Obituary for Yuri Nikulin. Novodevichy Cemetery - Peace of the Great (55 photos) How to find a burial

Ordinary mortals are not buried at the Novodevichy Cemetery. Almost immediately after the revolution, they began to bury only "persons with social status" here, and not residents of Khamovniki as before. Immediately after the appearance of Yeltsin's grave here, it became immediately clear that the cemetery had become state necropolis No. 1 instead of Red Square.

To begin with, I want to show the graves of the 1990-2000s, in which Soviet and Russian cultural figures are buried. When I looked at these burials, I clearly understood one thing. The people lying in these graves are the last generation of our compatriots, who unambiguously and categorically are the cultural avant-garde and elite of Russia. Tikhonov, Yankovsky, Nikulin, Senkevich are people's favorite characters, whose talents are undeniable. Sooner or later, artists and thinkers of the next generations will begin to appear here, among whom it will be impossible to find characters that unite the people. The difference in the ideas of the inhabitants of our country about what constitutes real culture is too great now. And who are its true carriers, and who are just scoundrels and hypocrites.

Serious thoughts are suggested by the number of fresh graves in the newest part of the cemetery, which appeared in the 1980s.

In 2007, after the funeral of Mstislav Rostropovich, Vladimir Kozhin, the head of the affairs of the President of the Russian Federation, said: “The grave of Mstislav Rostropovich at the Novodevichy cemetery is probably the last. There is simply no more room." But what we saw testified that Kozhin was wrong.

Oleg Ivanovich Yankovsky (February 23, 1944 - May 20, 2009). He rests here not only as an undeniably great actor. In the last years of his life, he lived nearby. On Komsomolsky prospect.

The gravestone of Yury Vladimirovich Nikulin (December 18, 1921 - August 21, 1997) made a rather strong impression on me. Smoking pensive man in a hat. It immediately comes to mind that this man played not only Goonies with Gaidai. He has roles in "Andrey Rublev" and "Scarecrow" behind him. At Nikulin's feet lies a giant schnauzer - his first dog, which the artist brought from abroad.

The author of the sculpture is A.I. Rukavishnikov. He created other very worthy sculptures in my opinion. For example, a monument to Alexander II at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior or Fagot and the cat Behemoth on Novy Arbat. In addition, he is the author of the monument to Nikulin on Tsvetnoy Boulevard and the tombstone of Vysotsky at the Vagankovsky cemetery.

But Mikhail Aleksandrovich Ulyanov (November 20, 1927 - March 26, 2007) got a rather official tombstone. It rather resembles the graves of politicians and party functionaries resting nearby, rather than brothers in the acting workshop. In my opinion, the back of the monument, which is supposed to symbolize the curtain of the Vakhtangov Theater, looks more like a red Soviet kumach.

Klara Stepanovna Luchko (July 1, 1925 - March 26, 2005). The actress received the Stalin Prize for her role in "Kuban Cossacks", and then an apartment in the best house in Moscow in the 1950s - a high-rise building on Kotelnicheskaya embankment. Now she rests in the main cemetery of Moscow.

Rolan Antonovich Bykov (November 12, 1929 - October 6, 1998). On the modest tombstone of the artist, Rublev's "Trinity" is depicted. It seems to be a reminder of Tarkovsky's role in Andrei Rublev. The actor rests very close to his partner in "Two Comrades Were Serving" Yankovsky.

And at the end of this collection, two great journalists. Who were more than just representatives of this profession ... In my opinion, no one has any complaints about the professional viability of these people.

Yuri Alexandrovich Senkevich (March 4, 1937 - September 25, 2003). It is not very clear in the photo that there is an element in the tombstone - the boat "Ra". The one on which he traveled with Thor Heyerdahl. After the news of the death of the Norwegian, Yuri Senkevich had a heart attack, from which he was never able to recover. It is felt that these people showed by their example heroic supranational friendship. This rarely happens.

