Smolenskoe Cemeteries

Categories / Architecture/Cemeteries (see also Municipal Economy)
Categories / City Services/Cemeteries (see also Architecture and Urban Planning)
SMOLENSKOE CEMETERIES. Located on Vasilievsky and Dekabristov islands, along both banks of the Smolenka River. The Orthodox Smolenskoe Cemetery (24 Kamskaya Street) is located on the left bank of the Smolenka River on an area of 51.7 hectares. It is the oldest functioning cemetery in St. Petersburg. It was first mentioned in the decree of 1738. Named after the wooden Church of the Icon of Our Lady of Smolensk (1760). The churches near the cemetery include the stone Smolenskaya Church, built on the site of an ancient wooden temple (1786-90, architect A.A. Ivanov); the stone Holy Trinity Church (1904-05, architect M.T. Preobrazhensky, I.I. Yakovlev, demolished in 1932); and Church of Holy Resurrection (1901-04, architect V.A. Demyanovsky, destroyed, being reconstructed now; in 1921, A.A. Blok's burial took place here). On the Patron Saint's Day, July 28th, open air festivals and fairs are arranged there. The cemetery was extensively damaged by the flood of 1824. The Orthodox Smolenskoe Cemetery was St. Petersburg's first spiritual centre, where St. Xenia of St. Petersburg was buried (above her grave a chapel was constructed in 1901-02 by architect A.V. Vseslavin). In 1855, the well-known city prophet, Anna Lozhkina, was buried in the cemetery (the chapel in her honour did not survive). The cemetery is the traditional burial place for academics, professors from St. Petersburg University and the Mining Institute, students of military educational institutions, actors, writers and artists. In 1828, Alexander Pushkin's nanny, Arina Rodionovna, was buried here (memorial plaque installed; grave not preserved); in 1861, T.G. Shevchenko was buried here, and his ashes were transferred to Ukraine the same year. In the 1930-50s, the remains of several prominent Russian cultural figures were moved from the cemetery to the museum-necropolises of the City Sculpture Museum (V.A. Karatygin, A.E. Martynov, I.I. Kramskoy, I.I. Shishkin, A.I. Kuindzhi and others). In 1944, Blok's remains, along with those of his relatives, were transfered to the Literatorskie Mostki section of the cemetery. Also buried here are geologist N.P. Barbot-de-Marni, military historian A.V. Viskovatov, statistician A.P. Zabolotsky-Desyatovsky, chemists N.N. Beketov, N.N. Zinin, and N.A. Menshutkin, astronomer P.B. Inokhodtsev, metallurgist A.A. Iossa, historians N.P. Likhachev, M.K. Lemke, and N.P. Pavlov-Silvansky, designer of the first airplane A.F. Mozhaysky, physicist and electrician V.V. Petrov, constructor of the first battleships A.A. Popov, traveller and collector P.P. Semenov-Tyan-Shansky, physicist A.A. Friedman, artists F.I. Iordan, V.E. Makovsky, G.I. Ugryumov, V.K. Shebuev, and S.S. Schukin, and writers F. Sologub, A.N. Chebotarevskaya and L.A. Charskaya. From 1938 to the early 1980s, there were no new burials at the cemetery. Over the last several years, several new burials have taken place, including that of the director of the Hermitage Museum, Academician B.B. Piotrovsky, poet V.B. Krivulin, painter T.P. Novikov. Opposite the Orthodox Smolenskoe Cemetery, on the right bank of the Smolenka River, is a large common grave of victims from the Siege of 1941-44, and a monument to professors of the Academy of Arts who died during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45.

References: Пирожков Г. В., Кобак А. В., Пирютко Ю. М. Смоленское православное кладбище // Исторические кладбища Петербурга: Справ.-путеводитель. СПб., 1993. С. 234-285. The Lutheran Smolenskoe Cemetery (9 Smolenka River Embankment), on the south part of Dekabristov Island, on the right bank of the Smolenka River, covers an area of 7.3 hectares. Founded in 1747 for interring foreigners, mainly consisting of Lutherans from the St. Catherine Church parish on Bolshoy Avenue of Vasilievsky Island, it is the oldest of St. Petersburg's non-Orthodox cemeteries. Buried here are Eastern Studies scholar academician V.V. Bartold, surgeons I.F. Bush and R.R. Wreden, chemist G.I. Hess, soil scientist V.V. Dokuchaev, Admiral A.S. Greig, physicists G.F. Parrot, P.L. Schilling and B.S. Jakoby, land-surveyor F.I. Schubert, director of the Tsarskoselsky Lyceum E.A. Engelgardt, aquarellist V.I. Hau, architects D.I. Grimm and P.Y. Suzor, writer F.M. Klinger, diplomats K.V. Nesselrode and V.N. Lamsdorf, publisher M.O. Wolf, and circus performer G. Cinizelli. In the 20th century, the remains of several historic figures were transferred to the museum-necropolis (L. Euler, A.A. Bethencourt, J.F. Thomas de Thomon). During the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1944, Leningrad Front soldiers and children who perished during the bombardment of 9 May 1942 were interred here (a monument by sculptor V.I. Gordon was opened in 1966).

