Pyatnitskoye Cemetery

The Pyatnitskoye cemetery is one of the graveyards in the Russian capital Moscow.^[1] It is among the oldest and largest resting places in the city.

Pyatnitskoye cemetery
Trinity Church in the cemetery
Details
Established	1771
Location	Moscow
Country	Russia
Coordinates	55°47′59″N 37°38′36″E
Owned by	State
Size	14.1 hectares
Find a Grave	Pyatnitskoye cemetery

History and name

The Pyatnitskoye cemetery was established during the plague epidemic in 1771.^[2] However, systematic archive for burial register was started in 1940.^[2] It was named after the chapel, Paraskeva Pyatnitsa Church (Trinity Church), located in the western part of the cemetery.^[2]

Architect and design

The temple in the cemetery was built by the architect A. Grigorieva in the period between 1830 and 1835.^[2] The building was designed in the Russian Empire style and decorated with a six-Tuscan portico.^[2] The temple has two chapels; Paraskeva and St. Sergius of Radonezh.^[2] Also in the cemetery there is the church of Persian Simon, built in the years between 1916 and 1917.^[2] This feature of the cemetery, namely being attached to churches, reflects the tradition of the historical Russian resting places.^[3]

Location and size

The cemetery is on the northern part of Moscow.^[2] Specifically it is located in the Dzerhzhinsky district and on Droboliteiny pereulok street,^[4] lying on the side of Pyatnitskoye Highway.^[5]

The area of the graveyard is about 14.1 hectares, consisting of 30 plots.^[2]

Burials

Various leading figures buried in the cemetery include Valentin Pavlov,^[6] and Victor Nikitin.^[2] However, during the Soviet era the graveyard was not one of the resting places preferred for the communist elites.^[7]