The cemetery of Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois (French cimetière communal de Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois) is located at rue Léo Lagrange in the French city of Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois in the Paris region
The cemetery is a burial place for residents of the city and its environs. But Russian citizens were buried there in a separate area, which gives reason to call the entire cemetery “Russian”. The cemetery is predominantly Russian and Orthodox, although there are graves of representatives of other faiths and nationalities. Russians who moved to France after the 1917 revolution began to be regularly buried in this place in 1929. Among the emigrants buried in the cemetery are many Russian military personnel, members of the clergy, writers, artists, performers - about 15,000 Russians in 5220 graves.
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After almost a century, the topic of the October 1917 revolution in Russia continues to be the subject of study and debate. Regardless of one’s position in its assessment, this coup is recognized by everyone as an event that radically changed the course of world history. Therefore, this cemetery, where participants and victims are buried directly or after a short period of time following this event by historical standards, is a unique gathering place in its representativeness historical figures, united by a single position in relation to their participation and assessment of this cataclysm or its consequences. In this regard, the Russian part of the cemetery is a historical and cultural monument of not only European but also global significance. In addition, the noteworthy difference between the Russian and the nearby municipal part of the cemetery allows us to consider it, unique in its significance and size in the West, as an example of that component of Russian culture that is associated with the organization and maintenance of posthumous memory of persons who have gone down in their own and world history .
For a certain category of Russian citizens, the cemetery is a cult place, reminiscent of the history of the state and serving to the emergence and strengthening of a sense of national belonging and self-awareness.
Since 1960 local authorities They systematically raise the issue of demolishing the cemetery, citing the fact that the land is needed to meet public needs. According to strict standards adopted in the West, any burial, regardless of the significance that the deceased had during his lifetime, is preserved only until the expiration of the lease of the land in which he lies. For Russian burials, this period expired in 2008, but by decision of the government, a symbolic amount was allocated to extend this period, sufficient to purchase one or two apartments in the center of Moscow at prices of that time.
Russian graves, due to the unresolved issue of their preservation for any long period of time, are under threat of destruction, since they do not have any legalized protection.
In the 2000s. the ashes of several Russian celebrities originally buried in Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois were reburied in Russia. In 2008, the Russian government allocated 692 thousand euros for the maintenance of 648 graves.
Assumption Church
In the cemetery stands the Orthodox Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God, founded in April 1938 and consecrated on October 14, 1939, a month and a half after the start of World War II. The Assumption Church was built according to the design of A. N. Benois in the Novgorod style of the 15th-16th centuries. Architect Benoit and his wife Margarita also completed church frescoes. Albert Benoit is buried in this cemetery.
Monument to participants White movement
Monument to the White MovementThe monument to the participants of the White Movement was erected by the concerns of the Gallipoli community, and reproduces in shape the stone mound built in 1921 by Russian emigrants led by General Kutepov. The monument was located near the city of Gelibolu on the European shore of the Dardanelles Strait. In 1949, the monument was severely damaged by an earthquake and was subsequently dismantled.
Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois in art
In the 1970s, Robert Rozhdestvensky wrote the poem “Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois” (“White Church, the candles have melted…”), to which Alexander Malinin performed the song of the same name (1991).
Marina Andreevna Yudenich wrote a novel called Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois.
Sergei Trofimov’s song “Saint-Genevieve” is dedicated to the cemetery.
Alexander Gorodnitsky wrote the song “At the cemetery of Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois” in 1996
Buried celebrities
Amalrik, Andrey Alekseevich - publicist.
Benois, Albert Nikolaevich - architect, artist.
Bulgakov, Sergei Nikolaevich: BOULGAKOV,Sergueï Nicolaïevitch, Archiprêtre (1871 Livny, Province d "Orel - 1944 Paris), Théologien. (578)
Bunin, Ivan Alekseevich - writer - 1870 Voronezh - 1953. Bunin was the first Russian to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1933. He is buried with Vera Muromtseva, niece of the President of the First Duma, who was his girlfriend since 1907 and with whom he was married in 1922. (2961)
Burtsev, Vladimir Lvovich
Sisters of Marina Vladi:
Lesnova, Militza (LESNOV Militza) (1932-1988), theater actress. Nickname: Hélène Vallières. (764)
Pozzo di Borgo (1930-1980), countess, film actress. Nickname: Odile Versoix. (POZZO di BORGO, Comtesse (1930 - 1980), née Tania de POLIAKOFF, actrice de cinéma. Pseudonyme Odile Versois, soeur de Marina Vlady). (764)
Gazdanov, Gaito - writer
Galich, Alexander Arkadyevich - playwright, poet, bard.
Gippius, Zinaida Nikolaevna - poetess.
Alyosha Dmitrievich is an artist and musician.
Grigory Grigorievich Eliseev (1858 - 1949) owner of luxury stores bearing his name:
House No. 14 on Tverskaya Street (Moscow) - Eliseevsky store in Moscow;
The house of the trading partnership "Eliseev Brothers" - Eliseevsky store in St. Petersburg. (894)
Zaitsev, Boris Konstantinovich - writer.
Zander, Lev Alexandrovich (1893-1964) - writer, philosopher, figure in the ecumenical movement. (ZANDER, Léon Alexandrovitch (1893-1964) Ecrivain) (576/577)
Kartashev, Anton Vladimirovich
Korovin, Konstantin Alekseevich - artist.
Kutepov, Alexander Pavlovich (1882-1930) - general, one of the leaders of the White movement. (Général Alexandre KOUTIEPOV (1882-1930) (Cénotaphe) Carré militaire de GALLIPOLI (Architecte Albert Benois). Le monument de GALLIPOLI a été érigé par les anciens combattants de l "armée Blanche). (5234)
Kshesinskaya, Matilda Feliksovna - ballerina.
Lampe, Alexey Alexandrovich von - general, participant in the White movement.
Lebedev, Vladimir Aleksandrovich - one of the first aviators.
Lifar, Serge - choreographer - 1905 Kyiv - 1986 Lausanne (Switzerland). He lies with his wife, who died in September 2008 (6114)
Lokhvitsky, Nikolai Alexandrovich - general
Lvov, Georgy Evgenievich (1861, Tula - 1925, Paris), prince, head and minister of the Provisional Government from March 15 to July 20, 1917. (Prince Georges LVOV (1861 Toula - 1925 Paris) Président et ministre du gouvernement provisoire du 15 mars au 20 July 1917). (574/575)
Makovsky, Sergei Konstantinovich - poet and art critic.