Sculptor - Yury Chernov, architect - V. Bukhaev. Yuri Chernov really specializes in travelers. He made sculptural portraits of Vitus Bering, Fridtjof Nansen in Armenia (1989), Thor Heyerdahl, Yuri Senkevich and Fyodor Konyukhov.

Artyom Genrikhovich Borovik (September 13, 1960 - March 9, 2000). A rather strange, for my taste, design with incomprehensible symbolism. The monument is simply gigantic, even against the background of rather big tombstones of this elite necropolis.

Guests of the capital often turn to Muscovites with a request to tell where Nikulin is buried. They use their free hours to visit the grave of the popularly beloved artist, whose farewell is comparable only to seeing off Brezhnev and Stalin. Let's try to satisfy their curiosity.

tragic news

On August 21, 1997, a unique thing happened for the country: B. Yeltsin, the first Russian president, addressed the citizens of his country from the screen with the news of the death of Yu. Nikulin. He began his speech with the words: "You and I are in great sorrow." Prior to this, no artist was honored with such an honor.

The day before, the best doctors of the capital unsuccessfully struggled for 16 days for the return to life of their beloved clown, TV presenter of the "White Parrot" and one of the most talented film actors. On August 5, he underwent a coronary angioplasty operation, during which a cardiac arrest occurred.

30 minutes 75-year-old actor was in a state of clinical death. Although during this time all vital organs suffered, the doctors did not lose hope for a positive outcome until the last moment. Their optimism was reinforced by the personality of the patient himself: not possessing an enviable health, he never complained and until the last he led one of the most cheerful programs on television.

When did the artist's farewell take place and where was Nikulin buried?

A few words about a career

Of the famous Gaidai trio, Yu. Nikulin, who played the Dunce, made the most successful professional career. A participant in the Great Patriotic War and a graduate of the circus studio, he began acting in the late 50s, gradually moving from comedic roles to such serious ones as Glazychev from "Come to me, Mukhtar", Lopatin from "Twenty Days Without War", N. N. Bessoltsev from Scarecrow.

At the age of 60, Nikulin left the arena, having ceased to make the audience laugh in the form of a clown. However, he remained at the helm of the Moscow Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard, becoming its leader in 1984. Under him, it began to truly flourish, because the authorities did not spare financial investments.

The artist wasted so much laughter and joy that his colleagues, government officials, and businessmen considered it an honor to be friends with him. Yu. Luzhkov and V. Chernomyrdin went to the clinic to Yuri Vladimirovich, and A. Chubais personally came to congratulate him on his 75th birthday in December 1997.

That is why the answer to the question of where Nikulin is buried, in which cemetery, will be unequivocal: "At the most prestigious."

About the Novodevichy Necropolis

Such is the Novodevichy cemetery, founded in the 19th century near the walls of the monastery of the same name. Today it is known for the burial places of major politicians, famous scientists, and creative intelligentsia. The necropolis occupies an area of ​​more than 7.5 hectares, where over 26 thousand people now rest.

The cemetery is located in Khamovniki (CAO), metro station "Sportivnaya". You can get there by buses 415m, 132, 64 and 5.

The location in the center of the capital makes it prestigious for Muscovites, but burials at the moment are only possible in family or relative graves. Exceptions are made for celebrities who have contributed to the country.

Novodevichy - a cemetery where Yuri Nikulin is buried, as well as such prominent personalities as V. Mayakovsky, M. Bulgakov, N. Gogol (writers); I. Dunaevsky, D. Shostakovich, A. Skryabin (composers); L. Orlova, L. Gurchenko, A. Raikin (actors); N. Khrushchev, V. Molotov, A. Mikoyan (political figures) and others.

Funeral of Y. Nikulin

The popular love for the artist was so great that all church canons had to be violated. Nikulin was buried not on the third, but on the fifth day - August 26th. The farewell lasted for three whole days, and those wishing to visit the circus building, where the mourning event was held, did not decrease.

