"Moscow Necropolis", reference book 1907-1908. (V. I. Saitov, B. L. Modzalevsky): history of creation, content, reprint

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

The unique reference book "Moscow Necropolis" presents a chronology of biographical and genealogical facts, documented and rewritten. These are valuable historical materials about the years of life of people buried in Moscow cemeteries in the 14th-20th centuries.

The texture of the book was collected and systematized in accordance with the description of both existing and abolished cemeteries in Moscow, including Orthodox and non-Christians.

Briefly about the book

"Moscow Necropolis" - a reference edition of 1907-1908. The very idea of creating such a reference book belonged to the Grand Duke Nikolai Mikhailovich - the uncle of Nicholas II. Being a highly educated person, a historian and ethnographer, chairman and trustee of the Historical Society and the Society for the Protection and Preservation of Historical and Ancient Monuments, he considered it extremely important to create the Necropolis of Moscow cemeteries - a kind of chronicle of churchyards.

Practical implementation inThe life of this brilliant idea was taken up by two well-known figures. One of them was Vladimir Ivanovich Saitov. He is a great historian and bibliographer of his time. Another creator of the reference book is Boris Lvovich Modzalevsky. He became famous for his scientific works on the history of Russian literature.

When creating the "Moscow Necropolis" reference book, scientists studied the surviving inscriptions on tombstones and printed archival sources of monasteries and cemeteries for two years.

About the content and principles of compilation

The material was collected by Saitov and Modzalevsky in the summer, free from the main work time during 1904-1906. Finally, from 1907 to 1908, the first edition was published in the printing house of M. M. Stasyulevich, in St. Petersburg.

It should be noted that the "Moscow Necropolis" includes a list of people of various social and social status and financial status, both well-known and little-known. If the information was taken from any printed documents, this is marked with an asterisk, indicating from which source the information was taken.

The ancestors of the imperial house are listed in a separate list under the heading "Romanovs".

Important marks and signs

The following are the features of reading and some recommendations for the correct perception of information from the reference book "Moscow Necropolis" (the contents of this publication are of interest to many):

• In general, the index presents a list of surnames in alphabetical order in three volumes.
• Prior to publication, the captions were edited for moreaccurate transmission of the essence of the information contained in them, in some cases were published verbatim.
• Slavic numerals for the edition are replaced by Arabic ones.
• All dubious inscriptions were submitted with a mark, also records damaged from time were specially marked.
• If there were dates from the creation of the world, at the same time dates from the Nativity of Christ were given.
• Many notes regarding the burial of namesakes or indicating family ties between people of different surnames.
• Double references were used for primogeniture or maiden names, as well as for secular monastic names.

The last third volume contained the publication of a large list of amendments and additions to the handbook, which came throughout the process of publications from the public reading and owning historical information.

"Moscow Necropolis": history of creation and difficulties on the way

As expected, the first volume of the reference book was provided with two prefaces: from the Grand Duke and from the compilers.

About the reasons that prompted the idea of compiling the collection, the Grand Duke's preface explains the following:

Repeatedly visiting the cemeteries of Moscow and St. Petersburg, descending into the gloomy, damp dungeons of the tombs of Moscow monasteries (…), I often stopped at the thought of publishing the "Necropolis" of Moscow and St. Petersburg over time, that is, collecting, if possible, still surviving tombstone inscriptions, as well as new ones, and print them along with thoseinformation about the buried, which can be extracted from the relevant literature. …The publication of gravestone inscriptions will save them forever from extinction and provide useful material for history and especially for genealogy, giving detailed dates of the lives of various figures, clarifying their family relationships, giving information about their official and social status (…).

However, no one imagined that the idea of organizing lists of burials of Moscow cemeteries would meet with opposition, especially from the black clergy, who resisted opening access to the archives of monasteries and the sacraments of the church.

Then the chief prosecutor of the Holy Synod of that time, Pobedonostsev, intervened in the matter, who wrote an open letter to the spiritual authorities of Moscow. In the letter, he asked for assistance to V. I. Saitov in his collection of information materials.

When the census reached the women's monasteries, this appeal was supported by official permission from the spiritual consistory of Moscow. The mediator in the negotiations was the publisher of the magazine "Russian archive" P. I. Bartenev.

What for how much, or the cost of compiling a guide

How much did it cost to prepare materials for future editions? The question is not idle, the speed of preparing for printing, the number of pages and other costs that you need to know when publishing a book depended on it.

B. I. Saitov in February 1905 provided the Grand Duke Nikolai Mikhailovich with a general cost estimate.

Initially it was assumed that the "Moscow Necropolis" would beinclude 60,000 inscriptions, and Petersburg - 40,000, in general, the calculation was for 100,000 titles.