Mandelstam, Yuri Vladimirovich (1908-1943) Poet. Exile, exiled and died in a deportation camp. He was buried with Lyudmila Mandelstam (1908-1938), née Stravinsky, the eldest daughter of musician Igor Fedorovich Stravinsky. (346)
Melnik, Tatyana Evgenievna (1908, St. Petersburg - 1986) - daughter of E. S. Botkin, physician of Nicholas II, one of the last who saw the Romanov family. Author of memoirs known in France. (MELNIK, Tatiana (1908 à St Pétersbourg -1986) Née BOTKINE. Tatiana Botkine, fille du Docteur Eugène Sergueïvitch Botkine, médecin du Tsar Nicolas II, est une des dernières personnes à avoir vu la famille Romanov). (2433)
Merezhkovsky, Dmitry Sergeevich - poet (1865 - 1941) and Zinaida Nikolaevna Gippius (1869 - 1941) Poetess. The image on the monument is a copy of Andrei Rublev’s “Trinity” (440).
Meshcherskaya, Vera Kirillovna (1876-1949). Founder of the Russian House in Sainte-Genevieve de Bois in 1927.(386)
Mozzhukhin, Ivan Ilyich - film actor.
Mulkhanov, Pavel Mikhailovich - architect.
Nekrasov, Viktor Platonovich (1911 Kyiv - 1987 Paris) Writer and screenwriter. (292)
Nureyev, Rudolf Khametovich - ballet dancer: 1938 - 1993. Monument conceived by the designer of the Paris Opera Enzo Frigerio and realized in 1996 by the Italian mosaic Acomena. It is a woven oriental carpet, which Nureyev especially loved.
Obolenskaya, Vera Apollonovna, princess (pseudonym in the Resistance Movement - Wiki) (Moscow 1911-Berlin 1944). Member of the Resistance Movement in France. Arrested on September 17, 1943. Beheaded in Berlin's Plotzensee prison on August 4, 1944. (Text: OBOLENSKY Véra Princesse (VICKY dans la résistance) - Moscow 1911 - Berlin 1944). Agent de liaison dans la résistance française, arrêtée le 17 Septembre 1943. Décapitée à la prison de Plezensee (berlin) la 4 Août 1944. Chapelle et sépulture de jeunes Russes morts pour la France durant la guerre de 1939 - 1945.) (875/ 880)
Otsup, Nikolai Avdeevich (8327/8328)
Peshkov (Sverdlov), Zinovy Maksimovich - adopted son and godson of the Russian writer Maxim Gorky, general of the French Foreign Legion (1884 Nizhny Novgorod- 1966 Paris), awarded the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor. (5740)
Poplavsky, Boris - poet.
Preobrazhenskaya, Olga - ballerina.
Prokudin-Gorsky, Sergei Mikhailovich - photographer, chemist, inventor
Remizov, Alexey Mikhailovich - writer
Romanov, Gabriel Konstantinovich - prince of imperial blood, son of Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich, grandson of Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich, great-grandson of Emperor Nicholas I
Romanova, Irina Alexandrovna - Grand Duchess
Ryndina, Lidia Dmitrievna (1883-1964) - theater and film actress, writer.
Ryabushinsky (561/562):
Ryabushinskaya, Vera Sergeevna (1883-1952), née Zybina - music critic (RIABOUCHINSKY, Véra Sergueïevna (1883-1952) née de Zybine. Critique musicale, ancienne demoiselle d'honneur de LL. MM les Impératrices Marie et Alexandra)
Ryabushinskaya, Maria Dmitrievna (1910-1939) - artist. (Maria Dimitrievna RIABOUCHINSKY (1910-1939) Peintre. Le masque mortuaire sur la tombe est le sien).
Ryabushinsky, Dmitry Pavlovich (1882-1962) - engineer, aerodynamicist, founder of the Aerodynamic Institute in Kushchino near Moscow, corresponding member of the Paris Academy of Sciences since 1935. (Dimitri Pavlovitch RIABOUCHINSKY (1882-1962) Ingénieur en Aérodynamique. Fondateur de l" Institut Aérodynamique de Koutchino près de Moscou en 1904. Membre correspondant de l "Académie des Sciences à Paris en 1935). (561/562)
Serebryakova, Zinaida Evgenievna - Russian artist.
Somov, Konstantin Andreevich - artist - 1869 St. Petersburg - 1939 Paris. Several of his exhibitions were shown in Moscow ( Tretyakov Gallery) and in St. Petersburg (Russian Museum)(119)
Stolypina, Olga Borisovna (1859 - 1944) wife of P. A. Stolypin, converter agriculture, prime minister, assassinated in 1911. (855)
Mother, first wife and children of composer Igor Fedorovich Stravinsky:
Stravinsky, Fyodor Iogrevich (1907-1989). Artist. Son of musician Igor Stravinsky. Buried with Ekaterina Gavrilovna Stravinskaya (1880-1939) - the first wife of Igor Stravinsky (who was his cousin) (352)
Stravinskaya, Anna Kirillovna (1854-1939) - mother of Igor Stravinsky (334)
Mandelstam, Lyudmila Igorevna (1908-1938), née Stravinskaya, eldest daughter of Igor Stravinsky, buried with her husband, poet Yuri Mandelstam. (346)
Struve, Pyotr Berngardovich - philosopher.
Tarkovsky, Andrei Arsenievich - film director.
Tatishchev, Vladimir Sergeevich (1865-1928), count (Compte Wladimir Sergueïvitch TATISCHEFF (1865-1928). Haut Fonctionnaire de la Russie impériale (Député, Maréchal de la Noblesse)). (27)
Teffi - writer
Ulagai, Sergei Georgievich - general, leader of the White movement.
Cherepnin, Nikolai Nikolaevich (1873 St. Petersburg - 1945 Issy Moulinet), composer and conductor (1627)
Chichibabin, Alexey Evgenievich (1871 Poltava - 1945 Paris) Chemist. Specialist in the field of sulfonamides. (2014/2015/2016)
Shmelev, Ivan Sergeevich - writer
Yusupov and Sheremetev:
Yusupova, Zinaida Nikolaevna (1861-1939), Russian princess, mother of Prince Felix Yusupov.