The artist's coffin was displayed in the arena, and every evening the body was taken to the morgue to be delivered again the next morning. A string of thousands of people occupied the entire Tsvetnoy Boulevard and turned onto the Garden Ring. Despite this, there were many fans who did not have time to see off the famous artist on his last journey. It was important for them to know where Nikulin was buried in order to visit the grave.

How to find a grave

The best place has been allocated for an outstanding artist, so finding the grave of a celebrity is not difficult. It is necessary to enter the cemetery through the main entrance and go along the central alley. The square where mourning events and rallies are held will serve as a landmark. Here you should turn right.

The grave where Nikulin is buried can be immediately recognized by the monument. It is a figure of a seated artist, made of bronze and mounted on a low pedestal. The latter is made in the form of a granite curb. This can be seen in the park or on the waterfront. Yuri Vladimirovich is not sitting on it, but on a casually thrown cloak. In front of him is a bronze figure of a lying dog.

The composition touches everyone who came to the place where Nikulin is buried. There is something poignant and heartbreaking about her. Perhaps it is the simplicity of the sculpture. The artist seems to have sat down to smoke, he looks rather tired and a little detached. There is no pretentiousness and grandiosity in his posture and clothes, we have before us an ordinary person, as the audience loved him.

On August 21, 1997, the life path endedYuri Nikulin- a great artist and a great person who forever left a memory of himself not only in the world of the circus, but also in the hearts of millions of people.

Yuri Nikulin was born on December 18, 1921 in the city of Smolensk. After graduating from school in 1939, by decree on universal military duty, he went to serve in the army. Participated in the Finnish war, went through the entire Great Patriotic War , defended Leningrad, liberated the Baltic states, was shell-shocked in 1943.

After being discharged in August 1943, Nikulin was sent to the 72nd separate anti-aircraft division near Kolpino. He was demobilized in May 1946 with the rank of senior sergeant; during the war he was awarded medals " For courage"(Initially was presented to the Order of Glory III degree)," For the defense of Leningrad" and " For victory over Germany».

In 1956 he became a diploma winner of the All-Union competition of circus artists in the genre of clowning. Since 1958 he has acted in films. Among several dozen films in which Yuri Nikulin starred are such as " Dog Barbos and an unusual cross", "Operation "Y" and other adventures of Shurik", "Prisoner of the Caucasus, or Shurik's New Adventures", "Seven old men and one girl", "The Diamond Arm", "They fought for their country", "Twenty days without war", "Andrey Rublev"...

(Yuri Nikulin, Georgy Burkov and Vasily Shukshin in the film "They Fought for the Motherland")

Nikulin stopped performing when he turned 60, in 1981, and moved to the position of chief director of the circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard. Since 1982, Nikulin has been the director of the circus.
In 1997, Yuri Vladimirovich created a charitable foundation " Circus and mercy» to help veterans and young circus performers.

Yuri Vladimirovich Nikulin died on August 21, 1997 after heart surgery. , buried at the Novodevichy Cemetery (plot No. 5).

I could not find any data on whether Yuri Nikulin received Holy Baptism. Most probably not. At least there is no Cross on his grave, but only a monument ... Yes, and on the grave of his parents in the Donskoy cemetery too:

(Parents of People's Artist of the USSR Yuri Nikulin (1921-1997). Urns with ashes were buried in the columbarium 2A sarcophagus of the Donskoy cemetery.)

Therefore, leaving everything to the Judgment of God, let's hope that the Lord will show special mercy to the person who fought for our Motherland not only in a wonderful film, but also in the most terrible War of recent times and fought courageously.

And we will remember with kindness this kind man - the saddest comedian of our cinema .

How the idols left. The last days and hours of people's favorites Fedor Razzakov

NIKULIN YURI

NIKULIN YURI

NIKULIN YURI(actor of the circus, cinema: “Unyielding” (1959), “When the trees were big” (1962), “Business people” (1963), “Come to me, Mukhtar!”, “Operation“ Y ”and other adventures of Shurik” ( both - 1965), "Prisoner of the Caucasus", "Little Fugitive" (both - 1967), "Diamond Arm" (1969), "12 Chairs", "Old Robbers" (both - 1971), "Point, dot, comma ... "(1973), "Twenty Days Without War" (1977), "Scarecrow" (1984), etc.; died on August 21, 1997 at the age of 76; was buried at the Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow).