Based on the calculation, it turned out that a total of 3570 pages (56 lines each) or 225 sheets would be printed, that is, 4 volumes of 56 sheets each.

The fee was 65 rubles per sheet. The amount included expenses for a trip to Moscow, hiring and paying laborers, and other necessary expenses. Thus, 225 sheets cost the treasury 14,625 rubles.

Saitov suggested dividing this amount into 6 years, during this period the compilers of the guide intended to complete the creation of the Necropolises of Moscow and St. Petersburg. Payment was proposed to be made at 609 rubles 75 kopecks in advance, every 3 months.

This estimate was approved with some amendments: calculations should be made three times a year (that is, once every four months), at first they were advances, and then from December 1905, payment was made for the past quarter.

As a result, the reading public received "Moscow Necropolis" in 3 volumes, as well as publications about St. Petersburg and provincial necropolises.

Principle and method of compilers of the handbook

In the science of necropolis, there were two approaches to collecting information at the time of compiling the reference book.

The first approach, applied by Saitov and Modzalevsky, was used in compiling the necropolises of "Moscow", "Petersburg", "Russian Provincial".

He was to give the inscriptions as they are, using the surviving tombstones andepitaphs.

The preface from the compilers says that

"Moscow Necropolis" is a reference historical index of persons who lived in the XIV-XX centuries and were buried in Moscow. Compiled mainly on the basis of the surviving tomb inscriptions, it provides a dry, but valuable in its accuracy, biographical, chronological and genealogical material suitable for historical research.

Therefore, information about people with different social status was included in the reference book: For genealogical reasons, a lot of space is allocated to the noble element in the Necropolis; however, it is not always succeeded.”

This approach really made it possible to publish "Moscow Necropolis" within two years.

Another approach, supported by historian A. V. Smirnov and genealogist V. E. Rudkov, was that the inscriptions should be explained, checked and rechecked, and sometimes even given additional material.

It seems that the second method would never allow the creation of a necropolis. By the way, "Vladimir Necropolis" by A. V. Smirnov was never completed due to the large amount of time spent on studying historical references and metrics of the dead.

The double method of studying cemeteries (necropolis) in this case would be too costly. A successful study with amendments and additions will be carried out soonerheirs of surnames or information should concern selectively special figures of the state or the most famous clans and families.

Modzalewski wrote:

Really, it's a real feat - to take on such work - hard and, in fact, ungrateful, but undoubtedly useful, as you yourself will see when you see the book, and you only have to regret that a hundred years ago not there were some Saitov and Modzalevsky who would then have done the same work: a great amount of valuable material has already perished from time and from the ignorance of our clergy.

"Moscow Necropolis", or where the most famous people in the history of Moscow are buried

Of course, it is impossible to list all the famous people buried in the cemeteries of Moscow. But we will try to tell about the most famous necropolises and people who found their last shelter on their land.

Novodevichy cemetery - is considered the most famous necropolis in Moscow. The first burials appeared here in the 17th century; the opening date of the cemetery is considered to be 1904. The Novodevichy Convent is included in the list of UNESCO protected sites, and the necropolis is one of the ten most beautiful burial places in the world.

Here are the graves of Count Alexei Tolstoy, the great Russian writer Mikhail Bulgakov, Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol was reburied here after the closure of the cemetery of the St. Danilov Monastery.

Here are monuments to composer Dmitry Shostakovich, virtuoso violinist Leonid Kogan, Soviet and Russian composer Isaac Dunayevsky, aircraft designer Semyon Lavochkin, writer VasilyShukshin, the poet of the soul and revolution Vladimir Mayakovsky, the king of fighters Nikolai Polikarpov, the great Russian composer Alexander Scriabin, the famous children's poetess Agnia Barto, Andrey Voznesensky, the unique opera singer Tatiana Shmyga, popular favorites Lyudmila Gurchenko, Clara Luchko, Andrey Mironov.

Political figures are buried here: Nikita Khrushchev, Boris Yeltsin.

There are many unusual monuments on the territory, where time seems to have stopped.

This is how picturesque the monument to the great comedian Yuri Nikulin looks like (sculptor A. Rukavishnikov).

Vagankovskoye cemetery in Moscow contains more than 100 thousand graves, many of which are associated with dramatic and tragic events in the country.

Also here you can see and honor the graves of celebrities of our country.

For example, here is a monument to the great Russian poet Sergei Yesenin by sculptor Anatoly Bichukov.

The graves of the poet-bard Bulat Okudzhava, the wonderful writer and playwright Vasily Aksenov, the goalkeeper-legend of Russian football - Lev Yashin.

