Elder John
Elder John
Korennaya Hermitage Cemetery
See: Woman-elder Misaila of Kursk
New Monastery Cemetery
The original cemetery was destroyed during WWII. It was covered over with USSR head general's office bunkers. There is a display of some of the General's bunkers at the WWII War Museum next to the monastery. This museum is located on original monastery grounds that used to be the cemetery and orchard. So a new cemetery was started close to the original location. There is a wonderful view from this location of the lower valley and river below. There use to be a tall and wide brick wall all around the upper monastery grounds. Much of the fence is still up but it needs a lot of repairs to bring it back to the beauty it once had.
If your already at the monastery grounds the road that leads to the cemetery is just past the statue of St. Seraphim of Sarov along the edge of the top of the hill. You can reach the cemetery by going thru the Historical WWII Museum and go back down the hill thru the old monastery orchard. There is also a road leading to the lower gate entry on the far side of the museum front gate. As you enter the monastery back gate you will see the cemetery on the left side just up the hill a little. This road also drops down to the lower Kursk Root Spring but not a lot of parking down this road. You would do better to use the road on other side of monastery to drive down to the Holy Spring area as it has a blacktop road put in in 2006. But both roads are steep and narrow.
Jesus on the Cross
A large statue of Jesus on the cross is located in the cemetery. It is for all the graves that were once marked in this location before the war. The cemetery is located east of the main monastery courtyard.
There is a road leading toward the cemetery. There is also another statue of Jesus on the Cross as you enter into the village of svodoba just past the St. Joakim & St. Anna Church. Also there is a large cemetery for the Svodoba Village next to this beautiful Orthodox Church.
Cemetery with View of the Valley & at the Edge of Orchard
The orchard seems to be used by everyone as local farmers will graze there goats under the trees as they eat the grass and later in the summer the fallen fruit. You will also see people having their picnic lunches under the shade of the trees. Many people will take the apples from the trees and you will surely see kids climbing in the trees. There are some wonderful valley views from the lower orchard area by the cemetery area. No one seems to take care for the apple trees as far as pruning and spraying. The orchard sits on agreement land for the Historic WWII Museum. I would guess that at some point it will be given back to the monastery to care and crop the tress as it is a very large orchard. As I understand it there are tunnels under the orchard from the WWII Generals Rokossovsky headquarters witch was the Battle of Kursk that was the first successful major Soviet offensive of the War.
Local farmers bring their goats to the orchard to graze on the grass and eat the fruit that falls to the ground. I enjoy as do many others just to relax in the orchard. The orchard is directly behind the WWII Museum and the cemetery is located in the very back of the orchard. You can also get to the cemetery by using the side road that runs next to the museum that is the back entrance into the main monastery courtyard used for servicing the monastery only as very little parking is available but still a good way to drop of elderly and the disabled people.
