Grigory Butakov

Nikolskoe Cemetery (Russian: Никольское кладбище) is part of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra in the centre of Saint Petersburg, and contains a large number of burials as well as monuments and memorials to notable figures in Russian Imperial history, as well as those of Soviet and post-Soviet times. The cemetery, opened in 1863, was the third cemetery in the monastery complex, after the original Lazarevskoe Cemetery in the 1710s, and the Tikhvin Cemetery in 1823. It became known as the Nikolskoe after the construction of the Church of St. Nicholas between 1868 and 1871 to the design of diocesan architect Grigory Karpov. From its inception burial there was restricted to the elite of society, the monastery's Spiritual Council noting that "the Lavra cemetery is not open to everyone, as are the city cemeteries, but only a few persons from the government service and persons with honorary titles are buried here." Part of the cemetery also served as the burial site for the Monastery's monks and the metropolitans of St. Petersburg, leading to the name Bratskoe (Russian: Братское), or "Brotherhood" section. Wealthy patrons commissioned large chapels and crypts, with elaborate decorations and reliefs from prominent artists such as Nikolai Laveretsky, Ivan Podozerov, Robert Bach and Ivan Schroeder.Despite this the cemetery was not considered to have any particular artistic or historical value during the Soviet period. It was closed in 1927 and sporadic efforts were made during the 1930s and 1940s to eliminate it, with the graves of several prominent figures were transferred to the Lazarevskoe, Tikhvin and Volkovo cemeteries; including Vera Komissarzhevskaya, Ivan Goncharov, Anton Rubinstein and Boris Kustodiev. Other graves were lost or destroyed. The Church of St Nicholas was closed in 1932, and the cemetery fell into neglect.The Nikolskoe Cemetery was restored and landscaped in the 1970s, with a columbarium built between 1979 and 1980. The cemetery church was repaired and reconsecrated on 22 April 1985. Burials resumed in the late 1970s, and since 1989 a comprehensive restoration of monuments has been underway.

Nikolskoe Cemetery (Russian: Никольское кладбище) is a historic cemetery in the centre of Saint Petersburg. It is part of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, and is one of four cemeteries in the complex. The third cemetery to be established in the monastery complex, the Nikolskoe Cemetery opened in 1863, and rapidly became a popular and exclusive burial site for the elite of Saint Petersburg society. It was carefully arranged and landscaped, with its cemetery church opening in 1871. Taking its name from this church, the Church of St. Nicholas, the cemetery functioned also a burial ground for the clergy and monks of the monastery. The wealthy and important of the city commissioned large and elaborate memorials during the later years of the nineteenth century and into the twentieth. The cemetery fell into disrepair during the Soviet period. Unlike other cemeteries in the Lavra, it was not considered to have any particular historical or artistic value. The church was closed and repurposed, burials ceased, and some memorials of more significant figures were moved to other cemeteries, while others were lost or deliberately destroyed. Restoration work began in the 1970s, returning the site to its park-like form. A columbarium was built, the cemetery church reopened, and work to repair and refurbish the monuments began. Burials recommenced in the late 1970s, and now the cemetery includes prominent figures of Soviet and post-Soviet society, as well as those of the era of Imperial Russia.

The Feodorovskaya Church (Russian: Феодоровская церковь), or in full, the Church of the Holy Prince Feodor of Novgorod (Russian: Церковь святого благоверного князя Феодора Новгородского) is a Russian Orthodox church in Saint Petersburg. It is in the Diocese of Saint Petersburg and is part of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. The church was built as part of the southern extension from the Holy Trinity Cathedral, creating a symmetrical effect. The Feodorovskaya Church was designed as the counterpart to the Annunciation Church. Construction work began in 1745 and took a number of years. As completed the two-storey building hosted two churches, one on the upper floor, dedicated to Feodor of Yaroslav, and the ground floor dedicated to Saint John Chrysostom. After repairs in the 1840s the churches were re-consecrated. This time the upper church was dedicated to Feodor of Yaroslav, while the ground floor was dedicated to Saint Nicholas. The church became a popular site for burials of leading churchmen, Georgian and Imeretian royalty, and other elite members of Saint Petersburg society. In 1891 an extension was opened, and also consecrated as a separate church, in the name of Saint Isidore of Pelusium. Over the next twenty-five years, around 150 burials took place. The churches were closed in 1931, during the Soviet period, and allocated to various organisations. The church served as a dormitory and office space. Almost all of the graves were destroyed during this period, with the exception of two that were transferred to one of the lavra's cemeteries. The church was returned to the monastery officials in 1996 and underwent a complex restoration, being re-consecrated in 2018.