Nikulin had poor health: worn out blood vessels, a diseased liver, diabetes mellitus, lung disease. At the end of July 1997, Nikulin went to the doctors with severe pain in the heart. According to eyewitnesses, this ailment was preceded by a long and extremely unpleasant telephone conversation for Nikulin with one very famous circus performer in the past - Oleg Popov, who now lives in Germany. He allegedly stated that soon the position of the director of the circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard would become vacant due to the poor health of its leader, and that he himself was not averse to taking it. After this conversation, Nikulin's heart ached. At the same time, it is very strong. He told only two people about it - Lyudmila Gurchenko and his old friend, director of the Center for Endosurgery and Lithotripsy Alexander Bronstein (they met 12 years ago). At the same time, he added that if such pains were repeated, he would commit suicide. He could not bear the angina pectoris. Prior to that, he turned to other clinics, but he was advised to go to Bronstein, where they take heart care very seriously.

Next, let's listen to the story of A. Bronstein himself: “We put him in the ward, took an electrocardiogram - and ... nothing was found with its help. But now there is another way to diagnose - the so-called. coronary angiography, which we have brilliantly. The next day, this coronary angiography was performed on him. When we saw the results, we were shocked.

His heart was looped into three main vessels. They were closed. Maybe he had branches that supplied the heart muscle, but something had to be done with these vessels. And at least one of them - immediately open. I told Nikulin's relatives about this, I told the caller Luzhkov, who, it seems, was going to Baikal on vacation.

And we began to prepare Yuri Vladimirovich for coronary angioplasty, because he had many severe complications that did not allow him to be given anesthesia and perform coronary artery bypass grafting. It may not have been necessary to do this operation. But how long he lived is unknown. A week, two, three, a month ... Maybe more. Nobody knows this...

Many advised me to get rid of Nikulin as a patient. People came and said: let's pay (anyone is ready to pay for Nikulin) and take him abroad. I would have taken him away myself in order to relieve myself of the inevitable heavy responsibility ... Because I understood that this is not glory. This is trouble. But I was even more afraid of transportation. Cardiac arrest could happen at any moment.

When the large council dispersed, Nikulin asked me to sit on the edge of the bed, took my hand and said: “Shurik, don’t leave me. I won't go anywhere. I will be with you, no matter what happens." He said without trembling, without tears. He just said that's all. Tatyana Nikolaevna said the same thing: “We trust you. Let him be with you."

I explained to him that the situation is complicated, that there is a risk. He gave me a receipt that he agreed to do the operation only with us ...

My premonition failed me. I thought everything would be fine. He tolerated the coronary angiography well; during the week he was with us, the pain disappeared. He has already joked, told jokes, made plans for the future. He said: what's wrong with me? I am a healthy person. Nothing hurts me...

Maybe then it should have been written out? Not sure. It wouldn't be fair. With the coronary angiography that Nikulin had, he could not even take a step. He could die right on the street, in the circus, on the set - anywhere, anytime, at any moment ...

Nikulin went to the operation effortlessly. It was Tuesday August 5th. The weather was great, the sun was shining. And he was absolutely sure that it was - so, child's play.

Usually such operations last 20-30 minutes. A guidewire is inserted through the femoral artery. The conductor passes through the vessels of the heart under X-ray control. A stent is inserted along the conductor, which expands the vessel itself, and ... in fact, that's all - this is where the operation ends. In this case, anesthesia is not given, just a mask is placed on the nose (slightly anesthetic).

He lay down, the surgeons inflated the vessel, introduced the conductor ... Everything went fine. And suddenly, at the very last moment, his vessel closes. And the heart stops. This is exactly what I feared...