Reference: Пирожков Г. В., Громов Н. В. Смоленское лютеранское кладбище // Исторические кладбища Петербурга: Справ.-путеводитель. СПб., 1993. С. 286-308. The Armenian Smolenskoe Cemetery (29 Smolenka River Embankment), west of the Lutheran Smolenskoe Cemetery, covers an area of 0.5 hectares. Opened in 1791, the cemetery was the Armenian-Gregorian community's burial place. The cemetery's the Holy Resurrection Church (architect Y.M. Felten(?)), was consecrated in 1797. The construction project was financed by factory owner and philanthropist I.L. Lazarev as a burial vault for his 23 year old son Artemy (headstone by sculptor I.P. Martos, transferred in the 1930s to the Blagoveschenskaya Burial Vault). In 1988, burials were resumed, the church was returned to the Armenian community, and the Armenian community's cultural centre was established here. Among those buried here are participant of the Patriotic War of 1812 Z. Firalov, aide-de-camp of A.V. Suvorov, Major General I.V. Khastatov; traveller G.0I. Khaldarov; Eastern Studies scholars O. Amidi and K.P. Patkanov. About 200 tombstones have been preserved.

Reference: Аматуни В. Н. Смоленское армянское кладбище // Исторические кладбища Петербурга: Справ.-путеводитель. СПб., 1993. С. 309-314; Антонов В. В., Кобак А. В. Святыни Санкт-Петербурга: Ист.-церков. энцикл. СПб., 1996. Т. 3.

A. A. Alexeev. Amidi Ovanes
Anna (Lozhkina), blessed
Arina Rodionovna (see Yakovleva A.R.)
Avilov M.I.
Barbot-de-Marni Nikolay Pavlovich
Bartold Vasily Vladimirovich
Beketov Nikolay Nikolaevich
Bethencourt Avgustin Avgustinovich
Blok G.P.
Bush Ivan Fedorovich
Charskaya Lidia Alexeevna
Chebotarevskaya Anastasia Nikolaevna
Cinizelli Gaetano
Demyanovsky Valentin Alexandrovich
Dokuchaev Vasily Vasilievich
Engelgardt Egor Antonovich
Euler Leonhard
Felten Yury (Georg Friedrich) Matveevich
Firalov Zoan
Fridman Alexander Alexandrovich
Greig Alexey Samuilovich
Grimm David Ivanovich
Hau Vladimir Ivanovich
Hess German Ivanovich
Inokhodtsev Peter Borisovich
Iordan Fedor Ivanovich
Iossa Alexander Andreevich
Ivanov Alexey Alexeevich
Jakoby Boris Semenovich (Moritz Herman)
Karatygin Vasily Andreevich
Khaldarov Grigory Ivanovich
Khastatov Ioakim Vasilievich
Klinger Friedrich Maximilian
Kramskoy Ivan Nikolaevich
Krivulin Viktor Borisovich
Kuindzhi Arkhip Ivanovich
Lamsdorf (Lambsdorf) Vladimir Nikolaevich, Count
Lazarev Artemy Ivanovich
Lazarev Ivan Lazarevich
Lemke Mikhail Konstantinovich
Likhachev Nikolay Petrovich
Makovsky Vladimir Egorovich
Martos Ivan Petrovich
Martynov Andrey Efimovich
Menshtukin Nikolay Alexandrovich
Mozhaysky Alexander Fedorovich
Nesselrode Karl Vasilievich, Count
Novikov Timur Petrovich
Parrot Georg Friedrich
Patkanov (Patkanyan) Kerope Petrovich
Pavlov-Silvansky Nikolay Pavlovich
Petrov Vasily Vladimirovich
Piotrovsky Andrian Ivanovich
Popov Andrey Alexandrovich
Preobrazhensky Mikhail Timofeevich
Pushkin Alexander Sergeevich
Schilling Pavel Lvovich
Schubert Fedor Ivanovich
Semenov-Tyan-Shansky (real name Semenov) Peter Petrovich
Shchukin Stepan Semenovich
Shebuev Vasily Kozmich
Shevchenko Taras Grigorievich
Shishkin Ivan Ivanovich
Sologub Fedor (real name Teternikov Fedor Kuzmich)
Suvorov Alexander Arkadievich, Count
Suzor Pavel Yulievich
Thomas de Thomon Jean-Francois
Ugryumov Grigory Ivanovich
Viskovatov Alexander Vasilievich
Vseslavin Alexander Alexandrovich
Wolf Mavriky Osipovich
Wreden Roman Romanovich
Xenia Blazhennaya (real name Petrova Xenia Grigorievna)
Yakovlev Ivan Ivanovich
Yakovleva Arina Rodionovna
Zabolotsky-Desyatovsky Andrey Parfenovich
Zinin Nikolay Nikolaevich
Kamskaya St./Saint Petersburg, city, house 24
Антонов В. В., Кобак А. В. Святыни Санкт-Петербурга: Ист.-церков. энцикл.: В 3 т. СПб., 1994-1996
Аматуни В. Н. Смоленское армянское кладбище // Исторические кладбища Петербурга: Справ.-путеводитель. СПб., 1993 Museum of City Sculpture
Literatorskie (Literary) Mostki, the museum-necropolis
1738
1747
1791