Burial in the family memorial of the artist of large-scale historical paintings of the great Vasily Surikov. A monument on the grave of Russian architect Pyotr Skomoroshenko has been designated as a cultural heritage site.

OnVagankovsky cemetery buried Russian architect, modernist architect Fyodor Shekhtel. It is noteworthy that the architect completed the project of burial and the family memorial during his lifetime.

The beloved Andrei Mironov is buried next to his mother.

It is on Vagankovsky that the singer of the folk soul, actor, poet Vladimir Vysotsky is buried, the monument was made by sculptor A. Rukavishnikov.

Necropolises of Moscow Troekurovskoe, Kuntsevskoe and Vostryakovskoe

Troekurovsky churchyard is a branch of the Novodevichy cemetery. It traditionally became the place of more modern burials of those people who distinguished themselves by special merits. State, public and cultural figures are buried here.

Troekurovskoye cemetery was organized in the seventies of the last century. The territory has its own mortuary, chapel. Here are the graves of such famous actors as Natalya Gundareva, Alexander Barykin, Semyon Farada, Vladislav Galkin, Lyubov Polishchuk, Nikolai Karachentsov.

Kuntsevo cemetery was founded in the 17th century as a rural Spasskoe-Manukhino. First, in the twenties, it became part of the city of Kuntsevo and was renamed, and then, in the 1960s, it became part of Moscow. Here you can visit the graves of celebrities such as Evgeny Morgunov, Nonna Mordyukova, the world-famous clown Pencil. They often visit the graves of Soviet comedy director Leonid Gaidai, theater and film actor Boris Khmelnitsky, Nikolai Nosov and many other famouspersonality.

Vostryakovsky necropolis was founded in the 19-20th centuries and was at first a rural churchyard, in the thirties a new Jewish cemetery was opened next to it, and many of the remains were reburied in Vostryakovo. Here are the graves of the genius Wolf Messing, the world-famous scientist and human rights activist Andrei Sakharov. Famous actors of the theater and cinema were buried: the artist of the satirical genre Yan Arlazorov, the magician Yuri Longo.

This is just a small list of famous people who found their last refuge in Moscow necropolises. This information sheds light on how important it is to remember our predecessors, forerunners, who glorified not only their names, but also our fatherland.

merit publication

As the reference book "Moscow Necropolis" was created, the following goals were achieved:

• prepared and brought together extensive historical and archaeological material, previously scattered throughout Moscow. Not only metropolitan, but also suburban and monastery graveyards are covered.
• Many inscriptions were not only translated from the ancient script with an explanation of the abbreviations, but also cleaned, restored, washed with special permission.

The delicate and careful work carried out by research scientists Saitov and Modzalevsky will serve to preserve Russian history in the future. This is the great merit of the publication.

Over time, under the influence of various factors, man-made monuments may disappear from the face of the earth, but the manuscript edition will remain, because it can be republished, restored,add.

This brings the three-volume "Moscow Necropolis" into the category of works that testify to time, events and documents, about a variety of events in Russian history from ancient times to the present day.

Reissue dictated by the times

In society, the appearance of the "Moscow Necropolis" caused a great resonance, attention and sympathy.

Here is what a specialist in the history of the Saratov Territory A. A. Gozdavo-Golombievskiy wrote to V. I. Saitov:

Just returned from Moscow. From the "Necropolis" in delight; they looked for passes - who was the grandmother, who was the grandfather, I. E. Zabelin - the wife.

Commendable notes have been published in the journals "Bulletin of Europe", "Russian Starina", responses in the newspapers "Moskovskie Vedomosti" and "Russian Invalid".

However, the sale of the directory was not a commercial success. So, at a real cost of 2.8 rubles, the selling price of the publication was 2.5 rubles. The bookstores that sold the edition were offered a thirty percent discount. Those who subscribed to the directory by mail were exempted from paying for correspondence. But still, by the beginning of 1913, a total of 400 copies were sold.

Apparently, the cost affected. During these years, one ruble could buy a bag of potatoes, a chicken (1 piece) cost 40-65 kopecks, a goose with giblets 1 ruble 25 kopecks, a pound (slightly less than half a kilo) of beef cost 45 kopecks. A total of 2.5 rubles, even taking into account subsidies, could not all be spentto an unusual edition, which was a reference book.

Therefore, the book was sold mainly in private libraries of we althy people or scholars-specialists in archives, history and literature.

In our time, when the issue of self-identification and the search for historical roots is especially acute, the issue of reissuing the reference book has arisen with renewed vigor.

The three-volume "Moscow Necropolis", which was republished in 2006, was published with the assistance of the Library of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The publication is issued in various binding options: soft and hard, as well as in a cover made of genuine leather. The publishing house "Alfaret" was engaged in the release of the reference book.