Lazarevskoe Cemetery (Russian: Лазаревское кладбище), part of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra in the centre of Saint Petersburg, is the oldest surviving cemetery in the city and contains a large number of burials as well as monuments and memorials to notable figures in Russian Imperial history. Burials began in 1717 when Natalya Alexeyevna, the sister of Peter the Great, was interred in the burial vault of the Church of St Lazarus, from which the cemetery took its name. During the early years of its existence it required the Emperor's permission to allow burials in the cemetery, making it the chosen location for the burial plots of St Petersburg's elite. By the end of the eighteenth century burial was extended to the wealthy merchant class, in exchange for the payment of large sums of money.By the nineteenth century the cemetery was becoming overcrowded, and the first of the new cemeteries in the Lavra, the Tikhvin Cemetery, was opened in 1823. Burials in the Lazarevskoe Cemetery became less frequent in the nineteenth century, and in the twentieth century occurred in only exceptional cases. One of the last people to be interred was Count Sergei Witte in 1915, and in 1919 the cemetery was closed to new burials.During the Soviet period the cemetery was closed and placed under state protection, administered by the society "Old Petersburg" (Russian: «Старый Петербург»). In 1932 it was declared a museum and part of the State Museum of Urban Sculpture. Redevelopment work in the Soviet period involved clearing away those memorials thought to have low historical or artistic interest, while those considered to have higher historical or artistic interest were brought from other cemeteries across the city. Large scale restoration work was carried out after the ending of the Siege of Leningrad, with the museum opening to the public in 1952.Containing a large number of famous burials and elaborate funerary sculpture from some of the country's leading artists, the cemetery has been called the Necropolis of the XVIII century (Russian: некрополь XVIII века). Examples of the work of Ivan Martos, Mikhail Kozlovsky, Vasily Demut-Malinovsky, Andrey Voronikhin, Fedot Shubin, Fyodor Tolstoy and other masters can be seen. Famous people interred in the cemetery include early associates of Peter the Great, such as Field Marshal Boris Sheremetev, General Adam Veyde, and Court Physician Robert Erskine. The graves of academics Mikhail Lomonosov and Stepan Krasheninnikov; playwrights Denis Fonvizin and Yakov Knyazhnin; architects Ivan Starov, and Andrey Voronikhin; statesmen and politicians Alexander Stroganov, Nikolay Mordvinov, Mikhail Muravyov-Vilensky and Sergei Witte; and military officers such as Vasily Chichagov are also to be seen. The family vaults of the Beloselsky-Belozersky, Trubetskoy, Volkonsky and Naryshkin ancient noble houses were located here, as were those of some of the prominent merchant dynasties such as the Demidovs and Yakovlevs. Art historian Nikolai Vrangel wrote "It was as if all those who had once formed a close circle of court society gathered here after death. A whole epoch, a whole world of obsolete ideas, almost all the court society of Elizabeth, Catherine and Paul were buried in the small space of the Lazarevskoe cemetery".The remains of a number of famous figures in Russian history were reburied in the cemetery during the Soviet period, among whom were architect Jean-François Thomas de Thomon, mathematician Leonhard Euler and engineer Agustín de Betancourt.

