Khovanskoye Cemetery

The largest cemetery in Moscow — one of the largest in Europe

Founded 1972 · about 197 hectares · Novomoskovsky administrative district, south-west of Moscow

How to get there: Metro Salaryevo or Filatov Lug, then a bus; about an hour from the city centre

Khovanskoye is the largest cemetery in Moscow and one of the largest in Europe — roughly 197 hectares split into three territories, Northern, Central and Western, each with its own entrance and its own administration office. More than half a million people are buried here.

It is the cemetery we serve most often for families living outside Russia. People who left in the 1990s and 2000s frequently have parents or grandparents here, and the place is genuinely hard to reach: far from the centre, badly served by public transport, and large enough that «the Central part» narrows a search down to tens of thousands of graves.

What grave care at Khovanskoye actually involves

The first job here is almost always the search, not the cleaning. Without a section and row number the grounds cannot be navigated even by someone standing in them. We request the plot from the administration by full name and year of burial, then send you a photograph of the headstone so you can confirm it is the right one before anything else is paid for.

The Northern territory is the oldest. Rows are tight and the monuments are mostly 1970s and 1980s concrete and marble chip — a soft, absorbent material that crumbles under pressure washing. It needs hand work and mild products, and it will never look like polished granite; what it can look like is cared for.

Soil is clay-heavy across the whole site, paths turn to mud after rain, and mounds settle unevenly. Because of the distance and the conditions, a plot here holds up better with regular visits than with a single trip every few years.

Monument installation, resetting a leaning stone, new plinths and engraving are all available at Khovanskoye, and access for vehicles is better than at the old central cemeteries, which keeps the cost of that work lower.

Services and prices at Khovanskoye

Grave search by name — from ₽2,500 (about $28). Needed whenever the plot number has been lost.
Standard clean-up — litter and old wreaths removed, weeding and grass cutting, headstone and fence washed, mound levelled. From ₽4,500 (about $50).
Headstone cleaning — moss and dirt come off in a standard cleaning; a marble stone from ₽3,000 (about $34), gentle products only.
Regular care — as often as the plot needs it: before memorial days, once a month or all year round, with a photo report after each visit. Each visit is priced as a standard cleaning, ₽4,500–6,500.
Engraving — adding a name and dates to an existing monument, or restoring worn lettering. Layout sent for your approval before anything is cut.
Monuments and granite complexes — a new headstone, plinth, kerb and paving, or resetting a monument that has started to lean. Quoted after we measure and photograph the plot.

Every order ends with a dated before/after photo report including the GPS position of the plot, and you pay after you receive it. Full price list — services & prices.

Questions we are asked about Khovanskoye

We know the cemetery but not which of the three parts.

That is common and it is solvable: the administration can search across all three territories by full name and year. Grave search starts at ₽2,500 (about $28), and we confirm the plot with photographs.

Is it worth ordering a single visit if we live abroad?

Honestly — for Khovanskoye, rarely. The cemetery is remote and the plot will look neglected again within a season. Regular care makes more sense here: as often as you need it, from memorial days to all year round, with each visit priced as a standard cleaning, ₽4,500–6,500.

Can you install a new headstone here?

Yes, including a full granite complex with plinth, kerb and paving. We photograph and measure the plot first, then send you the layouts and prices that fit it.

Order care at Khovanskoye from anywhere

Write to us with the full name of the person buried and, if you have it, the section and plot number. If you do not have it, say so — locating the grave is a normal part of the job. We agree a payment method that works for your country when the order is confirmed, including payment through relatives in Russia, and payment is due after the photo report.

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