The monuments of the Kolyvan historical necropolis in the artworks of Tomsk architect Andrey L. Shilovsky (1887–1921). Part 1

The article presents some results of exploration of the historical cemetery in Kolyvan (Altai Krai) for the purpose of searching and assessing the current state of tombstones depicted by Tomsk architect Andrey Shilovsky during his stay in this locality in 1919. Kolyvan is a small village with a unique history dating back almost 300 years. In 1729, the first Akinfiy Demidov’s copper smelter in Altai was founded here and the beginning of mining production of this region was laid in this place. In 1802, on the site of a copper smelter the Kolyvan polishing factory was built and became the only stone-cutting art center in Siberia. The factory belonged to the Russian Emperor’s family and provided His Imperial Majesty with luxury items made from Altai stones, which were used for decorating of palace interiors and as a diplomatic gifts, thereby serving to maintain the prestige of the monarchy. Participants and creators of this great past are buried at the Kolyvan cemetery, so it is very important to study and preserve the historical tombstones here for the future generation. The necropolis can also become another point of attraction for tourists who annually visit natural and historical sites in Kolyvan and its environs in large numbers, and serve as a means for popularizing the local history. It was founded around 1772, but the earliest known tombstone for today dates back to 1835. In 1919, Tomsk architect Andrei Shilovsky visited Kolyvan, where he made more than 20 drawings of burials. More than 100 years later, in August 2023, the authors of this article found 7 tombstones depicted by the architect: the granite slab on the grave of the Kolyvan polishing factory manager Mikhal Laulin; the heavily damaged family burial of another manager of polishing factory Karl Ch. Wetzel, which included four monuments; the tombstone of the stone carver Antoniy Golovkin and his wife Evdokiya; and the partially lost monument at the grave of Paraskeva Ivacheva. Her son Pavel Ivachev, graduate of the Imperial Academy of Arts, was the manager of the Kolyvan polishing factory from 1894 to 1902 and also the chief foreman of the Peterhof lapidary factory from 1902 to 1910. Through to the drawings of Andrei Shilovsky and his descriptions to each of them, it became known how the monuments originally looked and what details were lost. The search for tombstones from the architect’s artworks will continue in 2024, but it is already identified those of them that were irretrievably destroyed. The next publication about the Kolyvan necropolis will be devoted to them. The artworks of Andrey Shilovskiy are published for the first time. The authors declare no conflicts of interests.

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