Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois Russian Cemetery

Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois Russian Cemetery

Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois Russian Cemetery
4.5
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4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles134 reviews
Excellent
68
Very good
60
Average
6
Poor
0
Terrible
0

KeesvanderBeek
Villebon-sur-Yvette, France204 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020
In out-of-the way Sainte Geneviève des bois, this, the largest of Russian cemeteries outside of Russia, hosts the tombs of a great many of Russia's greatest artists. It is extremely moving to walk amongst them, pray tribute to the great, reflect on their work. Rudolf Noureev, Zinaida Serebriakova, Andrei Tarkovski, Alexandre Fabergé, and so many others lay here in rest...

"So here you are, you, shining light of the arts, I have come to visit you. You have gone, but you are here. And in this manner, I pay tribute and homage to your work and life"

If you can, go.
Written 16 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

lovelolita
San Antonio, TX9 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2014 • Solo
Rudolf Nureyev's mosaic-covered tomb is here, along with that of Mathilde Tschessinskaya, once the lover of Tsarevitch Nicholas. It is the final resting place of my own old ballet teacher, the glorious prima ballerina Olga Preobrajenska. Take the regional train from Paris through the lovely Ile de France countryside then the the number 4 bus to the cemetery and lay flowers on the grave of one of these great artists. You will remember this long after the memory of another Paris meal is forgotten.
Written 30 September 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

raypask
Melbourne, Australia57 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2018 • Couples
Rudolph Nureyev's grave, like the great dancer and choreographer, is also magical being 'draped'with a 'woven rug' of brilliant colours that contrasts to the sobre traditional Russian Orthodox graves nearby. This is so worth the trek in any weather.
Written 25 January 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Dr Benjamin P
Whangarei, New Zealand781 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2018 • Friends
Although this is worth a visit to see how different graves are presented, often related to particular religious requirements and conventions - a fact true of all of the Paris area cemeteries - this place remains famous especially for one grave: that of Rudolf Nureyev. And, it is certainly worth a visit for this grave alone. It is a mosaic masterpiece, looking like an exotic woven carpet made from small tesserae of gold and coloured glass. How and why Nureyev ended up here is not clear, however, the fact of his presence is certainly magical.
Written 2 September 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Nevrie
Paris, France45 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2014 • Solo
A nice place to meditate and travel in History.
A part of Russia in France. You'll feel the Russian atmosphere and discover some surprising tombs such as Nouriev's ,covered with an oriental carpet in mosaics.
Written 17 March 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

maraashmore
5 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2023
It was a rainy day, perfect for a visit to this very lovely and sad place. I forgot though that as a Russian cemetery, the inscriptions would by in Cyrillic script. So, I couldn’t find some of the graves I was looking for. The people buried here were the crème of Imperial Russian society; royalty, nobles, military and the just plain wealthy. They knew what it was to lose everything and go from the splendour of their palaces to living in the squalor of the slums of Paris. The men usually found work as taxi drivers or in the new car factories and the women became seamstresses or, if they were young and tall, fashion models. Many of the tomb markers were made of wood and are now in poor condition. There is a quiet dignity of fallen grandeur.

The land for the cemetery was bought by an American benefactor, but shamefully, there have been recent moves to take back this land. Hopefully, this will not happen. The occupants of these graves should be allowed to rest in peace. It would be too disgraceful if they were once evicted.
Written 24 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Gordon W
Broken Hill, Australia1,585 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2018 • Couples
A stunningly beautiful grave for an extraordinary dancer.

The grave site is an extraordinarily realistic representation of a kilim rug, and was designed and built by set designer, Ezio Frigerio who designed several of Nureyev's choreography sets.

The cemetery itself is quite beautiful and serene. It was our first visit to a Russian cemetery and for that reason alone was very interesting and well worth the hike across Paris.
Written 19 July 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Nadya S
Lomonosov, Russia118 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2016 • Family
Arrived by train in December to visit the burials of renowned emigrants. Striking tomb of Rudolf Nureyev draped in a mosaic of an oriental carpet.
Written 18 August 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

HTWandKTWarburton
Middleton, UK231 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2023 • Couples
Very pleasant cemetery, carefully maintained. If you have an interest in the past it is definitely worth a visit if you are in the area. It's not a trip that you would want to expend a great deal of money on.
Written 1 June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Anne C
The Netherlands385 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2022
Nuyerev's grave was definitely the highlight for me, although the cemetery itself is well-kept and houses some beautiful tombstones and treasures. I thoroughly enjoyed the tranquillity and serenity of this beautiful place and would recommend a visit.
Written 14 February 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois Russian Cemetery, Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois

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