The Holy Trinity Cathedral of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra (Russian: Свято-Троицкий собор Александро-Невской лавры) is a Russian Orthodox cathedral in Saint Petersburg. It is in the Diocese of Saint Petersburg and part of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, where it is the cathedral church of the monastery complex. The cathedral is the centre-piece of the ensemble of buildings that comprises the monastery complex. Work began on the cathedral in 1719, but as it was nearing completion severe cracks were discovered in the structure that threatened its stability, and the work was ordered to be demolished in 1744. A competition design early in the reign of Empress Catherine the Great failed to produce a suitable alternative, and it was not until 1774 that a design by Ivan Starov was selected. Construction began in 1778 and the cathedral was finally completed and consecrated in 1790. On the day of the consecration the relics of St Alexander Nevsky were ceremonially transferred to the cathedral in a grand ceremony. The cathedral remained largely unchanged for much of its existence, its importance highlighted by the rich and valuable furnishings that were donated by the Imperial family. It continued to operate after the Russian Revolution, though it suffered the loss of most of its historic artefacts during the general confiscation of Russian Orthodox Church property after 1922. After a period where it was run by the Renovationist movement, the cathedral was finally closed in 1933 and used as office space and as a warehouse. The cathedral was returned to the Orthodox Church in 1955 and was re-consecrated in 1957. The relics of St Alexander Nevsky were returned to the cathedral in 1989, and the cathedral has resumed its role as the principal church of the monastery.

The Dukhovskaya Church (Russian: Духовская церковь), formally the Church of the Descent of the Holy Spirit (Церковь Сошествия Святого Духа), is a former Russian Orthodox church in Saint Petersburg. It is in the Diocese of Saint Petersburg and is part of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. Built into the existing wing of the monastery that linked the Holy Trinity Cathedral and the Annunciation Church, the new church was designed to ease overcrowding of the Annunciation Church. As built, the church was richly decorated with a three-tiered iconostasis and paintings and sculpture from some of Russia's leading artists. The church was consecrated in 1822 in the name of the Descent of the Holy Spirit, and shortly afterwards a small aisle at the choir end of the church was consecrated in the name of Saint Sergius of Radonezh. Renovations took place in 1867, and extensions were made to increase burial space. In 1881 the Dukhovskoy Church hosted the funeral of author Fyodor Dostoevsky, and in the mid-1890s a small chapel was consecrated to Saint Evdokia. Despite calls to protect the important historical and artistic heritage of the church, it was not one of those selected for conversion into a museum necropolis during the Soviet period and was instead passed through various organisations, who at times used it as a boiler room, for coal storage, or as temporary accommodation. The church was briefly returned to the diocese in the 1950s, and a church was once more consecrated, this time to Saint Alexander Nevsky. It was once again confiscated by the city authorities during a period of anti-religious campaigning and hosted a blood transfusion station until its return to the monastery in the early 2000s. The church building is undergoing restoration, and there are plans to reopen it as a place of worship.

Saint Alexander Nevsky Lavra or Saint Alexander Nevsky Monastery was founded by Peter I of Russia in 1710 at the eastern end of the Nevsky Prospekt in Saint Petersburg supposing that that was the site of the Neva Battle in 1240 when Alexander Nevsky, a prince, defeated the Swedes; however, the battle actually took place about 12 miles (19 km) away from that site. "On April 5, 1713, in St. Petersburg, in the presence of Peter I, the wooden Church of the Annunciation was consecrated. This day is considered the official founding date of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra." (April 5, 1713 Gregorian was March 25 Julian, feast of the Annunciation.) "The relics of St. Alexander Nevsky were solemnly transferred from Vladimir to the new capital of Russia September 12, 1724, by decree of Peter the Great." (In fact it was August 30 Julian, or September 10 Gregorian; however, since the Russian Orthodox Church still follows the Julian calendar, the transfer of the relics is still celebrated on August 30 Julian, which corresponds to September 12 Gregorian in the 20th–21st centuries.) Nevsky became patron of the newly founded Russian capital; however, the massive silver sarcophagus of St. Alexander Nevsky was relocated during Soviet times to the State Hermitage Museum where it remains (without the relics) today. In 1797, the monastery was raised to the rank of lavra, making it only the third lavra in the Russian Orthodox Church that had that designation bestowed upon it, following only the Kiev Monastery of the Caves and the Trinity Monastery of St Sergius. The monastery grounds contain two baroque churches, the Annunciation Church and the Feodorovskaya Church, designed by father and son Trezzini and built from 1717–1722 and 1742–1750, respectively; the Neoclassical Holy Trinity Cathedral, built in 1778–1790 to a design by Ivan Starov and consecrated to the Holy Trinity; and numerous structures of lesser importance. It also contains the Lazarevskoe, Tikhvin, Nikolskoe, and Kazachye Cemeteries, where ornate tombs of Leonhard Euler, Mikhail Lomonosov, Alexander Suvorov, Nikolay Karamzin, Modest Mussorgsky, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Karl Ivanovich Rossi, Prince Garsevan Chavchavadze, a Georgian aristocrat, Sergei Witte and other famous Russians are preserved. During the Revolution, the People's Commissar of Social Welfare Kollontai wanted to convert the monastery into a 'sanctuary for war invalids'. Therein on 19 January 1918 she sent a group of sailors, who were met by an angry crowd of worshipers, and after some fighting a priest was shot and killed.Today the Alexander Nevsky Lavra sits on Alexander Nevsky Square, where shoppers can buy bread baked by the monks. Visitors may also visit the cathedral and cemeteries for a small admission fee. While many of the grave sites are situated behind large concrete walls, especially those of famous Russians, many can be seen by passers-by while strolling down Obukhovskoy Oborony Street.

