Novodevichy Cemetery ( rus, Новоде́вичье кла́дбище, Novodevichye kladbishche) is a cemetery in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

. It lies next to the southern wall of the 16th-century Novodevichy Convent, which is the city's third most popular tourist site.

History

The cemetery was designed by Ivan Mashkov and inaugurated in 1898. Its importance dates from the 1930s, when the necropolises of the medieval Muscovite monasteries ( Simonov, Danilov, Donskoy) were scheduled for demolition. Only the Donskoy survived the

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet Union, Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as Ge ...

era relatively intact. The remains of many famous Russians buried in other abbeys, such as

Nikolai Gogol Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol; uk, link=no, Мико́ла Васи́льович Го́голь, translit=Mykola Vasyliovych Hohol; (russian: Яновский; uk, Яновський, translit=Yanovskyi) ( – ) was a Russian novelist, ...

and

Sergey Aksakov Sergey Timofeyevich Aksakov (russian: Серге́й Тимофе́евич Акса́ков) (—) was a 19th-century Russian literary figure remembered for his semi-autobiographical tales of family life, as well as his books on hunting and fi ...

, were disinterred and reburied at the Novodevichy. A 19th-century necropolis within the walls of the Novodevichy convent, which contained the graves of about 2000 Russian noblemen and university professors, also underwent reconstruction. The vast majority of graves were destroyed. It was at that time that the remains of Anton Chekhov were moved outside the monastery walls. His grave served as the kernel of the so-called "cherry orchard" – a section of the cemetery which contains the graves of

Constantin Stanislavski Konstantin Sergeyevich Stanislavski ( Alekseyev; russian: Константин Сергеевич Станиславский, p=kənstɐnʲˈtʲin sʲɪrˈgʲejɪvʲɪtɕ stənʲɪˈslafskʲɪj; 7 August 1938) was a seminal Russian Soviet Fe ...

and the leading actors of his company.

Interments

During the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

, burial in the Novodevichy Cemetery was second in prestige only to burial in the

Kremlin Wall Necropolis The Kremlin Wall Necropolis was the national cemetery for the Soviet Union. Burials in the Kremlin Wall Necropolis in Moscow began in November 1917, when 240 pro-Bolshevik individuals who died during the Moscow Bolshevik Uprising were buried in ma ...

. Among the Soviet leaders,

Nikita Khrushchev Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (– 11 September 1971) was the First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 and chairman of the country's Council of Ministers from 1958 to 1964. During his rule, Khrushchev s ...

and

Mikhail Gorbachev Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (2 March 1931 – 30 August 2022) was a Soviet politician who served as the 8th and final leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to the country's dissolution in 1991. He served as General Secretary of the Com ...

would be buried there. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, the Kremlin Wall is no longer used for burials and the Novodevichy Cemetery is used for only the most symbolically significant burials. In 1997, former premier Nikolai Tikhonov was buried in the cemetery at state expense (since he didn't have any money of his own). In April 2007, within one week both the first President of the Russian Federation

Boris Yeltsin Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin ( rus, Борис Николаевич Ельцин, p=bɐˈrʲis nʲɪkɐˈla(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈjelʲtsɨn, a=Ru-Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin.ogg; 1 February 1931 – 23 April 2007) was a Soviet and Russian politician wh ...

and cellist

Mstislav Rostropovich Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich, (27 March 192727 April 2007) was a Russian cellist and conductor. He is considered by many to be the greatest cellist of the 20th century. In addition to his interpretations and technique, he was well ...

were buried there. Today, the cemetery holds the tombs of Russian authors, musicians, playwrights, and poets, as well as famous actors, political leaders, and scientists. More than 27,000 are buried at Novodevichy. There is scant space for more burials. A new national cemetery is under construction in Mytishchi north of Moscow. Notable burials include Dmitry Shostakovich,

Sergei Prokofiev Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''., group=n (27 April .S. 15 April1891 – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, ...

and Anton Chekhov. The cemetery has a park-like ambience, dotted with small chapels and large sculpted monuments. It is divided into the old (Divisions 1–4), new (Divisions 5–8) and newest (Divisions 9–11) sections; maps are available at the cemetery office.

Monuments

File:Grave of Nikita Khrushchev Tomb.jpg,

File:BorisYeltsinMemorial.JPG,

File:Bulgakow Grab.JPG, Mikhail Bulgakov File:Novodevicij Cemetery Anton Chekhov.JPG, Anton Chekhov File:Post-2009 gravesite of Nikolai Gogol in Novodevichy Cemetery, Moscow, Russia.jpg,

File:A grave of Dmitry Shostakovichi.jpg,

Dmitri Shostakovich Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, , group=n (9 August 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his First Symphony in 1926 and was regarded throughout his life as a major compo ...