Felix Feliksovich Yusupov, prince (1887 St. Petersburg - 1967 Paris). Count Sumarokov-Elston. Organizer of the murder of Rasputin on December 30, 1916 in his palace in Petrograd. He was buried with his wife Yusupova, Irina Alexandrovna (1895 Peterhof - 1970 Paris), Russian Grand Duchess, great-granddaughter of Tsar Nicholas I and niece of Nicholas II.
Sheremeteva, Irina Feliksovna (1915 St. Petersburg - 1983 Corney-en-Parisi), née Princess Yusupova, only daughter Prince Felix Yusupov and Irina Alexandrovna Yusupova.
Sheremetev, Nikolai Dimitrievich (1904 Moscow - 1979 Paris) 11th Count Sheremetev. Husband of Princess Irina Feliksovna Yusupova. (391)
REWELIOTTY, Andrée (30 Avril 1929 Paris / 24 Juillet 1962), saxophoniste, soprano, clarinettiste, chef d'orchestre. Accompagnateur attitré pendant plusieurs années (de 1952 à 1959) de Sidney BECHET.(2492)
BOISHUE,ter Elisabeth de (1948 - 2001) née STOSKOPF. Director of the Russian House in Sainte-Genevieve de Bois.(2484)
GALITZINE,EKATERINA Nicolaïevna. Princesse (1876 - 1931) Dame de la Cour imépriale à la cocarde de Ste Catherine (107)
Carré militaire des cadets Russes. Jusqu"en 1917, les écoles des Corps de Cadets sont destinées aux enfants de la noblesse russe dans le but de recevoir une formation d"élève-Officier. Pattes d'épaule sur certaines tombes (pour les différentes écoles impériales). Small church, melted candles,
The stone is worn white by the rains.
The exes, the exes are buried here,
Cemetery of Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois.
Dreams and prayers are buried here,
Tears and valor, goodbye and cheers,
Staff captains and midshipmen,
Hvaty-colonels and cadets.
White guard, white flock,
White army, white bone.
Wet slabs are overgrown with grass.
Russian letters - French churchyard.
I touch history with my palm,
I'm going through the civil war.
Oh, how they wanted to go to the mother throne
Ride once on a white horse.
There was no glory - there was no homeland,
The heart is gone, but the memory is alive.
Your Lordships, Their Honors
Together in Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois.
They lie tightly, having learned enough
Your torments and your roads.
Still Russian, still ours,
Only they are not ours, but someone else’s.
Like they are forgotten exes,
Cursing everything, now and in the future,
They were eager to look at her victorious,
Let it be incomprehensible, let it not be forgiven
Motherland and die.
Noon. Birch echo of peace.
Russian domes in the sky.
And the clouds are like white horses,
Rushing over Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois.
White guard, white flock.
White army, white bone...
Wet slabs are overgrown with grass.
Russian letters. French churchyard...
I touch history with my palm.
I'm going through the Civil War...
How they wanted to go to the Mother See
One day ride on a white horse!..
There was no glory. The Motherland was no more.
There was no heart. And the memory was...
Your Lordships, their Honors -
Together in Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois.
They lie tightly, having learned enough
Your torments and your roads.
After all, they are Russians. It seems to be ours.
Just not ours, but someone else’s...
How they are after - forgotten, former
Cursing everything now and in the future,
They were eager to look at her - victorious,
Let it be incomprehensible, let it be unforgivable,
Motherland, and die...
Noon. Birch glow of peace.
Russian domes in the sky.
And the clouds are like white horses,
Rushing over Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois.
(Cemetery near Paris. Robert Rozhdestvensky)
The famous Cemetery called “Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois” is located in France, in the town of Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois, 30 km from the southern part of Paris.
Along with local residents emigrants from Russia were buried there
The cemetery is considered Orthodox, although there are burials of other religions
10 thousand representatives of the Russian people in France found peace here.
These are great princes, generals, writers, artists, clergy, artists
Ivan Bunin
Andrei Tarkovsky
In 1960, the French authorities raised the issue of demolishing the cemetery, since the leased land would soon expire.
The Russian government did not stand aside and allocated a certain amount to pay off the debt, as well as further rent and maintenance.
The ashes of some graves were reburied in Russian cemeteries in the 2000s
After mass emigration during the October Revolution, some old people were left completely alone.
In order to somehow alleviate their fate, the emigrant committee in April 1927 bought an old castle near Paris and set up a shelter in it for elderly lonely emigrants
It began to be called the Russian House, in which 150 people lived.
To this day, relics of Russian culture and the life of white emigrants are kept there.
At the very edge of the park adjacent to the castle, there was a small local cemetery, which soon began to be replenished with Russian graves.
And later, the dead Soviet soldiers and Russians who took part in the French Resistance movement found their final refuge there.
While on the way to the cemetery, I realized that visiting it could be considered a duty.
General sponsor of the blog tour
The cemetery of Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois (French: Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois) in the suburbs of Paris is perhaps the most famous Russian necropolis abroad. His exact address: rue Leo Lagrange ( rue Leo Lagrange) city of Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois in the Paris region. As history tells, an almshouse was built in this place in the 20s of the twentieth century; at that time, Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois was still a small village, and most of the inhabitants were nobility who managed to escape from Russia during the revolution...
The construction of the almshouse was carried out according to the idea and personal funds of the Russian princess V.K. Meshcherskaya, this building soon became a shelter for elderly lonely Russian nobles who had neither family nor financial savings; for such citizens, the almshouse became the only place where the elderly could receive care and food.
In 1927, a first Russian cemetery, its history began with the allocation of a plot of land for the burial of the permanent inhabitants of the almshouse, who found their last refuge in it. Very little time passed, and Russian nobles from Paris and other cities of France began to be buried in the cemetery in Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois.
