Russian cemetery of Sainte-Genevieve-des-bois (France). Russian cemetery in Paris Russian burials in France

Russian cemetery in Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois December 27th, 2005

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 cemetery of Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois, among whom are quite well-known names: the 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; the widow of Kolchak, admiral of the Russian fleet and leader of the White movement - Sofya Fedorovna and their son Rostislav; famous ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev (his grave is a sarcophagus covered with a mosaic “oriental carpet” made by the Italian master Akomen 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 churchDormition of the Blessed Virgin Marybuilt 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 by the 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:

The capital of France is known as a romantic place, with a fun and carefree atmosphere. Meanwhile, there are places in Paris that are not at all conducive to fun, connected with the memory of the dead. However, Parisian cemeteries are not at all similar to domestic churchyards: they look different and are perceived more like.

Père Lachaise Cemetery

Particularly similar to the park is the Père Lachaise cemetery, where a great many tourists come every day.

Here there are far fewer mourning relatives behind the fence than people with cameras, and the feeling that you are in a museum is further enhanced by the artistic design of many of the tombstones. There are dozens of expressive monuments, and their photographs look very impressive.

Historians believe that at least five hundred thousand people are buried in the Père Lachaise cemetery, including many artists and cultural figures. Among others, musician Jim Morrison stands out, whose grave is considered the most visited, and writer Oscar Wilde, whose tombstone is literally littered with hundreds of kisses from fans. Romantic types also cannot miss the burial place of the famous couple of lovers, Heloise and Abelard. Also worth noting are the graves of the artist Modigliani, actress Sarah Bernhardt and chansonnier Yves Montand, singer Edith Piaf and dancer Isadora Duncan.

For those who go to explore the Père Lachaise cemetery, it is better to stock up on a map of the area in advance, otherwise finding the right burial will be problematic; there are no signs at all on the alleys.

Montmartre Cemetery

Another place where many celebrities are buried is in Montmartre. True, tourists who reach this area prefer to explore the Sacré-Coeur Basilica and admire the picturesque streets; few people go to the Montmartre cemetery itself. But such outstanding figures of world culture as the writer Stendhal, composer Jacques Offenbach, ballet dancer Vaslav Nijinsky, singer Dalida, director Francois Truffaut found eternal peace there.

The grave of the writer Emile Zola was also in the Montmartre cemetery until recently, but the French government nevertheless decided to rebury him in the Pantheon, along with other national figures.

National Pantheon

The Paris Pantheon was once a church; the building in the classicist style was built by order of King Louis XV - he vowed to build a temple if he managed to recover from a serious illness. The church was dedicated to the patron saint, Saint Genevieve, but during the French Revolution, zealous fighters against religion decided to give the building as a mausoleum; The most prominent Frenchmen were supposed to be buried there. The National Pantheon received its final status in the second quarter of the 19th century. The inscription above the entrance to the building says that the motherland offers thanks to great people.

There are more than 70 graves under the arches of the Pantheon. Some of the names are little known outside of France, but there are also some that cannot be ignored indifferently. We are talking about the burials of philosophers Voltaire and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, writers Victor Hugo and Emile Zola, scientists Pierre and Marie Curie; the latter, by the way, is the only woman buried in the Pantheon for her own merits. In 2002, a solemn ceremony took place to reburial the ashes of the famous writer Alexandre Dumas, who gained official recognition more than 130 years after his death. However, he is not alone: ​​the ashes of Louis Braille, the inventor of the alphabet for the blind, were also not transferred to the Pantheon immediately, only a century after his death.

Montparnasse cemetery

The Montparnasse cemetery was formerly called the South Cemetery. It was built in 1824, and it immediately acquired the status of a place where mainly artists and cultural figures are buried. Among the most famous figures are the playwright Eugene Ionesco, the poet Charles Baudelaire, and the architect Charles Garnier, who built the Paris Opera.

Tourists from Russia will certainly be interested in visiting the grave of grandmaster Alexander Alekhine, the first Russian world chess champion, who died in exile.

