Kosakenfriedhof in der Peggetz, Eastern Orthodox cemetery in Peggetz district, Lienz, Austria.
The Kosakenfriedhof in der Peggetz is a burial ground for Cossacks in Lienz with around 28 graves holding approximately 300 people, marked by marble crosses. A wooden chapel and a central memorial obelisk topped with an Orthodox cross stand within the grounds.
The cemetery was established in 1945 by British forces following World War II to bury Cossack refugees who died fleeing conflict. These people were traveling from Yugoslavia through Italy to Austria when they died.
Every year on the first weekend of June, a memorial association, a soldiers' fellowship and local residents gather at the cemetery; the Austrian Black Cross maintains the grounds. The chapel built in 2015 is dedicated to the Protection of the Mother of God and to Tsarevich Alexei. Two marble table altars flank the obelisk, holding glassed icon cases with a Marian icon on the left and Christ Pantocrator on the right.
The cemetery lies in the Peggetz district on the bank of the Drava, cared for by the Austrian Black Cross. A memorial gathering is held on the first weekend of June, when a commemorative association, a soldiers' fellowship and local residents meet at the graves. The site is fenced and entered on foot.
The memorial obelisk was consecrated by Archbishop Stefan of Vienna on 15 August 1951, and photographs show it was rebuilt several times afterwards. Its tip carries an Orthodox cross, while a crown of thorns sits in the middle of the western face.
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