* grave of I. Bunin
Almost 20 thousand Russian people are buried in the Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois cemetery, among whom there are quite a few famous names: Russian prose writer Ivan Bunin (it is known that the contents of his grave paid for indefinitely by the Nobel Committee ); Alexander Galich (playwright, poet, bard), poetess of the “Silver Age” Zinaida Gippius and her husband, poet Dmitry Merezhkovsky; Russian chess player (and perhaps our distant relative on my husband's side;)) Evgeniy Znosko-Borovsky; artist Konstantin Korovin; widow of Kolchak, admiral Russian fleet and the leader of the White movement - Sofya Fedorovna and their son Rostislav; famous artist ballet Rudolf Nureyev (his grave is a sarcophagus covered with a mosaic “oriental carpet” by Italian master Acomena in 1996); director Andrei Tarkovsky, known for his works " Solaris" and "Stalker" (on his tombstone there is an inscription: "The man who saw an angel"). For many Russians, the cemetery is a place of pilgrimage. 
* grave of Gippius and Merezhkovsky
* Tarkovsky's grave
* Nureyev's grave
Is in the cemetery Monument to participants of the White movement . The monument reproduces the shape of a stone mound built in 1921 by Russian emigrants led by General Kutepov near the city of Gelibolu on the European shore of the Dardanelles, which was severely damaged by an earthquake in 1949 and was then dismantled. The monument is dedicated to General Wrangel, General Denikin, Admiral Kolchak and others.
There is an Orthodox church in the cemetery churchAssumption Holy Mother of God built according to the design of Albert Benoit, founded in April 1938 and consecrated on October 14, 1939. It is a small white church with a blue onion dome.
The interior of the church is quite restrained; its main component is the iconostasis, made in two tiers; it was painted not only by recognized Russian artists, but also by talented parishioners. Inside the church is decorated with frescoes, some of them depict events from the life of Jesus Christ, on others you can see the Blessed Virgin Mary, these frescoes were painted famous painter Albert Benoit. The western part of the temple was painted by another artist - Morozov.
Directions from Paris: RER C Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois, then by GenoveBus 10-05, stop Piscine.
Material used from sites:
In the suburbs of Paris is the suburb of Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois, which is often called Russian. The almshouse in this place was built in the 20s of the twentieth century, at that time Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois, which had not yet turned from a small village into a small cozy town, was already associated with Russian emigration, most of which were the nobility who managed flee Russia during the revolution.
In the suburbs of Paris is a suburb Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois(French Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois), which is often called Russian. The almshouse in this place was built in the 20s of the twentieth century, at that time Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois, which had not yet turned from a small village into a small cozy town, was already associated with Russian emigration, most of which were the nobility who managed flee Russia during the revolution.
The construction of the almshouse was carried out according to the idea and personal funds of the Russian princess V.K. Meshcherskaya, this building soon became a shelter for elderly lonely Russian nobles who had neither family nor financial savings; for such citizens, the almshouse became the only place where the elderly could receive care and food. In 1927, a first Russian cemetery, its history began with the allocation of a plot of land for the burial of the permanent inhabitants of the almshouse, who found their last refuge in it. Very little time passed, and Russian nobles from Paris and other cities of France began to be buried in the cemetery in Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois.
And for the funeral services of the dead, a small Orthodox Church in the Russian Baroque style, with a small blue dome decorated with a gilded cross. Under one of the naves lie the ashes of Orthodox clergy, including Archbishop George, as well as Metropolitans Vladimir and Evlogii. The architect, according to whose design the temple was built, and his wife Margarita Alexandrovna, known as an artist during her lifetime, were buried next to them. And next to the church they subsequently built a small house, dedicated to memory architect, where visitors to the temple and Russian cemetery can relax and drink a cup of hot and aromatic tea.
The entrance to the cemetery passes through a beautiful gate made in the form of an arch, and its main decoration is the image of two archangels - Michael and Gabriel, holding an icon in their hands. Next there is a wide alley, along which you can see Russian birch trees, reminding emigrants of their homeland, many cozy benches, on which you can sit and relax at any time. You can climb up to the temple via comfortable steps, and around them you can see trimmed bushes and well-groomed low spruce trees, and then, behind the church, birch trees alternate with poplars. Among architects, it has been suggested that the cemetery, church and almshouse in Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois, built in the Pskov-Novgorod style, are the only architectural ensemble of this kind throughout Western European territory. The entrance to the Orthodox church, named after the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is decorated with an unusual fresco depicting the Mother of God. And at some distance from the temple you can see the belfry, as if lost among the already tall trees, it is decorated with two simple arcades, and at the top there is a small dome, with its crown pointing to the sky, Orthodox holidays The ringing of the six bells of the belfry can be heard from afar.
Cross-shaped Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on top it is decorated with a dome, which in color seems to merge with the heavens, and on the dome you can see an eight-pointed cross. The interior of the church is quite restrained; its main component is the iconostasis, made in two tiers; it was painted not only by recognized Russian artists, but also by talented parishioners. Inside the church is decorated with frescoes, some of them depict events from the life of Jesus Christ, on others you can see the Blessed Virgin Mary, these frescoes were painted by the famous painter Albert Benoit. The western part of the temple was painted by another artist - Morozov. The walls, icon cases and lecterns of the church are decorated with numerous icons, all of which were left to the temple by parishioners as a priceless gift.
The almshouse became the center of Russian emigration, and a small village was formed around it within a short time. Russian emigrants from Paris sought to purchase a plot of land here to build their own home, some built dachas intended for relaxation from the noisy and bustling Paris, while others moved into newly built houses and stayed here forever. And the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, consecrated in 1939 by Metropolitan Evlogii, was built at the expense of Russian settlers, and the architect Albert Nikolaevich Benois worked on the drama project. This outstanding man was known both as an architect, and as an artist, as an illustrator, graphic artist and book designer, and as a theatergoer, and as a subtle connoisseur of music and dance, and as a theatrical and art critic. According to contemporaries, Benoit possessed a considerable amount of artistry; he was called the “singer of Versailles and Louis” for his unusual series of works in watercolors depicting the Parisian palace court. The outstanding architect left this mortal coil in 1960 in Paris, and his body was brought for funeral service and subsequent burial in the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, built by him, in the village of Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois.