Russian cemetery in Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois

To visit the graves of other outstanding compatriots who died abroad, you will need to go to the southeastern suburbs of Paris, where the famous cemetery of Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois is located. It was arranged after a large colony of Russian emigrants appeared in the town. In total, more than 15 thousand people are buried in the cemetery, and through the graves you can trace the history of the White movement and all the waves of emigration from Russia.

Among the others, the tombstone of Rudolf Nureyev stands out, as if covered with a carpet.

The graves of writers Ivan Bunin and Viktor Nekrasov, poetess Zinaida Gippius, and film director Andrei Tarkovsky are visited more than others. Unfortunately, there is no map of burials at the entrance; visitors have to look for the right place almost at random. Well, but they can see many other monuments.

We assure you that a visit to the cemeteries of Paris can open you up in unexpected ways. Therefore, we definitely recommend taking a walk through at least the most famous of them.

By metro to Austerlitz station (Gare d’Austerlitz)
Then take the RER train to Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois (about 20 minutes).
Bus No. 4 runs from the station square to the cemetery, stop “PISCINE”.

The Saint-Genevieve-des-Bois cemetery appeared thanks to the Russian Old People's Home, founded in 1927. From that moment on, Russian Parisians began to be kept on it. By 1952, there were about 2 thousand graves, among them those representing the White Guard movement, clergy, writers, artists and performers.

On the territory of the cemetery there is the Russian Orthodox Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God, built in 1938 according to Benoit’s design.

Ivan Alekseevich Bunin
Russian writer and poet Ivan Alekseevich Bunin was buried along with his wife Vera Nikolaevna Muromtseva-Bunina. Bunini was born in Voronezh in 1870 and began writing from his high school years, but his first literary opuses were not successful with critics. Recognition came with the release of the poetry collection “Leaf Fall”, then there were “Antonov Apples”, “Mr. from San Francisco”, “Easy Breathing” and other works. During the October Revolution, Ivan Bunin lived in Moscow; he refused to accept Soviet power. In 1918, he and his wife moved to Odessa, and in 1920 they went to France. In 1933, Ivan Bunin was awarded the Nobel Prize. He died in 1953 in Paris; the monument erected on his grave was made according to a drawing by the artist Alexandre Benois.

Rudolf Nureyev
The great dancer Rudolf Nureyev is buried in the Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois cemetery. In 1961, during a tour of the Kirov (Mariinsky) Theater troupe in Paris, Nureyev was spied by the KGB; he decided not to return to the USSR, having made the legendary “leap to freedom” into the hands of the French police.
Rudolf Nureyev lived in Europe for 32 years, he performed, toured and loved. He was credited with affairs with Yves Saint Laurent, actor Anthony Perkins, dancers and conductors. In 1984, Nureyev began to suspect his terrible diagnosis; a blood test confirmed HIV. He danced as long as he could. Nureyev died in Paris on January 6, 1993.

Andrei Tarkovsky
Andrei Tarkovsky can be called a cult director and screenwriter; Andrei Rublev, Stalker, Solaris, Mirror and other films came from his pen. In 1980, Tarkovsky came to Italy to film the film “Nostalgia” and never returned to the USSR. At home, his films were banned, his name was not mentioned in the press. In 1985, Tarkovsky was diagnosed with lung cancer and died in Paris in 1986.

Teffi (Nadezhda Aleksandrovna Lokhvitskaya)
Russian writer and poet Teffi is the author of the stories “The Demonic Woman” and “Kefer”. She wrote satirical poems and feuilletons, receiving the nickname “the first Russian humorist” and “the queen of Russian humor.” After the revolution, Teffi emigrated. She died in 1952.

Alexander Galich
Bard, poet, playwright and screenwriter Alexander Galich was buried in the Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois cemetery in 1977. The real surname was Ginzburg, and Galich was an abbreviation made up of different letters of the surname, first name and fatherland. In 1974, Galich was forced to emigrate from the USSR, and in the same year all his works were banned. In recent years, he lived in Paris, where he died in an accident; according to another version, it was a planned murder.

