Kuialnyk Cemetery
Kuialnyk Cemetery, also known as Sotnykivska Sich, is a historic cemetery in Kuialnyk neighborhood, Odesa, Ukraine. It is the largest Cossack cemetery in Ukraine.
History
After the destruction of the Zaporozhian Sich, a lot of Cossacks moved to Turkish-controlled territory. Some of them settled in surroundings of Hacıbey fortress, near the Kuialnyk-Khadzhybei bar. Since the narrow bar was constantly flooded, the Cossacks settled near Shkodova and Dovha Mohyla hills. The village of Kuialnyk was established on the slopes of Shkodova Hill, and the Ascension Church was founded there in 1809. But, the cemetery appeared even earlier, approximately in 1775, with the oldest burial dating to 1791, three years before Odesa was founded. Parish registers from the Ascension Church were kept from 1809 to 1822. Later, the Church of the Nativity of Virgin Mary was founded in the neighboring village of Usatove, and since its establishment the parish register was kept there. Overall, the registers contain data on 531 burials. Two-thirds of the last names are of Ukrainian origin, including 18 names of namesakes or direct descendants of Zaporozhian regimental officers, as well as of hetmans and general osavuls, and last names derived from kurins.Kuialnyk Cemetery covers an area of 0.16 ha, with the last burial in 1965. The cemetery includes about 205 tombstones carved from solid limestone blocks, with inscriptions on 33 of the crosses. All inscriptions are in mixed Church Slavonic and Ruthenian and start with the phrase "здесь почивае раб Божій", followed by the name and surname, as well as cryptonyms such as ІН ЦЙ. The oldest tombstone has the inscription "Здсъ погрєбнъ рабъ Божи младенцъ Иоанъ року Божія 1771", but experts date this grave to year 1791.