But the Russian emigration cemetery differs from similar burials on Russian territory. It combines the splendor characteristic only of Russians, and Western cleanliness, and the rule according to which all graves are subordinated to a single idea, all graves, alleys and cemetery areas are well-groomed; here you will not see any wild grass as tall as a person, or garbage. Near gravestone Orthodox crosses, as well as in special niches of many monuments and tombstones, the lights of lamps constantly flicker; they do not go out, but a kind of “ eternal flame» is supported by the cemetery staff. The graves are also decorated with icons made on an enamel coating, all of them small. In the cemetery in Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois lies the color of the Russian intelligentsia and, many writers are buried here, including Zinaida Gippius and Dmitry Merezhkovsky, Alexey Remizov and Ivan Shmelev, Nadezhda Teffi and Nikolai Evreinov, Boris Zaitsev, the famous writer Ivan Bunin and his faithful wife Vera Nikolaevna.
The Russian cemetery is also the burial place of heroes of the French resistance, including Kirill Radishchev and Vika Obolenskaya, as well as Zinoviy Peshkov, adopted son famous writer Alexey Peshkov, working under the pseudonym Maxim Gorky. The ashes of artists and ballerinas such as Olga Preobrazhenskaya, Vera Trefilova, Matilda Kshesinskaya, Ivan Mozzhukhin, Maria Krzhizhanovskaya are buried in Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois. Philosophers N. Lossky and S. Bulgakov, artists K. Korovin and Z. Serebryakova and K. Somov are buried here, and relatively recently the graves where A. Tarkovsky, A. Galich and V. Nekrasov found their final refuge appeared.
However, the Russian emigration in Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois has many problems, and the preservation of the village and the cemetery itself is under threat. The land allocated for the cemetery does not belong to the Russian community, but to the local municipality, and the site itself was allocated for burials only for a certain period. In the 70s of the twentieth century, it was forbidden to bury all Russian emigrants and their descendants here; the only exceptions were citizens who bought a place in the cemetery long before the relevant order of the authorities, as well as persons whose affiliation with the village of Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois in general , and the Russian cemetery in particular, has been proven. To be buried in this cemetery famous director Andrei Tarkovsky, even the country’s Minister of Culture had to intervene. And soon a small chapel appeared on the territory of the cemetery, built as a tomb for the remains reburied from old graves whose lease had long expired. Amazingly, many emigrants spent their whole lives cherishing the dream of returning to their homeland, from which they once had to flee. Some nobles did not even bury their dead relatives, storing their ashes in zinc coffins, so that such a coffin could be transported to Russia and buried on Russian soil.
Today, in the Russian cemetery in Sainte-Genevieve des Bois, there are also abandoned graves, which there is currently no one to rent. The city authorities, by law, have the right to sell all burials that do not have a legal owner, and many French people have already been buried on the site of Russian graves. There is only one way to preserve the Russian cemetery safe and sound, giving it the status of a memorial. But such a decision has not been made and is unlikely to be made in the coming years. The preservation of the cemetery is so far based on intergovernmental agreements that were verbally decided during the trips of the Russian President, Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin, and subsequently Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin to France, and in particular to the cemetery of Russian emigration in Sainte-Genevieve des Bois.
On at the moment the costs of maintaining the Orthodox part of the cemetery are shared among the relatives of deceased emigrants, parishioners of the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the local municipality. Saint-Genevieve des Bois is growing as a city, and space is needed to expand, so the cemetery is constantly under threat. The Russian government offered the French authorities plots of land in Russia in exchange for the territory of the cemetery, and projects were also put forward to rebury the remains of Russian nobles and intelligentsia from the cemetery in Saint-Genevieve des Bois to other places, or to various Orthodox churches. But the Russian emigration and their descendants simply do not have the funds for such large-scale projects. And only the ashes of the writer Ivan Bunin are not threatened by anything - rent land plot, on which his ashes rest, was paid for indefinitely at the expense of the Nobel Committee. And the further fate of all other graves has not been decided.
RUSSIAN CEMETERY
SAINT GENEVIEVE DE BOIS(France)
The Russian cemetery of Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois is public and located a few kilometers south of Paris. In 1927, Princess Vera Kirillovna Meshcherskaya (1876-1949) reserved part of the cemetery for the burial of Russians who emigrated to France after the 1917 revolution.
Many military men and Cossacks of the White Army are buried in the cemetery, in particular Colonel Nikolai Ivanovich Alabovsky (1883-1974), commander of the Markov Regiment Abram Mikhailovich Dragomirov (1868-1955), General Pyotr Petrovich Kalinin (1853-1927), General Nikolai Nikolaevich Golovin (1875 -1944), General Alexander Pavlovich Kutepov (1882-1930), General Nikolai Alexandrovich Lokhvitsky (1867-1933), Cossack General Sergei Georgievich Ulagai (1875(77)-1944)…
There are also several monuments erected in honor of the White Army: a monument to Russian veterans of Gallipoli, in memory of General Mikhail Gordeevich Drozdovsky, in honor of Alekseev’s division, a monument to the Don Cossacks.
The cemetery is decorated in Russian traditions (Orthodox crosses, pine trees and large birch trees on the territory). Here, under 5,220 gravestones, lie approximately 15,000 Russians and Frenchmen of Russian origin.
On the territory of the cemetery is the Russian Orthodox Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God (Notre-Dame de la Dormission), which was consecrated on October 14, 1939 by Metropolitan Euloge, who currently rests in the church crypt.
Albert Benois - the building of the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Russian Cemetery of Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois near Paris (he and his wife M.A. Benois painted this temple)
The temple was built in the style of Novgorod churches of the 15-16th century. Inside, to the right of the iconostasis, there is a memorial plaque in memory of the 37 generals, 2,605 officers and 29,000 Cossacks who were British prisoners of war in the spring of 1945 and tortured during the “Cossack massacre at Lienz,” in Austria. The British decided to deliver their prisoners of war to Stalin and killed 300 rebellious prisoners, including women and children. Many Cossacks decided to commit suicide with their family and horse, others were given up Soviet Union and almost all were destroyed. The few surviving Cossacks were granted amnesty by Khrushchev in 1955.
Since Vladimir Putin's visit in 2000, the Russian Federation, together with France, has been involved in maintaining the Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois cemetery.
Official Representative,
special correspondent
Orenburg military
Cossack society in France
Pascal Gerard
Paris, May 29, 2014
July 16, 1921
The Gallipoli obelisk was solemnly opened; it resembled both an ancient mound and Monomakh’s hat, crowned with a cross. On the marble plaque under the double-headed Russian eagle it was written: “God rest the souls of the departed. The 1st Corps of the Russian Army to its brother warriors, who, in the struggle for the honor of their homeland, found eternal peace in a foreign land in 1920-21 and 1854-55, and to the memory of their Cossack ancestors who died in Turkish captivity.”