Other notable people buried in the cemetery:

Architect and artist Albert Benois
Poet Zinaida Gippius
Owner of famous stores Grigory Grigorievich Eliseev
Russian painter Konstantin Alekseevich Korovin
Ballerina Matilda Kshesinskaya
Poet Yuri Mandelstam
Member of the resistance movement Vera Obolenskaya
Princess Irina Alexandrovna Romanova
Artist Zinaida Serebryakova
Representatives of the Yusupov and Sheremetev family

Saint-Genevieve-des-Bois. France.

Small church. The candles have melted.

The stone is worn white by the rains.

The former, the former are buried here.

Cemetery of Saint-Genevieve-des-Bois

This is what the young Soviet poet Robert Rozhdestvensky wrote back in 1970 about the most Russian place in Paris. The suburb of Saint-Genevieve-des-Bois became so at the beginning of the 20th century. At the expense of Princess Meshcherskaya, a nursing home was opened here for Russian nobles who fled from the revolution and were deprived of their means of subsistence. At the same time, the first graves with inscriptions in Church Slavonic appeared at the local cemetery. Gradually, the quiet town became the center of Russian emigration in Paris. A small Orthodox church was built where the first hierarchs of the Russian Church in exile served. This is where they are buried.

Over time, the town of Saint-Genevieve-des-Bois has become part of Greater Paris. But here the atmosphere of a Russian resting place has traditionally been preserved, which is combined with European grooming and cleanliness. Although today most of the residents of the nursing home are French, the administration diligently maintains the “Russian spirit”, in which it is helped by both the local community and the current Russian government.

For quite a long time, burials of White Guard officers prevailed here, but the situation gradually changed. Today, the names of artists, writers, poets and painters are much more common in the alleys of the cemetery. The most famous of them is Ivan Bunin, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature. The Russian language in his books reached incredible perfection and strength. Zinaida Gippius and Tatyana Teffi, Dmitry Merezhkovsky and Ivan Shmelev found their final refuge here.

Here lies one of the brightest Russian poets of modern Russia - Alexander Galich. His name can be safely placed next to Vladimir Vysotsky and Bulat Okudzhava.

At the end of 2007, the local municipality seriously discussed the issue of liquidating the cemetery due to the expiration of the land lease. Burials there have long been stopped; in order to receive this honor, you must either have a plot purchased before the ban, or obtain special permission. In order to bury Andrei Tarkovsky there, the assistance of the Russian Ministry of Culture was needed. The situation worsened at the end of 2007, and then the Russian government decided to allocate 700 thousand Euros, which paid in advance for the rent of the land plot under the cemetery until 2040.

There are more than 7,000 Russian graves in the cemetery, including famous Russian writers, scientists, artists, artists, statesmen and politicians, military men and members of the clergy. The Cemetery Church of the Assumption was built according to the design of the architect Albert A. Benois in the Novgorod style with a Pskov belfry and gates; it was solemnly consecrated on October 14, 1939.

More than 10 thousand Russians are buried in the cemetery. Many famous people are buried there: writer Ivan Bunin (1870-1953), poet-bard Alexander Galich (1919-1977), writer Dmitry Merezhkovsky (1866-1941), his wife poetess Zinaida Gippius (1869-1949), film actors brothers Alexander ( 1877-1952) and Ivan (1869-1939) Mozzhukhins, writer, chief editor. magazine "Continent" Viktor Nekrasov (1911-1987), dancer Rudolf Nureyev (1938-1993), writer Alexei Remizov (1877-1957), Grand Duke Andrei Romanov (1879-1956) and his wife ballerina Matilda Kshesinskaya (1872-1971) , Grand Duke Gabriel Romanov (1887-1955), artist Zinaida Serebryakova (1884-1967), artist Konstantin Somov (1869-1939), economist and statesman Peter Struve (1870-1944), film director Andrei Tarkovsky (1932-1986), writer Teffi (Nadezhda Lokhvitskaya) (1875-1952), writer Ivan Shmelev (1873-1950) was later reburied on May 30, 2000 in his native Moscow, Prince Felix Yusupov (1887-1967).