The Annunciation Church of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra (Russian: Благовещенская церковь Александро-Невской лавры), or in full, the Church of the Blessing of the Most Holy Virgin and the Holy Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky (Russian: Це́рковь Благове́щения Пресвято́й Богоро́дицы и свято́го благове́рного кня́зя Алекса́ндра Не́вского) is a Russian Orthodox church in Saint Petersburg. It is in the Diocese of Saint Petersburg and is part of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. The church was one of the earliest buildings in the monastery complex, begun in 1719 and completed by 1725. The building contained two churches, the upper floor was dedicated to Saint Alexander Nevsky and was built to hold his relics, installed when the church was consecrated in 1724. The church on the ground floor, originally planned to be the monastery refectory, was dedicated to the annunciation of the Virgin Mary and was consecrated in 1725. Both were richly decorated by prominent Russian artisans and received important donations of decorations and fixtures from the imperial family. From its early years it became an important burial ground for members of the imperial family, their associates, and the Russian nobility. The wealthy paid for elaborate monuments, and the several noble families established burial vaults in the church. The church was closed during the Soviet period, being divided up into office space, and used as a warehouse and storage area for other funerary monuments that were being removed from churches and cemeteries that were in the process of closure or demolition. The State Museum of Urban Sculpture took over the building and used it as a display space for historically and artistically important examples of funerary monuments and sculpture. In addition to those monuments already in the church, other monuments, or parts of them, were gathered from different locations to add to the museum's collections. It opened to the public in 1950, and survived the fall of the Soviet Union. The Orthodox Church has requested the return of the church, and in 2013 the vice-governor of Saint Petersburg announced it would be handed back to the monastery authorities. The issue has been complicated however over the issue of the future ownership and display of the monuments.

Kazachye Cemetery (Russian: Казачье кладбище), formerly known as Communist Square (Russian: Коммунисти́ческая площа́дка) and also known as the Internal Cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra (Russian: Вну́треннее кла́дбище Алекса́ндро-Не́вской ла́вры) is a historic cemetery in the centre of Saint Petersburg. It is part of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, and is one of four cemeteries in the complex. Established during the Russian Revolution in 1917 as a burial ground for Cossacks killed during the July Days, it was soon used for the interment of several prominent communist activists, and was the site of mass graves of those who had died to defend communism in the Russian Civil War. In light of this, it became known as "Communist Square". The graves of several high profile military leaders and scientists were located here during the 1920s and 1930s, with further burials taking place during the siege of Leningrad. More interments took place in the postwar years, but the number eventually declined during the last years of the twentieth century, until the cemetery was closed. An estimated 700 people were buried here during the years of its operation, and in 2009 its original name, "Kazachye", was restored.