The Gallipoli monument was destroyed by an earthquake on July 23, 1949. A smaller copy of it, as a tribute to the memory of all participants in the White movement in Russia, on the fortieth anniversary of its opening, it was decided to install it in the Russian cemetery of Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois, where by that time many participants in the movement had found their final refuge. And just like once the stones, now the money for the construction of the monument was collected by Russian people, already scattered all over the world.
15 thousand Russians are buried in this cemetery in 5220 graves, which gives reason to call the entire cemetery “Russian”. Among the emigrants buried in the cemetery are many Russian military men, members of the clergy, writers, artists, performers... Looking at the tombstones with Russian names, I felt a lump come to my throat...
In the summer of 1993, only a large wooden cross was installed on the grave of Andrei Tarkovsky. Opposite this cross is a hill covered with a real kilim carpet - the grave of Rudolf Nureyev, who was buried six months ago. Later, in 1996, this woven carpet on his grave will be replaced by a luxurious mosaic carpet.
Buried in the Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois cemetery are:
Bulgakov Sergey Nikolaevich, Russian philosopher, theologian, economist, priest of the Orthodox Church,
Bunin Ivan Alekseevich, writer, first Russian Nobel Prize laureate in literature,
On October 22, IVAN ALEXEEVICH BUNIN was born (October 22, 1870 - November 8, 1953), the first Russian writer - Nobel Prize laureate, 1933. The writer was born in Voronezh. He spent his childhood on the Ozerki family estate. From 1881 to 1885, Ivan Bunin studied at the Yeletsk district gymnasium, and four years later he published his first poems. In 1889, Bunin worked as a proofreader for the Orlovsky Vestnik newspaper, where he met Varvara Pashchenko. Parents are not happy with their relationship - lovers Varvara and Ivan are forced to leave for Poltava in 1892. In 1895, after a long correspondence, Bunin met Chekhov. The works of this period are the collection “Poems”, “Under the Open Air”, “Falling Leaves”. In the 1890s, Bunin traveled on the steamship “Chaika” along the Dnieper and visited the grave of Taras Shevchenko, whose work he loved and subsequently translated a lot. A few years later, he would write an essay about this journey, “On the Seagull,” which would be published in the children’s illustrated magazine “Vskhody” on November 1, 1898. In 1899, Bunin married the daughter of the Greek revolutionary Anna Tsakni, but the marriage did not work out. After some time they separate, and since 1906 Bunin has lived in a civil marriage with Vera Muromtseva. Bunin was awarded three times Pushkin Prize. In 1909, he was elected academician in the category of belles-lettres, becoming the youngest academician Russian Academy. In February 1920, Bunin left Russia and emigrated to France. In exile, Bunin created his best works: “Mitya’s Love”, “Sunstroke”, “The Case of Cornet Elagin” and, finally, “The Life of Arsenyev”. These works became a new word both in Bunin’s work and in Russian literature in general. In 1933, Bunin became the first Russian writer to win the Nobel Prize. Ivan Bunin died in his sleep on the night of November 8, 1953 in Paris. He was buried in the cemetery in Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois, France.
Galich Alexander Arkadevich, playwright, poet, bard,
Alexander Arkadyevich Galich (Ginzburg) (October 19, 1918 - December 15, 1977), was born in Yekaterinoslavl (now Dnepropetrovsk), spent his childhood in Sevastopol, and lived in Moscow before emigrating.
Graduated from the theater studio named after. K.S. Stanislavsky (1938). Actor, poet, playwright. Author of about 20 plays and film scripts. Winner of several domestic and international awards, laureate of the Stalin Prize, State. USSR Prize (1987). Since 1955, member of the Union of Writers of the USSR, expelled from the joint venture and from the Literary Fund in 1971, reinstated in 1988. Since 1958, member of the Union of Cinematographers (expelled in 1972, reinstated in 1988). Since 1972 - Orthodox.
In June 1974 he was forced to leave his homeland. I lived in Oslo for a year, where I recorded the disc “Scream in a Whisper.” He joined the NTS (People's Labor Union), worked at the Radio Liberty since 1975 in Munich, and at the end of 1976 in Paris he headed the culture section.
At the end of 1976 he removed the document. film "Refugees of the 20th Century". I wanted to write a book about NTS.
Performed in Israel, USA, Western Europe.
On December 3, 1977 he gave his last concert in Venice.
He died in Paris and was buried in the Russian Orthodox cemetery in Sainte-Genevieve des Bois near Paris.
In 1988, the decisions to exclude Galich from the Investigative Committee and the Joint Venture were canceled, and a commission on literary heritage was formed.
Gippius Zinaida Nikolaevna, poetess,
Zinaida Gippius - Russian poetess and writer of the “Silver Age” era
November 20, 1869 – September 9, 1945
Zinaida Nikolaevna Gippius was born on November 20, 1869 in Belyov, Tula region, into a German noble family of a lawyer. Because of her father’s work, the family often changed their place of residence, and the girl studied in many schools.
Since childhood, Zina was fond of poetry and painting, and loved horseback riding. In 1888, Gippius met her future husband, Dmitry Merezhkovsky. In the same year, she began publishing her poems and novels in Severny Vestnik.
Gippius stood at the origins of Russian symbolism. Together with her husband, they founded the Religious and Philosophical Society in St. Petersburg.
Later, collections of stories by Gippius were published on philosophical themes- “The Scarlet Sword”, “Moon Ants”. In 1911, the novel “The Devil's Doll” was written.
The poetess also writes essays, most often under the pseudonym Anton Krainy, although she also uses other names: Lev Pushchin, Comrade German, Roman Arensky, Anton Kirsha, Nikita Vecher.
After the October Revolution of 1917, Gippius and her husband emigrated to Paris and in a subsequent collection of poems sharply condemned new system Russia. In exile, she continues to engage in creativity, as well as active social activities.
Zinaida Gippius died in Paris on September 9, 1945. She was buried next to her husband in the cemetery of Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois.
Glebova-Sudeikina Olga Afanasyevna, actress,
Zaitsev Boris Konstantinovich, writer,
Boris Konstantinovich Zaitsev (January 29, 1881, Orel - January 28, 1972, Paris) - Russian writer and translator, one of the last major figures Silver Age.
