July 11, 2016: The Taganrog Old Cemetery was officially established in 1809 as a Cristian cemetery, although the site has already had some burials. In 1810 the The All-Saints Church in Taganrog on the cemetery's land was founded, which was consecrated and completed in 1824. Among the prominent people buried in Taganrog Old Cemetery are: Russian general Paul von Rennenkampf, Pavel of Taganrog, Russian admiral and governor of Taganrog Lev Kulchitsky, British consul John Patrick Carruthers, Alpheraky family, Sinodi-Popov family, Soviet writer Ivan Vasilenko, animal trainer Anatoly Durov, founder of Russian heraldry Alexander Laquiere and many more. On May 25, 1971 it was closed for new interments.


The first inventory records were made in 1990-1992 by the Taganrog branch of the specialized federal institution SpetsProjectRestauvratsia. In 1992 the Taganrog Old Cemetery was entered into the Regional register of Historic Places, however due to financial problems only the old church was put under individual state protection. However many individual tomb, statues and mausoleums were eligible for the Regional register to be placed under protection, based on the artistic merit - funerary art, architecture and landscape architecture; some of the monuments have well-preserved mid 19th & early 20th century character.


Since mid-2000s and over the next 15 years major roads were repaired, trees pruned or planted, publicity articles written. The inventory work started by the research officers of SpetsProjectRestauration was continued by local historian and enthusiast Ms. Yelena Alexeenko. Records were put on a computer with a website link, which is now available at cemetery.su. She also started historical tours, and the public once again has taken interest in the cemetery as a park, cemetery and important historic site. "Over the last 10 years there is a growing interest for the cemetery in terms of genealogical research. More and more Taganrog residents or descendants of people who left the city want to know more about their family and their origins", told Ms. Alexeenko.


Complete restoration and urgent repairs were accomplished of the monuments of important historical and architectural value, and vegetation was completely removed from hidden monuments in historical sections thanks to financial assistance from the Taganrog-based LEMAX group of companies (director Mr. Leonid Matusevich). The effect of this restoration program resulted in substantially eliminating vandalism and filling the grounds with walkers and visitors.


In 2016 an extensive inventory at the historic Taganrog Old Cemetery of the monuments possessing historical and artistic value was completed by Taganrog Local Government and volunteers. The research to evaluate their condition and then take action was led by Mrs. Marianna Grigoryan - Ph.D. in History of Arts and deputy director of the Taganrog Arts & Culture Council, Ms. Yelena Alexeenko - local historian, founder and editor in chief of the web project cemetery.su, Mrs. Natalia Bondareva - director of Taganrog Committee for Urban Development and Architecture, Mr. Alexander Mirgorodskiy - local historian and foreign relations officer of this city.


The work was based on the old cemetery's site plan, which was drawn back in 1992 and a report (an extended legend) accompanying the map. The team has found and identified 156 monuments out of 170 selected by the federal institution back in 1992, with other 15 either permanently lost or not found. "Beside them, due to years of research work, the list has been additionally completed with 63 other valuable monuments", told Marianna Grigoryan.


Representatives of the State Institution of Culture "Don Region Heritage" visited Taganrog to finalize the paperwork, which is necessary to issue a conservation pledge agreement for the cultural heritage site "Ensemble of the former Taganrog Christian Cemetery". The inventory documentation, including over 1250 new photos has been handed over to officers of the Rostov institution.