In the early 18th century, Peter the Great gifted the village of Kuzminki to his friend and associate Count Grigory Stroganov. Stroganov greatly appreciated this gift and built not only a manor for himself but also a separate house for the sovereign in case of his visit.

After Stroganov's death in 1715, his widow erected a church in memory of her husband, dedicated to the Vlacherna Icon of the Mother of God (1 Akademika Skryabina St.). A burial site emerged near the church, which became the foundation of the modern Kuzminskoye Cemetery.

The church was consecrated in 1720. The area, thanks to the church and the icon, changed its name from Kuzminki to Vlacherna and remained so until the revolution when it became part of the Golitsyn princes' dowry.

The church burned down in the mid-18th century, and between 1759 and 1762, a new stone church was built on its site according to the design of architect Ivan Zherebtsov. From 1794 to 1798, architect Rodion Kazakov reconstructed it. The new chapel of St. Xenia of Petersburg was designed in the classical style and adorned with a light drum topped with a belvedere and Tuscan porticos. This appearance has been preserved to this day, although the church has undergone several reconstructions since Kazakov.

Initially, the cemetery was located in the Kuzminsky forest park. Fragments of old tombstones can still be seen in the park today. In the 1960s, the old cemetery was relocated, and most of the burials were moved to the territory of the modern cemetery.

The new cemetery was established in 1956. Initially, it served for the burial of residents from nearby villages, but later plots were also allocated for residents of new districts of Moscow. The cemetery consists of Orthodox and Muslim sections and quickly became one of the largest, now occupying 60 hectares.

In the center of the cemetery, one can find the remnants of an ancient concrete crypt. Before the cemetery's closure in the 1960s, a stone with the inscription: "Golitsyn, died on the day of his birth in 186..." lay near the entrance to the crypt.

Notable burials at Kuzminskoye Cemetery include Alla Pugacheva's father, mother, and brother; the parents of former Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov; gypsy singer Shandor; poet and composer Igor Sorin from the group "Ivanushki"; bards and journalists Igor Mikhalev and Boris Vakhnuk; test pilot Konstantin Kokkinaki.

The cemetery is the final resting place of 22 Heroes of the Soviet Union.

To the left of the main entrance stands a monument in the shape of a submarine. This is a memorial to the sailors who perished on July 4, 1961, during the liquidation of a nuclear reactor accident on the submarine K-19 during exercises in the North Atlantic. Due to a leak in the cooling system, the reactor heated to critical temperatures, threatening an explosion. Crew members, having received a lethal dose of radiation, prevented the explosion by assembling a backup pipeline.