Father Konstantin Nikolaevich Zaitsev is the director of the Moscow Guzhon paper plant, from the nobility of the Simbirsk province. He spent his childhood in the village of Usty, Zhizdrinsky district, Kaluga province (now Duminichsky district, Kaluga region). He received his primary education under the guidance of governesses. In Kaluga he studied at a classical gymnasium (1892-1894; did not graduate, in 1902 he took an exam in ancient languages as an external student at the 6th Moscow gymnasium). Graduated from the Kaluga Real School (1894-1897, additional class - 1898). He studied at the chemical department of the Moscow Technical School (1898-1899, expelled for participating in student unrest), at the Mining Institute in St. Petersburg (1899-1901; did not graduate), at the Faculty of Law of Moscow University (1902-1906; did not graduate).
He started writing at the age of 17. In the fall of 1900, in Yalta, I met A.P. Chekhov. At the beginning of 1901, he sent the manuscript of the story “An Uninteresting Story” to Chekhov and V. G. Korolenko. In the same year, he met L.N. Andreev, who helped him at the beginning literary activity, introduced him to literary circle“Sreda”, led by N. Teleshov. In July 1901 he made his debut with the story “On the Road” in “Courier”. In 1902 or 1903 he met I. A. Bunin, with whom he maintained friendly relations for many years.
Lived in Moscow, often visiting St. Petersburg. Member of the Moscow Literary and Artistic Circle (1902), participated in the publication of the magazine “Zori” (1906), which existed for several months, and since 1907 a full member of the Society of Amateurs Russian literature, also a member of the Society of Periodicals and Literature.
In 1904 he visited Italy and lived there several times from 1907 to 1911. During the First World War, he lived in Pritikin with his wife and daughter Natalya. In December 1916 he entered Alexandrovskoe military school, in March 1917 he was promoted to officer. In the brochure “Conversation about War” (Moscow, 1917) he wrote about Germany’s aggressiveness and pursued the idea of war to a victorious end. In August 1917, he fell ill with pneumonia and went on vacation to Pritykino, where he lived until 1921, periodically visiting Moscow. In 1922 he was elected chairman of the Moscow branch of the All-Russian Writers' Union. He worked at the Writers' Co-operative Shop.
After the revolution he perceived tragically and the subsequent civil war, when the writer’s nephew and stepson were killed, he was arrested for active participation in Pomgol (famine relief organization), then almost died of typhus, Zaitsev and his wife left Russia forever.
In June 1922, Zaitsev moved to Berlin with his family. He worked actively in the magazines “Modern Notes” and “Zveno”. In September 1923, Zaitsev and his family moved to Italy; in December they left for Paris, where he would subsequently live for about half a century. In October 1925, he became editor of the Riga magazine Chimes, and in 1927 he published his works in the Parisian newspaper Revival.
The spring of 1927 was marked by a trip to Mount Athos, the result of which was the appearance of travel essays under the same name “Athos”.
From 1925 to 1929 The first part of the diary entries “The Wanderer” was published in the newspaper “Vozrozhdenie” and “Days”. These entries are dedicated to life in France.
In addition, Zaitsev was involved in the selection of materials for literary biography I. S. Turgenev, A. P. Chekhov, V. A. Zhukovsky, which were subsequently published.
Zaitsev traveled a lot around France, these travels were reflected in essays about such French cities as Grasse, Nice, Avignon.
In the first years of World War II, Zaitsev again turned to publishing diary entries. A series of new diary entries “Days” was published in the newspaper “Vozrozhdenie”. After France was occupied by Germany in 1940, there were no publications by Zaitsev in Russian publications. During these years, Zaitsev in every possible way refused to draw his conclusions about political turmoil. But he continues to work, so in 1945 the story “King David” was published.
In 1947, Zaitsev worked for the Parisian newspaper Russian Thought, and in the same year he was elected chairman of the Union of Russian Writers in France. This position remains until the end of life.
In 1959 he began collaborating with the almanac “Bridges” in Munich and corresponded with B. L. Pasternak.
1957 - tough year in Zaitsev’s personal life, the writer’s wife suffers a stroke, Zaitsev spends all his days near his wife’s bed, continuing to work on the genre of diary entries of an everyday nature.
The years of emigration were fruitful years of Zaitsev’s creativity; more than 30 books were published in Russian, about 800 texts in periodicals.
Abroad, he collaborated in emigrant publications (“Modern Notes”, “Renaissance”, “Russian Thought”, “New Journal” and others). For many years was chairman of the Union of Russian Writers and Journalists. One of the founders and member of the Icon Society in Paris (1927). In the 1950s was a member of the Commission for the translation into Russian of the New Testament in Paris. In 1962 he was nominated by R.V. Pletnev for the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Books:
Far edge, 1915
Travelers, Paris, “Russian Land”, 1921
Street St. Nicholas, Berlin, “The Word”, 1923
Venerable Sergius Radonezhsky, Paris, 1925
Golden pattern, Praha, 1926
Athos. Travel sketch, Paris, 1928
Anna, Paris, 1929
Life of Turgenev. Biography, Paris, 1932
House in Passy, Berlin, 1935
Gleb's journey. Tetralogy:
1. Dawn, Berlin, 1937
2. Silence, Paris, 1948
3. Youth, Paris, 1950
4. Tree of Life, New York, 1953
Moscow, Paris, 1939, Munich, 1960, 1973
Zhukovsky. Biography, Paris, 1951
Chekhov. Biography, New York, 1954
Quiet Dawns, Munich, 1973
Distant. Articles, Washington, 1965
River of Times, New York, 1968
My contemporaries. Essay, London, 1988
Life of Sergius of Radonezh
He was buried in the cemetery of Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois.
