Armenian Cemetery, Cemetery in Presnensky District, Moscow, Russia

The Armenian Cemetery sits in the Presnensky District of Moscow and spreads across a large area with gravestones, sculptures and stone crosses. The pathways lead through divided sections where monuments from different eras stand side by side.

The cemetery was established by decree of the Moscow provincial government on 21 April 1805, at the request of Minas Lazarev, a representative of the Lazarev family and trustee of Moscow's Armenian churches. A plot of 2.22 hectares was allotted for it. Construction of the Surb Harutyun church on the grounds began in 1808 and was completed in 1815. In 1859, a brick wall with towers, designed by architect Mikhail Bykovsky, was built around the cemetery at the expense of industrialist I. M. Kasperov.

Before 1917, names on the graves were carved in both Armenian and Russian; in Soviet times, usually only in Russian. Two duduk players, Zhora Sarkisyan and Boris Tavakalyan, have performed daily for twenty years opposite the Memorial House. A khachkar near the church commemorates the Armenian Genocide, the pogroms in Azerbaijan, the Stalinist repressions and the 1988 earthquake.

Access is through the main entrance where an administration office provides information about the grounds and grave locations. The paths are wide enough for calm walking, though some sections may have uneven ground.

Chess grandmaster Tigran Petrosian and opera singer Zara Dolukhanova rest here among the graves that hold members of the Russian-Armenian community across two centuries. Their tombs draw visitors who leave flowers and remember the outstanding figures.