On the banks of the Neva, on the territory of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, is one of the most interesting cemeteries in St. Petersburg, called Nikolsky. Founded almost a century and a half later than the monastery itself, it is inextricably linked with its history and is surrounded by many legends that have been compiled in bygone times, and those that are still fresh in the memory of our contemporaries.
The Right Prince - the patron saint of the city
In 1710, at the height of the war with the Swedes, Tsar Peter I, wanting to raise the morale of his army, ordered the monastery to be built in honor of the holy Prince Alexander Nevsky, who defeated them 470 years ago. To this end, he personally chose the place where, according to the erroneous opinion that existed in those years, a historical battle took place.
So the famous Alexander Nevsky Lavra was laid in St. Petersburg, which in those years was the capital of the Russian Empire. Its construction lasted almost the entire 18th century, and only in the middle of 1790, after the completion of work related to the construction of the main architectural center - Holy Trinity Cathedral, the laurel took its final form. Its name, as desired by the founder of St. Petersburg - Tsar Peter I, she received in honor of the legendary winner of the Swedes, who became the heavenly patron of the city, whose relics were transferred to it from Vladimir in 1724.
The first cemeteries of the new monastery
For more than two centuries, the city on the Neva was the capital of the Russian Empire, and it is not surprising that it was his monastery that held the highest status among other monasteries of an ever-growing and gaining state. During the three-century history of the laurel, several cemeteries were formed on its territory that made up the famous Russian necropolis. The first of these was Lazarevskoye.
Burials on it began to be made in 1713, that is, almost immediately after the foundation of the laurel. This necropolis, located on the territory of the largest monastery in Russia, in its status went beyond the usual cemetery. It is enough to mention that royal burial was required for burial on it.
More than a century later, in 1823, the Tikhvin cemetery, which had not survived to our days, was founded on the territory of the laurel, on the site of which the Necropolis of Artists later arose. The graves of prominent figures of Russian art were transferred to its territory from other city cemeteries.
Creation of the Nikolsky cemetery
And, finally, the third time of foundation was the Nikolskoye cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, opened in 1863 from the eastern side of the Holy Trinity Cathedral, which is why it was first called Zasoborny. Nikolsky, however, they began to call him only in 1871, when the St. Nicholas Church, located nearby and giving it its name, was built and consecrated.
It is known that long before the founding of the cemetery, it was planned to set up a vast park through which the path to the main entrance to the monastery would run. But later the architects' plans changed. According to the surviving records, the first burial here was committed in May 1863. The name of the one who was destined to be the first to lie in the land of a new graveyard is also known. It was the widow of the servant of the laurels, Sergei Afanasevich Timofeev - Varvara Nikitichna.
The severity and reasonableness of the cemetery layout
Since its foundation, the Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St. Petersburg has been built according to a strictly established plan developed by the famous architect Domenico Trezzini. It was based on strict geometric constructions. They were also a characteristic feature of the new cemetery. The main gate was connected with the St. Nicholas Church by a direct alley, also called St. Nicholas. It was the central longitudinal axis. On both sides of it were parallel paths extending in a westerly direction. They, in turn, were crossed by transverse alleys leading to the southern part of the necropolis.
The location of the artificially created pond was also thought out. From its eastern side a very picturesque view of the temple buildings of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra opened. Standing on the shore, one could simultaneously admire the Trinity Cathedral, as well as the Fedorov and Blagoveshchensk churches.
Cemetery for the Elect
From the very beginning, this cemetery has become the most expensive and prestigious burial place in St. Petersburg. Accordingly, it was kept in exemplary order, recalling with its appearance, more likely, a park than a place of eternal rest. A quiet and picturesque pond only complemented this similarity. This status remained with him until the October Revolution.
At the end of the 19th century, the Nikolsky cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, on which burials of mostly wealthy people were made, was decorated with numerous highly artistic chapels and crypts. Their projects were commissioned to the best masters of that time, such as I. Schroeder, R. Bach, I. Podozyorov and others. Most of the buildings were erected in the old Russian style characteristic of that era.
The luxury and sophistication of graves
Another characteristic feature of the Nikolsky cemetery has always been the abundance of sculptures that complement or replace gravestones. The attention of visitors to the cemetery is also invariably attracted by tombstones made in the modern style. Their feature is decoration made using mosaics, majolica, as well as ceramics.
In more than half a century before the October revolution, many famous people were buried here: the famous aviators L. M. Matsievich and S. I. Utochkin, composer and conductor Rubinstein Anton G., publishers A. S. Suvorin and S. N. Shebinsky as well as many others.
Place of Rest for Clerics
From the beginning of the existence of the Nikolsky cemetery, a special site was allocated on its territory for the burial of the monks of the laurels and the higher Petersburg clergy. It received the name of Bratsk, and was separated from the main massif by a path called the Bishop's.