Ivanov Georgy Vladimirovich, Russian poet, prose writer, translator,
Izvolsky Pyotr Petrovich, Russian public and statesman, Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod,
Kokovtsov, Vladimir Nikolaevich, Count, Minister of Finance, Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Russian Empire,
Kolchak Sofya Fedorovna, widow of A.V. Kolchak, admiral of the Russian Fleet, Supreme Ruler of Russia, leader of the White movement,
Korovin Konstantin Alekseevich, artist,
Kutepov, Alexander Pavlovich, general, one of the leaders of Bely
movements,
“Our children and grandchildren will learn from Kutepov’s biography how to serve the Fatherland. Whoever Kutepov was - whether a junior officer in peacetime and in war, a regiment commander during a period of revolution and anarchy, a corps commander or an army commander in a civil war - he always and everywhere was an example of an officer, commander and faithful servant of Russia »
General E. K. Miller
Kshesinskaya Matilda Feliksovna, ballerina,
Lifar Serge, choreographer,
Lvov Georgy Evgenievich, prince, head and minister of the Provisional Government,
Merezhkovsky Dmitry Sergeevich, poet,
Mozzhukhin Ivan Ilyich, movie actor,
Nekrasov Viktor Platonovich, writer,
Nureyev Rudolf Khametovich, ballet dancer,
Obolenskaya Vera Apollonovna, princess, participant in the resistance movement in France, beheaded in the Berlin prison of Plotzensee,
Preobrazhenskaya Olga Iosifovna, ballerina,
Prokudin-Gorsky Sergey Mikhailovich, photographer, chemist, inventor,
Remizov Alexey Mikhailovich, writer,
Romanov Gabriel Konstantinovich, prince of the imperial blood, great-grandson of Emperor Nicholas I,
Romanova Irina Alexandrovna, Grand Duchess,
Serebryakova Zinaida Evgenevna, Russian artist,
Somov Konstantin Andreevich, artist,
Stolypina Olga Borisovna, wife of P. A. Stolypin, Prime Minister of Russia, assassinated in 1911,
Tarkovsky Andrey Arsenievich, film director,
“Does death scare me? - he thought in documentary film Donatella Balivo, dedicated to his work. - In my opinion, death does not exist at all. There is some act, painful, in the form of suffering. When I think about death, I think about physical suffering, not about death itself. Death, in my opinion, simply does not exist. I don’t know... Once I dreamed that I died, and it seemed like the truth. I felt such liberation, such incredible lightness that, perhaps, it was precisely the feeling of lightness and freedom that gave me the feeling that I had died, that is, freed from all ties with this world. In any case, I don't believe in death. There is only suffering and pain, and often people confuse this - death and suffering. Don't know. Maybe when I face this directly, I will become scared and I will think differently... It’s hard to say.”
Today is the Day of Remembrance of the director who became a legend - Andrei TARKOVSKY!
“Art exists only because the world is poorly organized,” he said... No, it wasn’t conceived, it wasn’t created poorly, but it was designed right now, when we ourselves took on its design…. And the task of art, he believed, was a return to the origins, to true harmony... With his films - which were REFLECTIONS ON THE HIGH - he tried to comprehend this harmony... Each of his films became a masterpiece, an example of real, pure philosophy - the pursuit of Wisdom...
He died in Paris on December 29, 1986. The director's funeral took place at the Russian cemetery of Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois in the outskirts of Paris.
Hundreds of people came to the courtyard of St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, where the funeral service for Andrei Tarkovsky was held. On the church steps, Mstislav Rastropovich played Bach’s sublimely austere “Sarabande” on his cello. On his tombstone, made by Ernst Neizvestny, there is an inscription - “TO THE MAN WHO SAW AN ANGEL”.
LOVELY MEMORY TO THE GREAT DIRECTOR!
Teffi (Nadezhda Lokhvitskaya), writer,
Sheremetev Alexander Dmitrievich, Russian philanthropist and musician, grandson of Nikolai Sheremetev and singer Praskovya Zhemchugova,
Felix Feliksovich Yusupov, prince, organizer of the murder of Rasputin. Buried with his wife Yusupova Irina Alexandrovna, Russian Grand Duchess, great-granddaughter of Tsar Nicholas I and niece of Nicholas II,
and many, many others...
Tombstone of Alexander Galich
The grave of Andrei Tarkovsky and his wife Larisa
Headstone at the grave of Dmitry Merezhkovsky and Zinaida Gippius
Tombstone at the grave of Rudolf Nureyev. At first glance it looks like a real carpet, but in fact it is made of mosaic... Rudolf collected carpets. And the pattern of the carpet on the grave repeats the pattern of one of his favorite carpets.
Tombstones for General Drozdovsky and his Drozdovites
Tombstones on the graves of the Cossacks.
The Russian government has allocated almost 610 thousand euros to pay off the debt for renting plots at a Russian cemetery in France Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois. The corresponding order was published on October 1 on the official portal of legal information, ITAR-TASS reports. We are talking about the transfer of a voluntary contribution from Russia to the state treasury of the French Republic to the account of the municipality (mayor's office) of the city of Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois (Essonne department) in the amount of the specified amount.
These funds will be used to pay off arrears for the rental of 480 plots in cemetery “A” (Russian sector) in order to renew expired rental concessions in favor of relatives of those buried there.
The Ministry of Finance has been instructed to allocate the necessary funds from the budget for the current year, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation has been instructed to draw up the necessary documents and transfer money.
The cemetery in Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois is called the most Russian place in “big” Paris. In the 1920s, in this suburb of the French capital, at the expense of Princess Vera Meshcherskaya, a Russian home was opened for elderly Russian nobles who fled the revolution and were deprived of their livelihood. At the same time, the first graves with Orthodox crosses appeared in the local cemetery, and a little later a small church was built. Over time, Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois became the center of Russian emigration.
Among the emigrants buried in the cemetery are many prominent military men, clergy, writers, artists, and performers. In particular, the writer Ivan Bunin, photographer Sergei Proskudin-Gorsky, Prime Minister of the Provisional Government Prince Georgy Lvov, the widow and son of Admiral Alexander Kolchak, and many other participants in the White movement rest here. Already in a later era, the bard Alexander Galich and director Andrei Tarkovsky were buried in the Russian cemetery.
In 2008, the Russian government already allocated more than 600 thousand euros to pay off debt to France for renting plots in order to prevent the demolition of the cemetery. And this is very gratifying: the Soviet-era manner of destroying cemeteries and pre-revolutionary memorials is gradually being replaced by the traditional approach to honoring the graves of our ancestors. It was not without reason that the great Pushkin wrote:
Two feelings are wonderfully close to us,
The heart finds food in them:
Love for native ashes,
Love for fathers' coffins.
Russian line
Russian corner of the Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois cemetery this fall:
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