In 1834 the first Orthodox parish was established in Warsaw and a decision was made to set up a cemetery for the community. The Roman Catholic parish of St. Lawrence was then turned into an Orthodox church, by decree of the Tsar himself. Although the cemetery was officially and religiously opened in 1841, the first burials took place there as early as 1836. In 1905 a new church, St. John the Ladder was built, while St. Lawrence Church returned to the Roman Catholic church after Poland regained its independence.
The burial place of a person depended on his/her social status therefore generals, the clergy and civil service notables were buried near the church. The second 'zone' included the graves of lower rank officers, clerks and wealthy merchants. The third 'zone' housed the graves of soldiers and members of the bourgeoisie, while the poorest were buried in the area furthest from the church. During the Warsaw Uprising mass executions of Varsovians were carried out there. Among those buried at the cemetery are former Mayor of Warsaw (from the Tsarist times) Sokrates Starynkiewicz (1820-1892), Russian poet and writer Michał Arcybaszew (1879-1927) and leading Polish Orthodox theologian Jerzy Klinger (1918-1975). During All Saint’s Day, processions of the Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches take place there, preceded by an ecumenical service conducted by priests from both congregations.