Lazarevskoe Cemetery (Russian: Лазаревское кладбище) is a historic cemetery in the centre of Saint Petersburg, and the oldest surviving cemetery in the city. It is part of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, and is one of four cemeteries in the complex. Since 1932 it has been part of the State Museum of Urban Sculpture, which refers to it as the Necropolis of the XVIII century (Russian: некрополь XVIII века). It covers 0.7 hectares.The cemetery came into existence with the establishment of the city of Saint Petersburg by Peter the Great in the early eighteenth century. With the death of Peter's sister, Natalya Alexeyevna, in 1716, Peter instructed that she be buried in the grounds of the Alexander Nevsky Monastery, which was under development at that time. In 1717 Natalya Alexeyevna was interred in the Church of St Lazarus, the first stone building in the monastery complex, and from which the cemetery took its name. The location soon became the burial site for other members of Peter's family and court, and became the most prestigious burial ground in the city, requiring Peter's personal permission to be interred there. The remains of Natalya Alexeyevna and other members of the imperial family were reinterred in the monastery's Annunciation Church soon after their original burial, but the church and cemetery complex remained popular sites for the St Petersburg elites, and many noble families established their family plots here. By the early nineteenth century the cemetery was becoming full, and new cemeteries were opened in the monastery complex. The last burials in the Lazarevskoe Cemetery took place in the early twentieth century, and the cemetery was closed to new burials in 1919. During the Soviet period, the cemetery became a place of interest for its elaborate funerary monuments and the graves of historically important figures. In 1932 it was declared the "Necropolis of the XVIII century" and became part of the State Museum of Urban Sculpture. Graves deemed less significant were cleared away, while monuments and remains considered more artistically or historically important were moved into the cemetery from churches and burial grounds that were in the process of being demolished. Today the cemetery operates as a museum, displaying the funerary sculpture of a wide range of important artists of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

The Gate Church (Russian: Надвратная церковь), or formally the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God Joy of All Who Sorrow (Russian: Церковь Иконы Божией Матери Всех Скорбящих Радость) is a Russian Orthodox church in Saint Petersburg. It is in the Diocese of Saint Petersburg and is part of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. Prior to the building of the church, from 1725 the gate from the Nevsky Prospect included a two-tiered bell tower with clock. Between 1753 and 1754 a new wooden bell tower was erected and the bells and clock from the old tower were installed in it.

Tikhvin Cemetery (Russian: Тихвинское кладбище) is a historic cemetery in the centre of Saint Petersburg. It is part of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra and contains a large number of burials, including many notable Russian figures. It is administered by the State Museum of Urban Sculpture, which refers to it as the Necropolis of the Masters of Art (Russian: Некрополь мастеров искусств). During the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries it was a popular burial site for statesmen and military personnel. Among those buried here were naval officers Fyodor Dubasov, Yuri Lisyansky, Pyotr Ricord, Zinovy Rozhestvensky and Alexei Senyavin; army officers Apostol Kostanda, Nikolay Leontiev, Valerian Madatov and Alexander Mikhailovsky-Danilevsky; and statesmen Alexander Abaza, Dmitry Bludov, Pavel Demidov, Ivan Durnovo, Mikhail Speransky and Pyotr Valuyev. Relatively few of these graves have survived to the present day. Scientists Sergey Lebedev and Ivan Tarkhanov were also buried here. The cemetery is most famous for its representatives from the arts world, some of whom were originally buried here, while others were reinterred here during the Soviet period. Composers and musicians buried in the cemetery include Alexander Borodin, César Cui, Alexander Dargomyzhsky, Alexander Glazunov, Mikhail Glinka, Modest Mussorgsky, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Anton Rubinstein and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Actors and performers Varvara Asenkova, Nikolay Cherkasov, Vera Komissarzhevskaya, Marius Petipa and Georgy Tovstonogov are buried here, as are painters and sculptors Mikhail Avilov, Vasily Demut-Malinovsky, Alexander Ivanov, Ivan Kramskoi, Boris Kustodiev and Ivan Shishkin. Luminaries from the world of literature represented in the cemetery include Yevgeny Baratynsky, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Ivan Gorbunov, Nikolay Karamzin, Ivan Krylov and Vladimir Stasov.