This site was preserved during the Soviet period, and in 1979, Metropolitan Nicodemus (Rotov) was buried on it. Due to its popularity among the clergy and laity, who remained faithful to the church during the difficult years of atheistic persecution, his burial served as the impetus for the beginning of the process of restoration of the cemetery’s territory, which was in an extremely poor state, in those years.
Homeless street and thieves
St. Nicholas cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, despite being an integral part of the monastery Necropolis, does not have the status of a museum-reserve. With the advent of Soviet power, it was repeatedly planned to close it, and the reason was not only that the new masters of the world did not see in it either ideological or historical value.
Immediately after the revolution, when the criminal situation in the country sharply worsened, the cemetery attracted numerous robbers, tearing graves and breaking open crypts in search of jewelry. In general, its territory has become a haven for street and fugitive criminals who settled between the graves and terrorized passers-by. In order to somehow restore order, it was decided to relocate all the graves of some interest to other places, and destroy the chapels and crypts that had turned into thieves' dens.
Reburial and Projects of the Twenties
The above decision was not fully implemented, and the Nikolskoye cemetery (St. Petersburg) continued to exist, but the remains of many prominent figures of Russian culture were still transferred to the Necropolis of art masters. These were people whose names forever entered our history. Among them, the outstanding musician Anton Rubinstein, artist Kustodiev, the famous actress of the early XX century Vera Fedorovna Komissarzhevskaya and several other artists.
In the twenties, the city authorities had a project to create the first crematorium in Russia at the cemetery. For its implementation, they wanted to appropriately re-equip St. Nicholas Church, which had been closed by then. The first experiments were even carried out, but without the proper equipment they were unsuccessful, and, fortunately, they abandoned this idea. The crematorium in Leningrad was built only in 1973, and in this regard, in 1980, a columbarium was built at the Nikolsky cemetery.
Heroes of a new story
Among those who found the last refuge here, in the post-communist period there are also people who rightfully went down in the history of St. Petersburg. First of all, this is his first mayor, Anatoly Sobchak. Being a graduate of Leningrad State University, Anatoly Alexandrovich since 1973 was engaged in teaching, defending his doctoral dissertation in 1982 and becoming a professor in one of its faculties. With the beginning of the nineties, Anatoly Sobchak was actively involved in the political life of the city, and, having interrupted his membership in the ranks of the CPSU, became one of the leaders of the perestroika movement.
In addition to him, at the Nikolsky cemetery, State Duma deputy Starovoitova Galina Vasilyevna, who did a lot to overcome the consequences of the totalitarian regime and tragically died at the hands of the killers in November 1998, is also buried. On her grave you can always see fresh flowers brought by Petersburgers who remember and appreciate her civic feat. The outstanding church figure Metropolitan of St. Petersburg and Ladoga John (Snychev), who departed to the Lord in 1995 and left his memory as one of the active participants in the process of reviving the religious consciousness of Russians, is also buried here.
Cemetery in the dashing nineties
The Nikolsky cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra received a new impetus for its development in the nineties. It, as in past years, became the resting place of those whose relatives could pay well. Many “new Russians” and the shadow business authorities turned out to be its eternal guests after the bloody “showdowns” that were traditional in those years. It is curious that it was then that numerous legends about evil spirits, which supposedly made Nikolskoye Cemetery their refuge, were revived.
Rumors and absurdities spread about the cemetery
The so-called yellow press widely exaggerated in those years rumors about underground catacombs discovered on its territory, built in ancient times by the Vikings, and filled not only with ancient weapons, but also with objects of magic worship that have not lost their strength in our days. There was a lot of talk about Satanists who performed sacrilegious and divine rites on fresh graves.
It even went so far as to claim that under the altar of the main Lavra church - Holy Trinity Cathedral - there is an altar for the celebration of the Black Mass. In general, human imagination knew no bounds, painting Nikolsky cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra in the most sinister colors. As a result, the graves of celebrities faded into the background, and it was these satanic stories that attracted many.
High demand tourist site
Nowadays, one can rightfully say that among other St. Petersburg necropolises, the Nikolskoye cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra enjoys special interest among tourists and residents of the city. Opening hours: 9: 00-17: 00 (from October to April) and 9: 00-19: 00 (from May to September). This is not always enough to give everyone the opportunity to see it, which is not surprising, given the interest that not only its history arouses among citizens, but also the people buried on it.
To better meet demand, tireless work, along with tour organizations, is also carried out by the Directorate of the Nikolsky Cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. The services offered by them (both informative and purely practical, for example, the manufacture of monuments) are very diverse.