At the cemetery, the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in the spirit of Novgorod churches, built and painted by Albert Benois in 1938-1939. Buried in the crypt of the church are: the architect of this church, Albert Benois (1870-1970), his wife Margarita, nee Novinskaya (1891-1974), Countess Olga Kokovtsova (1860-1950), Countess Olga Malevskaya-Malevich (1868-1944).

To the right of the iconostasis there is a memorial plaque in memory of the 32 thousand soldiers and officers who served in the Second World War in the German army. They were handed over by the Allies to the Soviet command and executed for treason.

At the very beginning of the 20s, when the first wave of Russian emigration arrived in Paris, a problem arose: what to do with the elderly, the older generation who left Bolshevik Russia? And then the emigrant committee decided to buy a castle near Paris and turn it into a nursing home. Such a castle was found in the Essonne department, 30 kilometers south of Paris in the town of Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois. It was a real outback back then.

On April 7, 1927, a nursing home was opened here with a large park adjacent to it, at the end of which there was a communal cemetery. At the very beginning of its existence, the Russian House in Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois was destined to become the custodian of the relics of pre-revolutionary Russia. When France officially recognized the Soviet Union, the ambassador of the Provisional Government in Paris, Maklakov, had to cede the embassy building to the new owners. But he managed to transport portraits of Russian emperors, antique furniture and even a royal throne made of wood and gilding to the Russian House. Everything is still located in Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois.

This first Russian nursing home in France was inhabited by 150 residents. Wonderful and even outstanding people ended their earthly journey here. Many Russian diplomats, artists Dmitry Stelletsky, Nikolai Istsenov... The last famous person who died in this house at the age of 94 was Princess Zinaida Shakhovskaya. So by the beginning of the 30s, Russian graves appeared here, on the foreign side.

Shortly before the war, the Russians prudently bought a plot of land here of about a thousand square meters and, according to the design of Albert Benois (a relative of Alexander Benois), built a church in the Novgorod style. On October 14, 1939, this church was consecrated and thus the graveyard, called the Russian Cemetery in Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois, was formed. Later, both Soviet commanders and soldiers were buried here.

*****

The road to the cemetery from the bus stop. It’s sunny and deserted, with occasional cars passing behind us. Ahead is a cemetery fence.

The cemetery's central gate, behind it is a church with a blue dome. On the occasion of Saturday everything is closed. The entrance to the cemetery is a little further.

Ivan Alekseevich Bunin. Calm and quiet.

Nearby is Nadezhda Teffi.

Monument to Russians who fought and died in World War II on the side of the French Resistance.

Rimsky-Korsakov

Rudolf Nureyev

Sergey Lifar

Alexander Galich

Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich Romanov and “Little” Kshesinskaya

Merezhkovsky and Gippius

"In the trenches of Stalingrad." Writer Viktor Platonovich Nekrasov

Writer Vladimir Emelyanovich Maksimov

Captain Merkushov

Grand Duke Gabriel Konstantinovich Romanov

Archpriest Sergius Bulgakov

Veniamin Valerianovich Zavadsky (Writer Korsak) is a very interesting monument.

Professor Anton Vladimirovich Kartashev

Shmelevs. Symbolic grave.

Felix Yusupov, Rasputin's killer. And his (Felix's) wife.

Monument to Drozdovites

General Alekseev and his faithful comrades (Alekseevtsy)

Alexey Mikhailovich Remezov. Writer.

Andrei Tarkovsky (“To the Man Who Saw an Angel” - this is what is written on the monument)

The symbolic grave of General Kutepov (for those who have read “The Invisible Web” by Pryanishnikov, it should be clear why it is symbolic).

Galipolians...

Famous theologian Archpriest Vasily Zenkovsky

One of the first actors of Russian cinema Ivan Mozzhukhin

The alleys of the cemetery are clean... and quiet... only the birds are singing

Cossacks - sons of Glory and Freedom

View from the altar of the Assumption Church.

