Photography exhibition featuring damaged Odesa Cathedral presented at Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome

A photography exhibition entitled "Behind the Lens: Culture Under Attack" has opened in Rome. It features images of the Transfiguration Cathedral in Odesa, which was destroyed by the Russians despite belonging to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate.

Source: Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Details: The exhibition is part of the international Ukraine Recovery Conference 2025 (URC2025), which will take place in Rome from 10 to 11 July.

The Italian Foreign Ministry noted that in addition to depicting the scale of the destruction caused by the war in Ukraine, "Behind the Lens: Culture Under Attack" also conveys the power of culture, which remains strong "despite the conflict".

The photographs show the Transfiguration Cathedral in Odesa, which was destroyed by the Russians on 23 July 2023 in an attack which also damaged the House of Scientists, Zhvanetskyi Boulevard, residential buildings and port infrastructure.

A Russian missile hit the central altar, partially destroying the cathedral building. The ceilings of the three lower floors were also destroyed, the interior decoration and icons were significantly damaged, and the service facilities in the lower part of the cathedral were completely destroyed.

"The exhibition documents the loss of cultural heritage – Odesa Cathedral, which has been reconstructed by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, which will continue its work on the cultural heritage of the historic city centre," the ministry said.

The photographs were selected from among 6,000 images captured by Ukrainian photojournalists. 

In addition to the Transfiguration Cathedral, there are photographs of:

• a building belonging to Lviv National University of Natural Resources in Dubliany which was damaged by the Russians on 1 January 2024. Photo by Roman Baluk,
• the Church of the Archangel Michael, built in 1906, which was destroyed on 16 April 2023. Photo by Dmytro Smolenko.
• the Chernihiv Drama Theatre, which was hit by the Russians on 19 August 2023. Photo by Stas Kozliuk.

The ministry noted that this project honours the contribution of journalists who continue to document the war and protect collective memory.

The photography project was implemented in 2024 by the Institute of Mass Information, with financial support from the UNESCO Heritage Emergency Fund and the Japanese people.

What is known about the Transfiguration Cathedral

The Transfiguration Cathedral on Soborna Square is the largest Orthodox church in Odesa. According to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church diocese, its construction began 228 years ago to honour St Nicholas the Wonderworker.

Architect and military engineer Vincent Vanrezant was chosen to design the building. The construction began in 1803, after the Duc de Richelieu became the mayor of Odesa.

The church was consecrated on 25 May 1809.

In 1825, plans for a new belltower designed by the Italian Giovanni Frapolli were approved. In 1841, the architect Deolaus-Heinrich Heidenreich designed the refectory, which joined the belltower and the old church.

In the late 19th century, parts of the cathedral were renovated, and in 1894 the entire building underwent an extensive renovation.

The Transfiguration Cathedral is an example of Classical architecture.

The recent attack was not the first time Russian occupation forces have attempted to lay waste to the Odesa cathedral; they had done so before, nearly 90 years ago.

The Bolsheviks closed the cathedral on 2 March 1932. In 1936, after looting it, they detonated explosives in the belltower and main building.

When the Soviet occupation of Ukraine ended, Ukrainian experts found the church’s original foundations during an archaeological excavation. In 1999, the Cabinet of Ministers (the Ukrainian government) included Odesa Cathedral in its Programme for the Restoration of Outstanding Lost Monuments of the History and Culture of Ukraine.

The Transfiguration Cathedral was rebuilt during 2000-2005, and on 6 January 2005, the lower church was consecrated in honour of St Innocent of Odesa.

In 2023, the Transfiguration Cathedral and the rest of Odesa’s historic city centre were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

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