File:Grave of Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev.jpg,

and his wife Mira Mendelson File:V Majakovskij.jpg, Vladimir Mayakovsky File:02 serov.JPG,

Valentin Serov Valentin Alexandrovich Serov (russian: Валенти́н Алекса́ндрович Серо́в; 19 January 1865 – 5 December 1911) was a Russian painter and one of the premier portrait artists of his era. Life and work Youth and educ ...

File:Эйзенштейн.jpg,

Sergei Eisenstein Sergei Mikhailovich Eisenstein (russian: Сергей Михайлович Эйзенштейн, p=sʲɪrˈɡʲej mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪtɕ ɪjzʲɪnˈʂtʲejn, 2=Sergey Mikhaylovich Eyzenshteyn; 11 February 1948) was a Soviet film director, scree ...

File:Mikhail Gorbachev.grave.jpg,

File:Кошевой.jpg, Pyotr Koshevoy File:Mayor-moscow-yury-mikhailovich-luzhkov-grave-novodevichy-cemetery-moscow 248906-3680.jpg, Yury Mikhailovich Luzhkov File:Могила композитора Бориса Александрова.JPG,

Boris Alexandrovich Alexandrov Boris Alexandrovich Alexandrov (russian: Борис Александрович Александров; 4 August 1905, Bologoye – 17 June 1994, Moscow) was a Soviet and Russian composer and, from 1946 to 1986, the second head of the Alexand ...

File:Tumba de Aleksandr Rodímtsev y su esposa.jpg, Alexander Rodimtsev File:Tumba de Iván Petrov.jpg, Ivan Yefimovich Petrov File:Надгробие на могиле Кирилла Семёновича Москаленко.jpg, Kirill Moskalenko

Notable Graves

The following noteworthy graves, among others, can be found at Novodevichy Cemetery: *

(1809-1852) *

(1791-1859) * Anton Chekhov (1860-1904) *

(1865-1911) * Vladimir Mayakovsky (1893-1930) *

Nikolay Andreyev Nikolay Andreyevich Andreyev (russian: Николай Андреевич Андреев; – 24 December 1932) was a Russian sculptor, graphic artist and stage designer. As a young man Andreyev studied with Sergey Volnukhin and in 1902 became a ...

(1873–1932) *

Nadezhda Alliluyeva Nadezhda Sergeyevna Alliluyeva (russian: link=no, Надежда Сергеевна Аллилуева; – 9 November 1932) was the second wife of Joseph Stalin. She was born in Baku to a friend of Stalin, a fellow revolutionary, and was rai ...

(1901-1932) *

Konstantin Stanislavski Konstantin Sergeyevich Stanislavski ( Alekseyev; russian: Константин Сергеевич Станиславский, p=kənstɐnʲˈtʲin sʲɪrˈgʲejɪvʲɪtɕ stənʲɪˈslafskʲɪj; 7 August 1938) was a seminal Soviet Russian ...

(1863-1938) * Mikhail Bulgakov (1891-1940) *

Ivan Shadr Ivan Shadr (russian: Иван Шадр), pseudonym of Ivan Dmitriyevich Ivanov (russian: Ива́н Дми́триевич Ивано́в; — 3 April 1941) was a Russian/Soviet sculptor and medalist who took his pseudonym after his hometo ...

(1887–1941) *

Demyan Bedny Yefim Alekseevich Pridvorov ( rus, Ефи́м Алексе́евич Придво́ров, p=jɪˈfʲim ɐlʲɪˈksʲejɪvʲɪtɕ prʲɪˈdvorəf, a=Yefim Alyeksyeyevich Pridvorov.ru.vorb.oga; – May 25, 1945), better known by the pen name ...

(1883–1945) *

Nikolai Podvoisky Nikolai Ilyich Podvoisky (russian: Николай Ильич Подвойский; February 16 Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates">O.S_February_4.html" ;"title="Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="nowiki/>O.S_February_4">Old_Style_and_New_S ...

(1880-1948) *

(1898-1948) *

Yevgeniy Abalakov Yevgeniy Mikhaylovich Abalakov (russian: Евгений Михайлович Абалаков; 23 March 1948 Great Russian Encyclopedia (2006), Moscow: Bol'shaya Rossiyskaya Enciklopediya Publisher, vol. 1, p. 9) was a Soviet mountaineer and sc ...

