Preobrazhenskoye Cemetery

Preobrazhenskoye Cemetery is a burial ground in Moscow, Russia, spreading across two square sections divided by a central avenue. The site displays numerous gravestones, monuments, and elements of traditional Orthodox architecture scattered throughout its grounds.

The grounds opened in 1771 during a time of urban growth, serving as a burial site for Old Believers who had separated from the mainstream Eastern Orthodox Church. Over the following centuries, the cemetery expanded several times and received graves from different Orthodox communities, each maintaining its own rituals.

The grounds include burial areas for different Orthodox faiths, among them chapels without altars that follow the particular religious customs of the Fedoseevtsy community. This architectural feature mirrors the liturgical differences among Old Believer groups, which remain visible in how the site appears today.

The cemetery sits at 25 Preobrazhensky Val in Moscow and can be reached via the central avenue that links both sections together. Extensive records of more than 1,200 headstones are available through the BillionGraves database, helping visitors orient themselves on the grounds.

The site holds the first Eternal Flame in Moscow, commemorating those who died in World War II. This memorial was installed here before similar monuments appeared elsewhere in the city, making it an early reference point for collective remembrance.