At Novodevichy Cemetery, the Ordinary Trumps the Grand

http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2976611990033992640rAiXjD

Raisa Gorbachov Monument at Novodevichy Cemetery with Columbarium niches in background

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/russia/moscow-novodevichy-convent.htm

Novodevichy Convent

Novodevichy Cemetery (Новодевичье кла́дбище) is Moscow's third most popular tourist site. It has a park-like ambience, dotted with small chapels and large sculpted monuments. The cemetery was built next to the Novodevichy Convent immediately upon the convent's completion.
The cemetery was first used primarily as a burial place for Moscow's feudal rulers and church officials. Later it came to be used for Russia's intellectuals and merchants, while in the 20th century, it was the burial place for many of the Soviet Union's most well-known citizens. Today, the cemetery holds the tombs of Russian authors, playwrights, and poets, as well as famous actors, political leaders, and scientists. More than 27,000 are buried at Novodevichy. -from http://www.sacred-destinations.com/russia/moscow-novodevichy-convent.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Grave_N._S._Krushchev.jpg
The Grave of Nikita Kruschev "We will Bury You!"

While the monuments of the famous and powerful provide a wonderful history and art lesson, these photos of the niches of lesser known Russians, taken by Dedushka Nomto at Novodevichy Columbarium, are quite striking as well. The changes brought about by time and the elements give these portraits the haunting quality of distant memories. Perhaps this documentation of ordinary life can teach us more important lessons than the broad sweep of history.

http://community.livejournal.com/urban_decay/2109922.html

http://community.livejournal.com/urban_decay/2109922.html

http://community.livejournal.com/urban_decay/2109922.html

For more photos by Dedushka Nomto, visit http://community.livejournal.com/urban_decay/2109922.html

View From Above; Two Cities of the Dead

Breathtaking photos from Yann Arthus-Bertrand

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/10/earth_from_above_comes_to_nyc.html

Verdun, France

American cemetery north of Verdun, Meuse, France. Covering some 40 hectares (100 acres) at Romagne-sous-Montfaucon, 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Verdun, the American cemetery was dedicated in 1935 by the American Battle Monuments Commission. The commission was created in 1923 at the request of General Pershing, who had taken part in the American offensive of 1918. Its aim was to undertake architectural and landscape studies in order to restructure American cemeteries and commemorative monuments in Europe. Whereas the French army chose to build permanent cemeteries where temporary cemeteries had been made during the hostilities, the American army opted to create a single cemetery. Some 25,000 American tombs scattered around Verdun were then brought together at Romagne where, after almost half the bodies were repatriated to American soil, 14,246 soldiers have lain ever since.

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/10/earth_from_above_comes_to_nyc.html

Asyut, Egypt

Modern graves in a cemetery at Asyut, Nile valley, Egypt. The idea of eternal life, so dear to the ancient Egyptians, is conveyed through a style of funerary architecture that stands the test of time. These tombs are divided into two sections, one representing the life of the deceased and the other containing the person's remains and the objects customarily regarded as making life in the hereafter more pleasant. The world of the living coexists with that of the dead, and cemeteries are close to towns. An Egyptian city of the dead can stretch over several miles and is laid out like a town, with a rich variety of open spaces and architecture.

Photos and text from boston.com Earth From Above Visit the site and see these beautiful pictures full screen at http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/10/earth_from_above_comes_to_nyc.html

and

Visit the artist's Website at http://www.yannarthusbertrand.org/