(1907-1948) * Vera Mukhina (1889–1953) *

(1891-1953) * Aleksey Abrikosov (1875-1955) * Karo Halabyan (1897-1959) *

Daniil Andreyev Daniil Leonidovich Andreyev ( rus, Дании́л Леони́дович Андре́ев, p=dənʲɪˈil lʲɪɐˈnʲidəvʲɪtɕ ɐnˈdrʲejɪf, a=Daniil Lyeonidovich Andryeyev.ru.vorb.oga; November 2, 1906, Berlin – March 30, 1959, Moscow ...

(1906-1959) * Vsevolod Aksyonov (1902-1960) * Mira Mendelson (1915-1963) * Ivan Agayants (1911-1968) * Vasily Azhayev (1915-1968) * Abram Isaakovich Alikhanov (1904-1970) * Nikolai Basistiy (1898-1971) * Sergey Konenkov (1874–1971) *

(1894-1971) * Andrei Abrikosov (1906-1973) *

Averky Aristov Averky Borisovich Aristov (russian: Аверкий Борисович Аристов) (4 November 1903 – 11 July 1973) was a Soviet politician and diplomat. Biography Born at Krasny Yar in Astrakhan Governorate, he was the son of a fis ...

(1903–1973) * Nikolay Kuznetsov (1904-1974) * Yevgeny Vuchetich (1908–1974) * Nikolai Bulganin (1895-1975) *

(1906-1975) * Pyotr Koshevoy (1904-1976) * Filipp Golikov (1900-1980) * Nikolai Podgorny (1903-1983) * Nikolai Tomsky (1900–1984) * Pavel Batov (1897-1985) * Kirill Moskalenko (1902-1985) * Vyacheslav Molotov (1890-1986) * Andrei Gromyko (1909-1989) * Semyon Kurkotkin (1917-1990) * Grigori Abrikosov (1932-1993) *

(1905-1994) *

Mikhail Anikushin Mikhail Konstantinovich Anikushin (russian: Михаил Константинович Аникушин; (19 September 1917, Moscow – 18 May 1997, Saint Petersburg) was a famous Soviet and Russian sculptor. Among his most famous works are a m ...

(1917–1997) * Nikolai Tikhonov (1905-1997) * Yuri Nikulin (1921-1997) *

Raisa Gorbacheva Raisa Maximovna Gorbacheva (russian: link=no, Раи́са Макси́мовна Горбачёва Romanized ''Raisa Maksimovna Gorbachyova'', , Титаренко; 5 January 1932 – 20 September 1999) was a Soviet-Russian activist and phi ...

(1932-1999) * Sergey Afanasyev (1918-2001) *

Alexander Lebed Lieutenant General Alexander Ivanovich Lebed (russian: Алекса́ндр Ива́нович Ле́бедь, link=no; 20 April 1950 – 28 April 2002) was a Soviet and Russian military officer and politician who held senior positions in the A ...

(1950-2002) *

Lev Kerbel Lev Yefimovich Kerbel (russian: Лев Ефимович Кербель; – 14 August 2003) was a sculptor of Soviet realist works. Kerbel's creations included statues of Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, Yuri Gagarin, which were sent by Soviet Gove ...

(1917–2003) *

(1927-2007) *

(1931-2007) *

Lyudmila Zykina Lyudmila Georgievna Zykina (russian: link=no, Людми́ла Гео́ргиевна Зы́кина; 10 June 1929 – 1 July 2009) was a national folk singer of Russia. She was born in Moscow and joined the Pyatnitsky Choir in 1947. Her surn ...

(1929-2009) * Vyacheslav Tikhonov (1928-2009) * Vladimir Arnold (1937-2010) *

Lyudmila Gurchenko Lyudmila Markovna Gurchenko (née Gurchenko; russian: link=no, Людмила Марковна Гурченко; 12 November 1935 – 30 March 2011) was a popular Soviet and Russian actress, singer and entertainer. She was given the honorary title ...

(1935-2011) *

Victor Merzhanov Victor Karpovich Merzhanov (russian: Ви́ктор Ка́рпович Мержа́нов) (15 August 191920 December 2012) was a Russian pianist and People's Artist of the USSR (1990). Biography Merzhanov was born in Tambov and studied at Tam ...

(1919-2012) * Sergey Sokolov (1911-2012) * Ernst Neizvestny (1925–2016) * Yury Mikhailovich Luzhkov (1936-2019) * Vladimir Zhirinovsky (1946-2022) *

(1931-2022)

References

External links

Unofficial site. Hi-resolution photos

Famous and picturesque (24) memorials photographed June 2005

Novodevichii Cemetery
– article from the ''

Great Soviet Encyclopedia The ''Great Soviet Encyclopedia'' (GSE; ) is one of the largest Russian-language encyclopedias, published in the Soviet Union from 1926 to 1990. After 2002, the encyclopedia's data was partially included into the later ''Bolshaya rossiyskaya e ...