Novodevichy Cemetery: "We will bury you!"

"We will bury you!"


Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev uttered this chilling remark in 1956 after settling into power following Stalin's death. While the remark seems threatening in the context of the Cold War, he later clarified that he meant the superior Soviet system will ultimately defeat the capitalist workers of America. Not quite. 


Speaking of being buried, I sat on K's grave this weekend. It is located in the exclusive Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow. K died in 1971. Ironically, the grave's monument to K was created by Russian abstract artist Ernst Neizvestnyi, whose work was criticized by the Premier while he was in power. While attending a 1962 Soviet art exhibition, K saw Neizvestnyi's work and called it "dog shit." Despite rising to the pinnacle of power, Khrushchev was anything but sophisticated. He always was simple and direct, likely a feature of his peasant background. He wanted to see Soviet art focus on ordinary people and realism. 


K's monument is a simple design and it serves as a metaphor for his life, darkness and light. K was a strong supporter of Stalin's purges, which he ably carried out in Moscow and later the Ukraine. Thousands were arrested and executed under K's watch. Yet, it is the same K who later denounces Stalin's brutality and begins the de-Stalinization movement. He also sought to give the Soviet people a whiff of progress in the arts, education, and agriculture. K made many enemies within the Soviet hierarchy and was eventually pulled from power in 1964. Because he didn't seek to "purge" his political enemies while he was in power, the favor was returned and he was allowed to live out his final years relatively comfortable. He got the ultimate revenge by dictating his memoirs on audio tape. They were smuggled out of the country and published in 1970. So in the end K tried to right the many wrongs he had committed earlier in his life. 

Not just anyone can be buried at Novodevichy cemetery. Those who are buried there during the Soviet years or since made an impact within the Soviet Union or the Russian Federation. There are graves and monuments to Boris Yeltsin, composer Dmitri Shostakovich, cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, former first lady Raisa Gorbachev, foreign minister Andrei Gromyko, Olympic champion high jumper Valery Brumel, playwright Anton Chekhov, prime minister Vyacheslav Molotov, Stalin's second (and last) wife Nadezhda Alliluyev, who killed herself in 1932 after suffering from years of abuse, and many, many notable Soviet military commanders. (On the left is one of the first Soviet Cosmonauts. The monument to the left is for his "partner" as they were never married, but will still spend eternity next to each other.)


The cemetery is quite beautiful. The graves and monuments are well laid out in rows but nature is allowed to encroach, which adds to its peacefulness. The shade from the trees is delightful, especially on these hot summer days.  Russian cemeteries are quite different than American cemeteries. It is a cultural tradition - for those who can afford it - to provide a monument to the deceased, usually with their likeness. These, like Khrushchev's, can be quite - well - monumental. One can tell what the person's role in life was from the monument. There is a heart surgeon, a Ob/Gyn, a general, a cosmonaut, KGB officials, a tank commander, a military communications commander, a circus clown, stage actor, musician, and so on.