“Seven Heroes of the Soviet Union rest here.” What stories lie beneath the stones of Kuzminskoye кладбище? This is a place of history. It is a place of remembrance. Kuzminskoye кладбище is a Moscow cemetery. It is in the Vykhino-Zhulebino district. This is in the South-Eastern Administrative Okrug.
Kuzminskoye кладбище is divided into two parts. There is a central part. There is also a Muslim area. The central part spans 42.85 hectares. The Muslim area covers 2.38 hectares.
The name “Kuzminskoye” comes from the village of Kuzminki. Peter I gave this village to Grigory Stroganov in the early 18th century. Stroganov was his friend and helper. The new owner built an estate here. There was a separate house for the Tsar’s visits.
After Grigory Stroganov died his children began construction. They built a wooden church for the Blachernae Icon of the Mother of God in 1715. The church was consecrated in 1720. Then Kuzminki got another name. It was called Blachernae.
In 1753, the land passed to the Golitsyn princes. They owned it until 1917. Between 1759 and 1762 a new stone church replaced the old wooden one. Architect I.P. Zherebtsov designed it. From 1794 to 1798, architect R.R. Kazakov rebuilt it. The church was in the classicism style. It featured a round rotunda. It had a dome and Tuscan porticos. It has survived to this day.
Initially the cemetery was in Kuzminki Park. Some monuments from that time still exist. You can find them within six blocks. In the 1960s many burials were moved. They were moved from the park to the current cemetery.
In 1961, five sailors were buried here. They died in a radiation accident on the K-19 submarine. A monument was erected on their graves in 1998. More graves were added later. This included the first commander of the submarine N.V. Zateyev.
Twenty-two Heroes of the Soviet Union are buried in Kuzminskoye кладбище. Many actors and athletes also rest here. The parents of Y.M. Luzhkov are buried here. Also the parents of A.B. Pugacheva are buried here.
The cemetery is located on the odd side of Volgogradsky Prospekt. It sits between houses 177 and 179. The central part is bordered by Sormovskaya Street. This street separates the Muslim and central areas. From the north, the cemetery goes to Sormovsky Proezd. The main entrance is on Akademika Scriabina Street. Other entrances are on Sormovskaya Street. Also, one is on Volgogradsky Prospekt.
You can get here from the Ryazansky Prospekt metro station by bus 29. Ride to the Akademika Scriabina street stop. You can take bus 159 from the Kuzminki metro station.
Kuzminskoye кладбище is a place of solemn beauty. It connects us to the past. Remember those who rest here. They shaped the history of Moscow and Russia. Take a moment to reflect on their lives.