has been operating in the cemetery, here you can put a memorial candle and order a memorial service. In addition to places for burials according to the Orthodox rite, plots for those who profess the Muslim and Jewish religions were allocated. In the cemetery, the necessary minimum of landscaping and landscaping works has been completed. Unfortunately, only the main alleys and driveways between them have a hard coating. To fully comply with the architectural appearance of the cemetery with modern standards, much remains to be done. Such improvement work is planned to be carried out in the coming years, funds for the development of the cemetery infrastructure in the city budget of St. Petersburg are laid.
Famous people
Thirty years of existence is not such a long time for the necropolis, and the Kovalevskoe cemetery cannot be classified as a particularly prestigious one. However, on this graveyard some people found their last refuge, leaving a noticeable mark in Russian culture and science. First of all, Alexander Bashlachev should be noted. This poet, performer and musician was one of the brightest stars of the Russian rock scene. In addition to him, he was buried at the Kovalevsky cemetery: artists I. I. Godlevsky and N. I. Timkov, jazz musician N. S. Rezanov, film director N. I. Ershov, scientists Knorozov N. E. and Smolensky N. A.
Kovalevskoe cemetery, St. Petersburg - map
The scheme of the necropolis clearly demonstrates some ill-considered numbering of sites. There are fifty of them, but they are not always arranged sequentially (in ascending order of numbers). Typically, such chaos in numbering increases over time when new areas join the existing territory. But the necessary information about the graves can be obtained from the administration of the cemetery, the building of which is located to the right of the main entrance. Here are also economic services and various commercial structures.