A Russian nursing home in Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois, where fragments of the first post-revolutionary emigration still survive. Among them is Lydia Alexandrovna Uspenskaya, the widow of the famous icon painter Leonid Uspensky, who painted the Trinity Church and was buried in this cemetery. In October of this year. she will turn 100 years old. She ended up in France in 1921, she was 14...

Lidia Alexandrovna Uspenskaya before the funeral service at the cemetery:

Memorial service on February 13, 2006 at the Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois cemetery for all compatriots who died and were buried here (as part of the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Three Hierarchs' Metochion of the Russian Orthodox Church MP in Paris).

The memorial service was led by Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad (V.R. - currently Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church).

And here they are already burying complete strangers...

Tomorrow other Russian people will come here and a silent prayer will sound again...

Buried here:

• Father Sergius Bulgakov, theologian, founder of the Theological Institute in Paris
• L.A. Zander, professor at the Theological Institute
• Archpriest A. Kalashnikov
• V.A. Trefilova, ballerina
• V.A. Maklakov, lawyer, former minister
• N.N. Cherepnin, composer, founder of the Russian Conservatory. Rachmaninov in Paris
• A.V. Kartashev, historian, professor at the Theological Institute in Paris
• I.S. Shmelev, writer (only a symbolic grave remains)
• N.N. Kedrov, founder of the quartet. Kedrova
• Prince F.F. Yusupov
• K.A. Somov, artist
• A.U. Chichibabin, chemist, biologist
• D.S. Steletsky, artist
• Grand Duke Gabriel
• S.K. Makovsky, artist, poet
• A.E. Volynin, dancer
• I.A. Bunin, writer, Nobel Prize laureate
• M.A. Slavina, opera singer
• S.G. Polyakov, artist
• V.P. Krymov, writer
• S.N. Maloletenkov, architect
• A.G. Chesnokov, composer
• Archpriest V. Zenkovsky, theologian, professor at the Theological Institute in Paris
• Princes Andrei and Vladimir Romanov
• Kshesinskaya, prima ballerina
• K.A. Korovin, artist
• N.N. Evreinov, director, actor
• I.I. and A.I. Mozzhukhins, opera and film artists
• O. Preobrazhenskaya, ballerina
• M.B. Dobuzhinsky, artist
• P.N. Evdokimov, theologian
• A.M. Remizov, writer
• Gallipoli common grave
• Common grave of members of the Foreign Legion
• Z. Peshkov, adopted son of Maxim Gorky, general of the French army, diplomat
• K.N. Davydov, zoologist
• A.B. Pevzner, sculptor
• B. Zaitsev, writer
• N.N. Lossky, theologian, philosopher
• V.A. Smolensky, poet
• G.N. Slobodzinsky, artist
• M.N. Kuznetsova-Massenet, opera singer
• S.S. Malevsky-Malevich, diplomat, artist
• Common grave of members of the Russian Cadet Corps
• L.T. Zurov, poet
• Common grave of the Cossacks; Ataman A.P. Bogaevsky
• A.A. Galich, poet
• P. Pavlov and V. M. Grech, actors
• V.N. Ilyin, writer. Philosopher
• Common grave of parishioners
• S. Lifar, choreographer
• V.P. Nekrasov, writer
• A. Tarkovsky, film director
• V.L. Andreev, poet, writer
• V. Varshavsky, writer
• B. Poplavsky, poet
• Teffi, writer
• Rudolf Nureyev, dancer, choreographer
• D. Solozhev, artist
• I.A. Krivoshein, resistance member, prisoner of Nazi and Soviet camps
• S.T. Morozov, the last representative of the Morozov family in France.