Literally at the same second, resuscitation began. Chauss (doctor) began to do chest compressions. Due to the fact that Nikulin is not fat, we managed to keep the pressure at a normal level, somewhere around 120-130. But the bottom was too low.

All this lasted 30-40 minutes. And at that moment, when we had already opened the heart-lung machine and performed a lot of other procedures, he went into sinus rhythm. The heart started up.

And then we decided to bring the operation started to the end. Because if we don't put in a stent, we doom him to death.

A stent is a tube that expands a vessel and through which blood circulates. We put a stent - and the vessel no longer spasms, because it is under the influence of this tube.

So, the remaining manipulations were carried out in just five minutes. The operation was completed. But at what cost! At the cost of the fact that within 30-40 minutes the patient was in a state of clinical death. And all the organs suffered - the liver, kidneys, brain ...

The resuscitation ward these days has turned into some kind of research institute, in which several groups of specialists worked. Academician Vorobyov, professors Vein, Levin and Nikolaenko became the head of the council. And the attending physicians are our Semyon Emmanuilovich Gordin and Dr. Chauss Nikolai Ivanovich - the chief researcher of the Center for Surgery ... "

The struggle for Nikulin's life lasted 16 days. And all these days, the central press almost hourly reported on the state of health of the artist beloved by the people. Prior to this, not a single Russian citizen (since the time of Stalin) had received such attention. Unprecedented efforts were made to save Nikulin: the most famous specialists of the country were by his side day and night, the best medicines in the world and the most advanced equipment were used. However, the miracle did not happen - on August 21 at 10:16 am, Yuri Nikulin's heart stopped.

The funeral of the great artist took place on August 26. The memorial service was held in the circus building on Tsvetnoy Boulevard and was attended by the main persons of the country, including President of Russia B. Yeltsin. At the same time, tens of thousands of people came to the place of farewell to pay their last respects to their favorite artist. The queue of people was so huge that its tail stretched along the entire Tsvetnoy Boulevard and turned onto the Garden Ring. The front pages of all newspapers that day came out in mourning frameworks, in accordance with the general mourning, the headlines were also typed: “Laughter has died”, “The arena is empty”, “The unit of kindness is only Nikulin”. Here is an excerpt from the last article (written by G. Gorin): “One person very accurately formulated that the 20th century is ending, an entire era is ending, and people who fulfilled the God-given destiny in it are leaving. Gerdt left with his ironic wisdom ... He left with lyricism and a rare ability to express the feelings of the Okudzhava intelligentsia ... The completely aristocratic celestial Richter left ... And Nikulin is destined to be the embodiment of kindness. And he was. With his departure, there was a nagging feeling that there was much less kindness left. It would seem that there is less than one Nikulin, but this is so much! .. "

Yuri Nikulin was buried at the Novodevichy cemetery.

On September 3, 2000, an unusual monument to the great clown was unveiled at the entrance to the circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard: Yuri Nikulin, in a stage costume, stands on the running board of the famous cabriolet from the film “Prisoner of the Caucasus”. The author of the sculpture, Alexander Rukavishnikov, spent the night in the circus all the days before the opening of the monument, created with donations from circus artists and its spectators, fearing that vandals might encroach on the sculpture. After the solemn opening of the monument, the city leadership took over its protection: a specially installed television camera monitors the bronze sculpture.

On August 22, 2002, an article by O. Fomina appeared in Komsomolskaya Pravda entitled “Nikulin is loved even in Vietnam.” It reported:

“Yesterday, on the fifth anniversary of the death of the famous clown and actor, his relatives, friends and fellow soldiers gathered at the Novodevichy Cemetery.

A special bus brought circus veterans to the cemetery. Alas, Nikulin's son Maxim could not come. He is currently in France on business.

But the actor Sergei Shakurov came to Novodevichy. Wearing half-face dark glasses, with a beautiful bouquet in his hands, he said something to Yury Vladimirovich's relatives and quickly left. He was followed by an impressive delegation of miniature Vietnamese pioneers.

