The first burials of the Sotnykivsky cemetery date back to 1791. Only in 3 years Odessa will get its current name and status of the city. And the Cossack settlement appeared here around 1770.
According to information from the metric books kept in the local church, about half a thousand people are buried in the Sotnykivsky cemetery. Most of them are Ukrainians, and many surnames are Cossack. The Cossacks buried here could be either descendants or namesakes of hetmans and regimental officers.
However, only about 200 burials with ancient tombstones have survived to this day. Cossack tombstones are usually works of art: they were decorated with ornaments and ancient symbols. Sotnikov Cemetery is no exception: here you can see crosses of various shapes, including the Maltese cross. On some tombstones the inscriptions are quite clearly preserved.
Unfortunately, the monument has not yet been officially recognized and protected by the state. But concerned residents of Odessa take care of the cemetery and conduct informal tours.
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