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, which is why it is sometimes also called “ Russian cemetery near Paris". Previously, the station and town were called Perrey-Vaucluse (PERRAY-VAUCLUSE - Station du Perray du côté d’Epinay-sur-Orge)

The cemetery is predominantly Orthodox, although there are burials of representatives of other faiths there. It owes its existence to the Russian nursing home, founded in April 1927 by Princess V.K. Meshcherskaya. Boarders of La Maison russe, and then compatriots from Paris, began to be regularly buried here in 1927. By 1939, there were about 50 burials, by 1952 - about 2000. Among the buried emigrants were many military personnel, representatives of the clergy, writers, artists, actors - only about 15 thousand people came from Russia (5220 burials), which gives reason to call them “Russian”. For many Russians it is a place of pilgrimage.
Since 1960, local authorities have systematically raised the issue of its demolition, citing the fact that the land is needed to meet public needs. According to French law, any burial is preserved only until the expiration of the land lease. For Russian burials, this period expired in 2008, until the Russian government intervened in the situation and allocated 692 thousand euros for the maintenance and repayment of debt to France for the lease of 648 cemetery plots.
In the 2000s, the ashes of several famous figures originally buried in Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois were reburied in Russia.

What is Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois for Russian emigrants?

Andrey Dmitrievich Shmeman, long-term headman of the Znamensky parish and Chairman of the OKO.

“Every year there are more and more graves near and dear to us at the Russian Cemetery in Sainte-Genevieve des Bois. Every year, the traditional trip of members of the General Cadet Association to pray at these graves and spend a little time with those who so recently lived and worked in the Association takes on a new meaning, becomes a sad, but also a pleasant need.
On this day, gathered near the temple, under the native birch trees, somehow involuntarily, before your mind’s eye, you remember the lives of departed friends and somehow look back more strictly and more demandingly on your own path in life.
The ways of the Lord are inscrutable - only He knows who we will be missing on this day next year, but the fact that someone will be missing again, and the fact that his place will forever remain empty, gives our trip and tour of the cadet graves a real and deep meaning.
This year, all our thoughts involuntarily rushed to our dear friend, member of the Board, Shura Russakovich, who left us so suddenly and prematurely in June last year. He, like no one else, has always inspired this annual trip of ours and that’s why we missed him so much this year. It all seemed that he would come and go with us around the graves, singing Eternal Memory. It was he who first led this touching walk several years ago - we started it this year from his grave!
A few of us gathered yesterday. The late date, coinciding with Trinity, prevented many from being together on this day, as always. But those who were there experienced many sad, but also joyful moments related to the fact that somehow this year the feeling of our friendship, our cohesion, our belonging to one big and strong family, in in which all of us, and even those who have left us, remain merged into one ETERNALLY WHOLE!”
(OKO Bulletin N70 dated July 1, 1959, based on materials provided by OKO)

Military and Cossack memorials
Military unions, regimental associations of the Russian Imperial Army and the White Guard, Cossacks, cadets and other organizations abroad built their own memorials and monuments on their sites. The most famous are the following:

• Monument to the Gallipolians, the Leaders of the White Army and General Kutepov

As a result of the Great Exodus from Russia in 1920, the 1st Army Corps Gen.L. Wrangel ended up in Gallipoli. Several hundred officers, Cossacks and cadets died from previously received wounds and illnesses in this Turkish city, who were buried in a special place where the Monument was opened on July 16, 1921. After the departure of troops from Turkey, it deteriorated over time, especially after the earthquake of 1949, and by 1960 it had virtually become ruins. In memory of his military friends resting in a foreign land, and also in place of the old one destroyed by time, on the Gallipoli site this pantheon was restored according to the model of the original and solemnly consecrated in 1961.

Restoration of the Monument Consecration in 1961 view today of the Gallipoli site

Consecration of the grave of General Kutepov
Symbolic grave of General Kutepov

• Major General M. Drozdovsky and the ranks of the Drozdovsky division

One of the most legendary units of the White Guard, which was written about in A.V. Turkul’s book “Drozdovtsy on Fire.” The association has its own site where officers are buried, headed by their division commander. Gen. is also remembered here. M.G. Drozdovsky, since the place of his secret burial in Sevastopol has still not been found.