“We know Yuri Nikulin in Vietnam,” the head of the delegation tells the artist's widow, Tatyana Nikolaevna, slightly distorting the words. – Thanks to him for his great talent, for the gift of smiles and laughter. He is a genius clown!

“And I am especially pleased that the children know and remember him,” answered Tatyana Nikolaevna, moved to tears.

The Vietnamese looked with interest at the monument depicting Nikulin, sitting on the side of the circus arena. “It seems like he is listening carefully to what we say to him,” someone in the crowd remarked. And nearby, on the pedestal, Yuri Vladimirovich's favorite dog, Giant Schnauzer Fedor, perched. The dog outlived its owner by only four years. However, soon the muscular figure of Fedi drowned in flowers ... "

This text is an introductory piece.

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From the book ... I gradually learn ... author Gaft Valentin Iosifovich

YURI NIKULIN He is like a gift from the garden, The most beloved among the people. Let the clumsy slightly in appearance, Handsome next to him - freaks. Here's Mother Nature - She and clowns

From the book How idols left. The last days and hours of people's favorites the author Razzakov Fedor

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From the book Tenderness the author Razzakov Fedor

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NIKULIN Valentin NIKULIN Valentin (theater and film actor: "Leap Year" (Andrey), "The Way to the Berth" (Marat Chepin), "Nine Days of One Year" (guest at the wedding) (all - 1962), "Big Ore" ( 1964; engineer Vladimir Sergeevich), “A bridge is being built” (engineer Kachanov), “Three fat men”

From the book Light of Extinguished Stars. People who are always with us the author Razzakov Fedor

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From the book Red Lanterns author Gaft Valentin Iosifovich

August 21 - Yuri NIKULIN This man belonged to the type of people to whom the concept of death does not apply. Judging by his screen work, he was so simple and easy that it seemed that he would live forever. So most people thought when he appeared on

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From the book As before God the author Kobzon Joseph

Yuri Nikulin Yuri Vladimirovich Nikulin was born on December 18, 1921 in Demidov, the former Porechye, Smolensk province. He recalls his parents: “My father spent his childhood in Moscow. After graduating from high school, he entered the law faculty of the university, where

From the book The Kindest Clown: Yuri Nikulin and others ... the author Razzakov Fedor

Yuri Nikulin (1921–1997) When I started studying in Moscow, like almost every provincial student, I did not have enough scholarships to live on. So I had to work hard. And in 1958, such an opportunity presented itself: me and my colleague Viktor Kokhno were offered singers for the duration of the tour

From the book From Zhvanetsky to Zadornov the author Dubovsky Mark

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From the book of the Chekists [Collection] author Diaghilev Vladimir

Yuri Nikulin I saw Yuri Vladimirovich Nikulin only once, in the spring of 1997, in a restaurant. Grigory Gorin introduced us. Naturally, I immediately called them both to Riga the following year. Both promised to be, but at the end of the summer of that year, Yuri Vladimirovich

They say that everyone is equal before God. But where a person will be buried obviously does not depend on the Almighty. Especially if it's a famous person. Recently, cultural figures were outraged: People's Artist of the USSR, director Marlen Khutsiev was buried at Troyekurovsky instead of the prestigious Novodevichy cemetery. Next to the young singer Nachalova.

How Moscow cemeteries became "prestigious"

The Novodevichy Cemetery became elite after Stalin's wife Nadezhda Alliluyeva, who shot herself, was buried here in 1932. Bearing in mind that the leader himself called his wife a traitor, forbade her to be buried in the Kremlin wall, Lazar Kaganovich ordered to hide her away. But after that, bodies and party leaders somehow secretly “stretched” to Novodevichy. Gradually the cemetery became elite. And after Khrushchev, whose grave was encroached upon by vandals, was buried here, the churchyard was closed to outsiders. Only relatives with passes were allowed in here. Sometimes it was possible to get on a paid ticket. For "spectators" it was opened for free only in the 1990s.

