Arsk Cemetery (Kazan): history and our days

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

In our country, ancient cemeteries have recently become part of popular tourist routes. Visiting the main necropolis of the ancient city, you can learn no less interesting facts than after studying the exposition of the main museum of local lore. If you are visiting Kazan for the first time, you should definitely pay attention to the Arsky cemetery as part of your acquaintance with the city.

How did the necropolis in the Arsk field appear?

In the 18th century, outbreaks of the plague epidemic were recorded in some regions of our country. Catherine II, as part of the fight against the "Black Death", signed a decree according to which new places for the burial of the dead should be created outside the boundaries of settlements. In Kazan, Arskoye Pole was chosen to create a new cemetery. It is known that the first burials here were made in July 1774. That summer, the Arskoe cemetery in Kazan became the resting place for at least 300 defenders of the city, who fought with the army of E. Pugachev. Gradually, the city of the dead grew. In the neighborhood of the main necropolis, separate areas began to be organized, intended for the burial of representatives of various faiths. Over time, all the cemeteries were united. To date, an Orthodox, two Jewish, two Old Believer, Lutheran, Catholic, Polish, German and military sites have been organized on the territory of the Arsky necropolis.

The true story of the Arsky necropolis

In 1796, a church was built at the cemetery, consecrated in the name of the holy noble princes Theodore, David and Konstantin, miracle workers of Yaroslavl. This temple is the only one that continued to function under Soviet rule. During its history, the church has been restored and rebuilt several times.

In 1835, the Arsk cemetery in Kazan was surrounded by a perimeter fence. After another 9 years, an office was built on the territory of the necropolis, which has retained its appearance to this day. In the same 1844, a bell tower was added to the church.

Remarkably, until recently, the caretaker of the cemetery with his family constantly lived in the outbuildings. Such a neighborhood did not bother anyone, on the contrary, even today many native residents of Kazan say that it has always been interesting and pleasant to visit the "house in the cemetery" thanks to the hospitality of its owners.

The doors of the church are open to parishioners today, services are held here on weekends and holidays, you can order a funeral service.

Open air museum or historicala monument in need of restoration?

Eminent people were invariably buried at the Arsk cemetery in Kazan in various historical periods. Before the revolution, these were we althy merchants and patrons, factory owners, officials, artists.

In the USSR, graves of valiant soldiers, order bearers, scientists, artists, writers and composers began to appear in the ancient necropolis. So why hasn't the necropolis been officially turned into a museum yet? Only about 30% of ancient burials have survived to this day. A significant part of the tombstones of the 18th and 19th centuries was lost. This happened for various reasons. Some of the monuments were destroyed and plundered by vandals, many monuments were destroyed due to old age. Even under Soviet rule, new graves were created at the Arsky necropolis in place of the abandoned ones. Often, not only places on the territory were reused, but also large stones. Nowadays, you can see monuments and obelisks from the times of the USSR with barely noticeable epitaphs written in the pre-revolutionary style. Only in 2013, at the regional level, a proposal to improve the Arskoye cemetery in Kazan was considered. The archive of burials for the entire history of the necropolis has also not been preserved, but according to the most conservative estimates, at least 300,000 people are buried here.

The most famous burials at the Arsk necropolis

It was in Kazan, at the Arsk cemetery, that the son of Joseph Stalin, Vasily Dzhugashvili, was buried. In the early 2000s, at the request of the relatives, a reburial was carried out, the ashes of the leader's heir weremoved to Moscow.

What is the oldest burial in this necropolis? Experts who explored the territory managed to find the grave of the city governor Petrov, who was buried in 1818.

Who else is buried in the ancient necropolis, whose name is the Arskoe cemetery? Kazan still keeps the memory of many prominent figures of the past. Many streets and other city objects are named after famous citizens. For example, the merchant Shamov, who built a hospital for the poor, is buried at the Arsky cemetery, which still operates today. His "neighbor" Lozhkin found his last refuge here: during his lifetime he was known as the owner of the largest almshouse. The list is endless: L. Galler (admiral), N. Zhiganov (composer), Z. Nuri (poet), V. Petlyakov (aircraft designer), M. Nuzhnin (mathematician) and many other outstanding people.

Legends of Kazan's main cemetery

About any ancient necropolis, people add up urban legends. For the most part, these are scary stories about visions of ghosts and restless souls. One of the most romantic legends associated with the Arsk necropolis is the story of Verochka on a hillock. They say that once upon a time there lived a young and beautiful girl. Her parents wanted to marry her off to a merchant's son, but Verochka herself dreamed of love. Seeing no other choice, the girl hanged herself on her wedding day, in 1885. She was buried here, and the grave hill became a special place for all residents of the city. Many different stories are told about the temple at the Arsk cemetery. Kazan remembers thosetimes when this church was the only one operating in the whole city. At that time, the temple contained many relics brought here from closed monasteries and churches. Today pilgrims come here to touch the relics of St. Gurias.

Arsk cemetery: address and opening hours

Established once on the outskirts of the city, the Arsk cemetery is now located in the center of Kazan. The necropolis is a closed memorial. Only family burials are held here by individual agreement with the administration. The territory is open for visits daily from 9.00 to 18.00. The exact address of the necropolis: N. Ershov street, possession 25. The nearest public transport stop is “TsPKiO im. Gorky”, you can get to it by buses No. 1, 10, 30, 63, 74, 89. If you want to find a specific grave, the administration can give you information.

The Arskoe cemetery in Kazan has not yet been sufficiently studied and described. But every year new graves are discovered and improved here. Perhaps very soon the necropolis will become a full-fledged open-air museum.