Vagankovskoye Cemetery

Also written as Vagankovo Cemetery.

Founded 1771 · about 50 hectares · Ulitsa Sergeya Makeeva 15, Presnensky district, central Moscow

How to get there: Metro Ulitsa 1905 Goda, about 10 minutes on foot

Vagankovskoye opened in 1771, during the Moscow plague, and has been in continuous use ever since — which makes it one of the oldest working cemeteries in the city. Graves from the 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st centuries stand within a few metres of each other.

For families abroad this is one of the harder cemeteries to manage from a distance. Rows are dense, the numbering of the older sections is inconsistent, and several plots often share one narrow passage. A visitor who has not been there before can spend an hour looking for a grave they were told is «near the church».

The poet Sergei Yesenin, the singer and actor Vladimir Vysotsky and the actor Leonid Filatov are buried here; a number of monuments carry protected heritage status.

What grave care at Vagankovskoye actually involves

Old trees keep much of the ground in permanent shade, so headstones darken with biological growth faster than at open modern cemeteries. Marble from the 19th and early 20th century is porous and stains easily — it takes gentle, non-abrasive treatment and patience, not strong chemistry.

Ground here has settled over two centuries. Mounds slump, kerbs tilt, and iron fences from the Soviet period rust through at the base. We photograph anything structural before touching it and send you a quote for the repair separately, so nothing is done that you have not agreed to.

Access for materials is limited — you cannot drive up to most plots — so granite, sand and cement are carried in by hand. That affects the price of monument work here, and we say so up front rather than at the end.

Services and prices at Vagankovskoye

Grave search by name — from ₽1,500 (about $17). 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 ₽3,000 (about $34).
Headstone cleaning — from ₽4,500 (about $50), gentle products only.
Seasonal package — four scheduled visits a year with a photo report after each, ₽17,000 (about $135).
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 Vagankovskoye

Can a new monument be installed at Vagankovskoye?

Yes, including full granite complexes, but the size is limited by the plot and by the cemetery rules, and materials have to be carried in. We measure the plot, photograph it, and send you the options that actually fit before you choose.

Our relative was buried in the 1950s and we have no plot number.

That is the normal situation here. The administration archive is searchable by full name and year, and we submit the request on your behalf. If the archive has nothing, we tell you — we do not bill for a search that found no grave.

How long does a standard cleaning visit take?

Two to four hours on site for a typical plot, and you receive the photo report the same day.

Order care at Vagankovskoye 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.

Write on Telegram WhatsApp

You can write in English — we reply in English.