There are 14 thousand tombstones here. Among those who rest on Novodevichy: A. Chekhov, M. Bulgakov, A. Vertinsky, L. Gurchenko, L. Zykina, G. Ulanova, M. Rostropovich, G. Vishnevskaya, E. Gaidar, A. Gromyko, A. Kollontai, V. Molotov, B. Akhmadulina, V. Mukhina, V. Zeldin and others. You can find the graves by looking at the booklets with the cemetery map, which are sold at the entrance.

The Vagankovskoye cemetery got its name from the fact that once there was an amusing yard on this place, where artists - vagants performed (from the word "wagon" - to joke, to be naughty).

In 1771, during a plague epidemic, infected corpses were dumped here, outside the city. Gradually, this place turned into a cemetery, which then became an unofficial branch of Novodevichy. There are 100 thousand tombstones here, but it is assumed that there are five times more people, since more were buried in abandoned graves.

Among the famous people resting here: L. Yashin, A. Abdulov, A. Gomelsky, B. Okudzhava, G. Burkov, M. Pugovkin, G. Gorin, V. Surikov, V. Listyev, K. Timiryazev and others. Some of the graves have signs. At the entrance hangs a diagram of the cemetery. You can buy a tour.

The Troekurovskoye cemetery (the name comes from the village located here) is young - it was formed in the late 1970s. At first, people who had any state awards were buried here along with ordinary residents of the village. In the 1990s, graves of well-known cultural figures began to appear. Buried here: S. Farada, N. Gundareva, V. Tolkunova, V. Innocent, I. Starygin, V. Wolf, V. Galkin, B. Nemtsov, M. Golub, I. Malashenko and others. There are no diagrams and booklets in the cemetery, but the actors' graves are located on the right side of the central alley. There, behind the chapel, are the graves of the recently departed. To the left of the central alley - old graves. It is better to find out in advance on the Internet in which area the one you want to visit is buried and follow the digital signs.

Zhirinovsky bought a place, Nachalovo - for free

It is known that official permission to bury a famous person on Novodevichy, where most celebrities are buried, is issued by the Department of the Consumer Market and Services of Moscow. They take into account regalia, titles, awards, contribution to the development of society and culture, consider applications from various organizations. But on the sidelines it has long been known that everything depends on the mayor of the city. Previously, they were buried in an elite cemetery in Moscow on the personal orders of Yuri Luzhkov. Today - Sergei Sobyanin. So in the situation with Khutsiev, they say that it was the mayor who did not want to bury the director on Novodevichy.

Yuri Mikhailovich, and Vitsin and I will also be buried next to each other later. Imagine, people come to the cemetery, they see Coward, Dunce and Experienced nearby, and their mood rises, Morgunov joked.

In fact, he bequeathed to bury him at the Kuntsevo cemetery next to his son who died in a car accident. But the People's Artist of the USSR Georgy Vitsin, contrary to the honorary title, was buried at the Vagankovsky cemetery.

I don’t see anything terrible that not all people’s artists of the USSR are buried at the Novodevichy cemetery, ”says Vladimir Tsukerman, director of the Museum of Three Actors (Vitsin, Morgunov and Nikulina). - Today there are its official branches - Kuntsevo, for example, where people's artists of the USSR - Gaidai, the clown Pencil, Mordyukova, Basov are lying ... Someone is next to relatives, and Georgy Mikhailovich generally wanted the ashes to be scattered. When his daughter was offered a place on Vagankovsky, she immediately agreed, did not fight at the gates of Novodevichy. What for? Vitsin during his lifetime was a modest man. There is not even a normal monument on his grave now. Once, one entrepreneur called Vitsin's daughter with a proposal to rebury the artist somewhere in an ordinary cemetery, and sell this plot to him. He offered some big money. Of course she refused.

