The Orthodox Cemetery in Warsaw () is an historic
Eastern Orthodox
Eastern Orthodoxy, otherwise known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity or Byzantine Christianity, is one of the three main Branches of Christianity, branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholic Church, Catholicism and Protestantism ...
cemetery located in the
Wola district of
Warsaw
Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...
,
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
.
History
In 1834 the first Orthodox parish was established in
Warsaw
Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...
and a decision was made to set up a cemetery for the community. The Roman Catholic parish of St. Lawrence was then turned into an Orthodox church, by decree of the
Tsar
Tsar (; also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar''; ; ; sr-Cyrl-Latn, цар, car) is a title historically used by Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word '' caesar'', which was intended to mean ''emperor'' in the Euro ...
himself. Although the cemetery was officially consecrated in 1841, the first burials took place there as early as 1836. In 1905 a new church, St. John the Ladder was built, while St. Lawrence Church returned to the Roman Catholic church after
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
regained its independence.
Customs
The burial place of a person depended on his/her social status. Thus, generals, clergy and notable civil servants were buried near the church. The second 'zone' included the graves of lower rank officers, clerks and wealthy merchants. The third 'zone' housed the graves of soldiers and members of the bourgeoisie, while the poorest were buried in the area furthest from the church. During the
Warsaw Uprising
The Warsaw Uprising (; ), sometimes referred to as the August Uprising (), or the Battle of Warsaw, was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance movement in World War II, Polish underground resistance to liberate Warsaw from ...
mass executions of Varsovians were carried out there.
On
All Saint's Day, processions of the Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches take place there, preceded by an ecumenical service conducted by priests from both congregations.
Notable burials
Among those buried at the cemetery are:
*
Mikhail Artsybashev (1879–1927), Russian poet and writer
*
Marko Bezruchko (1883–1944),
Ukrainian military commander and a General of the
Ukrainian National Republic
*
Andrzej Butruk (1964–2011), Polish actor, satirician, singer
*
Dmitry Filosofov (1872–1940),
Russian author
In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...
,
essay
An essay ( ) is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a Letter (message), letter, a term paper, paper, an article (publishing), article, a pamphlet, and a s ...
ist,
literary critic
*
Aleksander Gudzowaty (1938–2013), Polish economist and entrepreneur
*
Czesław Kiszczak (1925–2015), Polish general, Interior Minister, Prime Minister
*
Jerzy Klinger (1918–1975), Polish Orthodox theologian
*
Siergiej Muchanow (1833–1897), Russian official, officer in the
Special Corps of Gendarmes, director of the
Warsaw Theatre Directorate
*
Alexander Petrov (1794–1867),
Russian chess player,
chess composer, and chess writer
*
Aleksandr Puzyrevskii (1845–1904), Russian
General of the Infantry
*
Witold Smętek (1910–1983), Polish athlete (spelled as Witold Smentek)
*
Sokrates Starynkiewicz (1820–1892), Mayor of Warsaw
*
Jerzy Turonek (1929–2019), Polish-Belarusian historian
* metropolitan
Dionizy (Waledyński) (1876–1960)
*
Timothy (Szretter), a Polish
Orthodox clergyman, the third Metropolitan of Warsaw and all Poland (1901–1962)
*
Andrzej Walicki (1930–2020), Polish historian
Gallery
File:PL Wwa, Cmentarz Prawoslawny - praw - Raskuwarkin,2023.09.10, fot Ivonna Nowicka (1)a.jpg, A Russian grave from 1908
File:Awramow cmentarz prawosławny na woli grób.JPG
File:Widok na dzwonnicę cerkwi jana klimaka.JPG, The belltower
File:Jerzy Klinger grób cmentarz prawosławny na Woli.JPG, The grave of Jerzy Klinger painted by Jerzy Nowosielski
External links
Cmentarz prawosławny na Woli z satelity*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Orthodox Cemetery in Warsaw
Cemeteries in Warsaw
Eastern Orthodox cemeteries in Poland
Wola
1841 establishments in Poland
Cemeteries established in the 1840s