Drozdovsky uch. in the 1950s central part of the memorial service for Drozdovites
wreaths and flowers for Drozdovites
view in 1961 modern view

• General M. Alekseev and the ranks of the Alekseev division

To the Chief of Staff of the Headquarters, the founder of the “secret anti-Bolshevik” organization, which over time turned into the Volunteer Army, his white partisans and all the youth who stood up to defend the Fatherland.

Photos in the 50s Memorial to the Alekseevites modern view

• Cossack necropolis and monument to Ataman A.P. Bogaevsky

Located in the depths, after the Drozdovsky, Gallipoli and Alekseevsky sections.

There were more Don Cossacks; for a long time there were cadres of even many regiments and divisions. Association of the Life Guards of Kazakh. His Majesty's regiment in Courbevoie still exists to this day (!). In addition to the Donets, all the Cossack troops of the Russian Empire and foreign alliances are present here. Kuban, Terets, Astrakhan, Ural residents, the large village was Orenburg, led by the ataman himself. Akulinin... The main holiday - Intercession - was traditionally celebrated here. Here are the victims of “decossackization” during the Days of Cossack Sorrow. The Great Cossack tragedy in Lienz is also commemorated here...

Cossack site, necropolis... monument to the Cossacks Ataman VVD Bogaevsky Chairman of the Government V.V.D.

• and civilian pilots
• memorials and some individual burials

Place of Orthodox pilgrimage
On days of remembrance of soldiers of the Russian Army, military and Cossack holidays, as well as various memorable dates (see calendar of memorable dates), services are held at the memorials with the participation of representatives of Orthodox, military-patriotic, youth, sports and veteran organizations abroad. Fragments of history:

• 1953, July 6

Day of Cadet Sorrow - Remembrance Vel. Prince Konstantin Konstantinovich and all his brothers and comrades, Russian cadets who died on the battlefield and died in peace.
The celebration was led by Vel. Prince Gabriel Konstantinovich with his wife Irina Ioanovna. Heartfeltly, while the choir sang, Father Alexander Ergin served a memorial service at the grave of Boris Prikhodkin. After a brief speech by the oldest cadet present, General Rakitin from Tiflis, the Drozdov poet Genkin read poems dedicated to the memorable day*.

Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois

Here the cadets rest in eternal sleep...
Grave... Cross... Green grass...
Here they were sung for the last time,
Cadets, farewell words.

They left... Then others will leave...
I don’t know, here at my native crosses
The memory of Russia will live forever
And about the cadets of the Russian corps.

The work is backbreaking, our shoulders are hunched,
A series of boring days drags on sadly
And I feel that all the cadet grief
I can't put it into words.

And it saddens me that, at the hour of sad funeral feast
No military salute will sound here,
As soon as the stepsons of the fatherland gather,
And “eternal memory” will be sung to the departed.

• 1957, general funeral service

On June 23, on the traditional “Day of Cadet Mourning,” the Union of Russian Cadet Corps in full force, with families and friends, made a trip to the cadet graves. This year, due to the large number of people who wanted to take part in the trip, we had to use auxiliary transport. At 12 o'clock after the Liturgy in the Church at the cemetery, Father Alexander Ergin celebrated a general memorial service with the proclamation of eternal memory of the murdered Sovereign Emperor Nicholas II, the Sovereign Chiefs, the August Cadets, educators, teachers and all Russian Cadets for the Faith, the Tsar and the Fatherland who fell on the battlefield and those who have passed away in the world. After the end of the service in the Temple, everyone who took part in the trip went with the Procession to the graves of Vel. Prince Gabriel Konstantinovich, General Alekseev and Colonel Prikhodkin, at whom short litias were served, ending with the singing of “Kol Slaven”. The Chairman of the SRKK, Colonel Shpilevsky, in a brief speech, pointed out the significance of the “Day of Cadet Mourning“. The noble initiative of the late Grand Duke, the activities of the First Chairman of the SRKK, Gen. Alekseev and his assistant Colonel Prikhodkin should be the guiding line in our work aimed at strengthening the forces of the cadet movement. The covenants of our leaders are the sacred duty of every Russian cadet and the key to fraternal unity to achieve success in the tasks we have set. At the end of the official part, a common meal was organized in the church fence. On this day of remembrance, our friendly family was blessed by the presence of the Patroness of the Yaroslavl Kad. Corps, part of the Union, Princess Irina Ioannovna and Honorary Chairman of the Union, Lieutenant General. Stogova. At 18.00 the “Day of Cadet Sorrow” was over and everyone who took part in the trip returned to Paris. (“Cadet”. Information magazine of the SRKK. Paris, 1957. Editorial archive)

