The Pensioner Stables (also known as the Pensioner and Pension Stables) were established on the territory of the former Menagerie, near the northern border of the Alexander Park, by order of Nicholas I in 1827–1829 for the elderly horses that carried the imperial family under saddle — so that they could have a happy old age until their natural death. The building of the Pensioner Stable is located here. In January 1826, Emperor Nicholas I ordered the transfer of eight riding horses of "His Own Saddle of Emperor Alexander Pavlovich," who were spending their final years "in retirement" in the stables of Saint Petersburg, to Tsarskoye Selo, where accommodations were to be provided for them. It was initially planned to prepare stables for them at the Farm in the summer, but due to lack of space there, a special building was constructed between 1827 and 1829 according to the design of architect Menelas, called the Pensioner Stable.

The two-story pavilion with a round staircase tower-belvedere, two three-sided bay windows, and a one-story annex was built of brick in the style of English Gothic. Below was a stable with eight stalls and a small room for storing horse tack, which over time became known as the "museum." On the upper floor were the apartments of the caretaker and grooms. In the enclosed courtyard, wooden utility buildings were located, which have not survived to this day. Part of the clover meadow to the west of the stable building was turned into a pasture for the horses.

The complex includes the stable building itself and the adjoining horse cemetery. I am not sure if such a complex is unique in the world, but it is definitely the only one in Russia. In the early 19th century, most horses that had served their time were slaughtered. However, this usually did not happen to the retired horses of the reigning family — they lived out their days in the palace stables. After the death of Alexander I (he died on December 1, 1825 — new style), his heirs decided the fate of his personal belongings, including the horses. For them, Nicholas I, who ascended the throne, ordered the creation of the Pensioner Stables.

At the time of Alexander I's death, there were eight of his horses in the palace stables in Saint Petersburg — these were sent to Tsarskoye Selo. "On February 1, 1826, Zakharzhevsky reported that '8 riding horses... can be very conveniently housed during the winter in the large stone stable in the coal section. As for the summer time, there is no accommodation at the farm not only for the horses but even for the people who will take care of them,'" describes these events Igor Zimin in his book "Alexander Park of Tsarskoye Selo. 18th – early 20th century. Everyday life of the Russian imperial court."

In the spring of 1827, construction of the Pensioner Stables began according to the design of the Scotsman Adam Menelas, and continued until 1829. As a result, a two-story brick pavilion with a round belvedere tower in the English Gothic style appeared. On the first floor were eight stalls and a utility room; on the second floor were living quarters for the caretaker and grooms.

But an embarrassment occurred: "Having spent considerable funds on the construction of the Pensioner Stable complex, by August 1829 there was no one to house there," writes Igor Zimin. "The fact is that by that time, out of Alexander I’s eight horses, five had died from 'old age exhaustion,' and three were shot 'due to incurable disease.' However, the managers noted that there were still two horses of Alexander I that could be housed in the luxurious stable. Nicholas Pavlovich was outraged by such an outcome of his project."

Ultimately, the first residents of the Pensioner Stables were two horses of Alexander I and the infirm mare of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna named Beauty. Under Alexander II, the Pensioner Stables began to decline — "due to the difficult economic situation of the court." The situation improved under Alexander III. On November 24, 1884, a highest decree was issued: "to restore the Pensioner Stable in Tsarskoye Selo, subordinating it in all respects to the Manager of the Tsarskoye Selo Palaces." The last emperor, Nicholas II, visited the Pensioner Stables several times. His diary entries mention: "Rode Alix in a chair around the whole park; stopped by the old horses’ stable"; "Inspected the pensioner stable" (March 29, 1901); "Released the old horses to the meadow" (May 29, 1904).

During Soviet times, the cemetery was in complete neglect. Gravestones were piled up in heaps both on the stable grounds and beyond. Broken marble tombstones lay in the ditch along the road leading from the farm stable to the Pensioner Stables.

During the preparation of the Pensioner Stable complex for restoration, workers from the Institute of the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences conducted archaeological research from 1998 to 2000 to restore the exact plan of the horse cemetery — that is, its precise geography, the location of graves, and the direction of paths. The archaeological program was coordinated with the management and engineering and scientific departments of the Tsarskoye Selo State Museum-Reserve. In 2010, the famous Frenchman Jean-Louis Gouraud, a traveler and philanthropist, spent a substantial sum of about $40,000 on restoring the cemetery. One of his famous journeys was traveling from the capital of France to Moscow in just 75 days on two French horses. Thus, work is currently underway to restore the cemetery, with gravestones already in place.

Sources:

https://pushkin.spb.ru/encycl/parks/pensionerskie-konyushni-i-loshadinoe-kladbische.html

https://www.tzar.ru/objects/alexandrovskypark/newgarden/pensioner