Preobrazhenskoye Cemetery

The Preobrazhenskoye Cemetery in northern Moscow is closely tied to the history of the Russian Old Believers, the Christians who rejected Patriarch Nikon's 17th-century liturgical reforms and were persecuted ever after. Merchant Ilya Kovylin founded the cemetery in 1771 alongside a quarantine station during a plague epidemic. The complex quickly became the spiritual hub of the Fedoseyevtsy, a priestless current of Old Believers - with church, monastic cells and almshouse. In the 19th century Preobrazhenskoye became the informal headquarters of Moscow's Old Believer merchant class. Despite Soviet-era closures the cemetery has continued in use for burials. Today the main Church of the Intercession and several chapels stand on the grounds - a seldom-visited but fascinating testament to a persecuted faith.