• 1958 “Day of Cadet Sorrow”, in memory of Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich and laying the monument

This year’s “Day of Cadet Sorrow” is set for June 15, the date of the death of Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich - June 2, 1915 (old style). This year, the trip takes on special significance, because it is part of a series of planned celebrations on the centenary of the birth of the Grand Duke. The ceremonial laying of the monument to Russian Cadets and the memorial service for the late August Inspector General of Military Educational Institutions will take place at the “Cadet site”. On this significant day, all Russian Cadets must take part in the traditional trip and thereby honor the memory of the Unforgettable Father of the students of the cadet corps. (“CADET” Information magazine of the SRKK. Paris. 1958)

Cadets, necropolis... memorial plaque Monument to corps director Rimsky-Korsakov

• 2011, 90th anniversary of the formation of the Society of Gallipoli and the Great Exodus from Russia. photo…

Orthodox Church, commemoration of the “Gallipolians”
90th Anniversary of the Gallipoli Society

Requiem service at the monument Clergy led by Vladyka Michael passing near the Russian church Russian House

Assumption Church
Here is also 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. A. Benois in the style of the Pskov architectural school of the 15th-16th centuries. Architect Benoit and his wife Margarita also completed church frescoes. Albert Benoit is buried in this cemetery.

Assumption Church 1991, archival photo by V. Zhumenko Iconostasis and painting inside
view of the church in 2016 view from the cemetery, 2016 About Vladika Methodius

How to get there from Paris?
You can visit in the following main ways:

• By public transport: by train (RER) to the railway station, then by local bus or bus from Paris (registered on the Ile de France)

Road to the Russian cemetery of Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois
Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois station from Paris
Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois, railway. RER station from Paris
bus to Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois

• By excursion bus (as part of a tour operator group). The day in your program is assigned a fixed day, and the excursion itself is “group” with all its “delights”
• or minibus, individual (or small group) with a Russian guide (from the hotel)

Useful tips and personal experience of visiting, FAQ’s.

• Where to buy flowers, candles, wreaths?

Flowers are sold on the territory of the cemetery, there is a large selection. Candles can also be purchased from your local church. Wreaths must be ordered in advance, but you can choose ready-made ones. Ribbons, for example, “From the administration of the city of Yekaterinodar to the Kuban Cossacks who died in a foreign land” definitely need to be ordered in advance in their homeland, and wreaths or bouquets of color combinations from your region can be purchased on the spot.

• Weather, how to dress, personal experience of visiting in bad weather

The weather in Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois generally matches the weather in Paris itself. In summer, usually there are no problems. But in winter, autumn and spring there is a sharp difference in the weather in the capital and here. First of all, in spring and autumn it sometimes rains. If you leave the hotel and it is sunny, then when you find yourself in these parts you may find yourself in heavy rain or light and lingering, but extremely unpleasant. In spring and autumn, it is better to take an umbrella or raincoat with you, just in case. The raincoat-tent was seen only once, when there were veterans of the French army of Russian origin :-). Surprisingly, there can even be snow there in winter. It happens extremely rarely, but it is also better not to exclude such a possibility. For those who travel independently, this is something to keep in mind. And for those who come on a group tour by bus, too, since in the rain those who forgot their umbrella at the hotel will not be comfortable and they will certainly be limited in the amount of what they see. This is not Paris, Arabs don't sell umbrellas here. It’s better to look at the weather forecast two weeks in advance (GIS meteo and other sites)

Rare snow in winter