A bronze sculpture of the actor was installed on the grave of Nikulin

There has long been a shortage of places in elite cemeteries. For example, in order to bury the first president of Russia, Boris Yeltsin, on the central alley of Novodevichy, the asphalt had to be opened. And with the artist Oleg Dal, a misunderstanding happened at all. Without any titles, he did not have the right to be buried in elite cemeteries. Nevertheless, through petitions and petitions, the Vagankovsky leadership was given an order: to find a place. And they found ... in the grave of the ballerina of the imperial theaters Lyubov Roslavleva, who died in 1904. When they dug up an abandoned grave to bury the artist there, they found that her coffin was in perfect condition. Then Dahl was buried nearby, behind a fence. A monument was simply placed on the site. The artist's widow still tried to achieve the transfer of the monument, but ... died, never having achieved it.

I didn’t want to bury Andryusha at the Vagankovsky cemetery, - admits the widow of Andrei Mironov Larisa Golubkina. - I wanted it in German or Novodevichy. But he was a People's Artist only of the RSFSR, and not the USSR, he did not pull on Novodevichy. It was so difficult... The theater didn't help. Whom I just did not ask. There was some sort of running around, senseless fuss. Well, it doesn't matter to the dead, everything is done for the living. At first, it was impossible to get to the grave - clay, mud. And I did everything to put asphalt there. Thank God, then they went forward. Now, if today, in our time - and I don’t know what kind of money would be needed, but then I somehow agreed like that, paid some small money. At least the road from the cemetery gates to Andryusha was laid at my request.

The family of director Eldar Ryazanov had two plots at once on Novodevichy. The fact is that in 1994, when the second wife of Eldar Aleksandrovich Nina Skuybina died, Ryazanov knocked out a plot for her in this elite cemetery and bequeathed to be buried nearby. But…

“The body did not have time to cool down, and the last wife Emma Abaidullina immediately called Mikhalkov with a request for a separate burial for her husband. And he got another grave at Novodevichy. Eldar Alexandrovich will not be buried where he wanted - next to his second wife Nina Skuybina, with whom he lived for 30 years, ”actor Stanislav Sadalsky wrote on his blog after the death of his beloved director.

In 2001, a military memorial cemetery was opened on the 4th km of the Ostashkovskoye highway (the district of Mytishchi near Moscow). Today there are 110 graves. Only those who have services to the Fatherland get there - marshals, heroes of the country, persons awarded state awards, and so on. For free. In the same place in 2016, the remains of those killed in a plane crash in Sochi were buried. It was planned that the presidents of Russia would also be buried there. However, Boris Yeltsin's grave is on Novodevichy. The wife of the President of the USSR Raisa Gorbachev is also buried there.

Yeltsin has a monument in the shape of the Russian flag

The cost of a land plot mainly depends on the status of the cemetery, - they explained to us in the State Budgetary Institution "Ritual". - And also on where this site is located and how it is equipped (whether there is a fence or a concrete basement, proximity to the main entrance, and so on). Recently, an auction form has been introduced to purchase a burial site.

Of course, plots at the Novodevichy Cemetery are not sold for any money. But knowledgeable people say that you can get to Vagankovskoye by paying whoever needs from 50 thousand dollars for a subburial in an abandoned grave, which the relatives of the deceased have not been going to for a long time. And everything will be formalized. Bidding for a plot (2 sq. m.) at the Troekurovsky cemetery officially starts at 387,870 rubles, but, as practice shows, it is unrealistic to buy for such a price, at least three to four times more. A similar plot at the Kuntsevo cemetery is put up for auction starting from 300-400 thousand rubles. But as a result, the price here will be many times higher.

Sergei Yesenin's assistant Galina Benislavskaya committed suicide at the Vagankovsky cemetery. In the same place, on Vagankovsky, on the grave of Igor Talkov, two girls committed suicide. And where the opera singer Sergei Lemeshev rests, four of his fans passed away.

The ashes of Vladimir Mayakovsky were kept in a glass jar in the Donskoy Monastery for 22 years. All this time they argued how to put him to rest: like a Soviet poet, but a suicide! As a result, in 1952, they were nevertheless buried on the territory of the Novodevichy cemetery.

The material was published in the publication "Interlocutor" No. 15-2019 under the heading "VIP-cemeteries: war to the grave."