Suffered twice from the occupiers: what is known about the Transfiguration Cathedral in Odessa, destroyed by the Russians

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On the night of July 23, the Russian occupiers shelled Odessa, severely damaging the historic center of the city. According to OVA, as a result of the shelling, one person died and 22 were injured, including four children. As a result of the rocket attack, the Savior and Transfiguration Cathedral, the House of Scientists, Zhvanetsky Boulevard, residential buildings, and port infrastructure were damaged. “Ukrainian Pravda. Life” collected several facts about the cathedral, which was loved by Odessans and destroyed by the occupiers for the second time. The construction of the cathedral began 228 years ago. On July 23, the Russians fired a rocket at the Transfiguration Cathedral. “In August 1794, the solemn consecration of the city of Odessa took place, during which the site of the construction of the church in honor of Nicholas the Wonderworker was consecrated on Cathedral Square, and in 1795 the first stone was laid,” says the website of the diocese. The design of the building was entrusted to the architect and military engineer Vikenty Vanrezant. The work began in 1795, and stopped after a few years, but was resumed in 1803 after Duke de Richelieu became the mayor of Odessa. The solemn consecration of the church took place on May 25, 1809. In 1825, the project of the belfry, designed by the Italian Giovanni Frapolli, was approved. In 1841, the architect Deolaus-Heinrich Heydenreich developed a project for the refectory, which united the bell tower and the old church. At the end of the 19th century, partial reconstructions were carried out in the cathedral, and in 1894 – major repairs. Transfiguration Cathedral is an example of an architectural monument in the style of classicism. The cathedral in Odesa was destroyed by the Bolsheviks. It is not the first time that the occupiers have blown up an Odesa shrine – such a crime was already committed almost 90 years ago. On March 2, 1932, the Bolsheviks closed the cathedral. And already in 1936, the bell tower and the cathedral were blown up, looting it before that. After the end of the Soviet occupation, in the 1990s, Ukrainian specialists conducted excavations and found the old foundation of the cathedral. In 1999, the Cabinet of Ministers included the Odessa Cathedral in the “Program for the reproduction of outstanding lost monuments of the history and culture of Ukraine”. From 2000 to 2005, the Transfiguration Cathedral was rebuilt, and on January 6, 2005, the consecration of the lower church took place in honor of Saint Innocent of Odessa. Photo: Konstantin Brizhnichenko/Wikipedia In 2010, the cathedral was “consecrated” by Patriarch Kirill. On June 21, 2010, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Kirill Gundyaev, consecrated the upper temple of the Odesa Cathedral of the Transfiguration. At that time, Putin’s friend “announced” to Ukrainians that “no majestic walls and a large amount of gilding will save a person if he himself does not become a temple of God”, and “it is better not to build temples at all, if you do not live according to God’s laws.” We will remind that in 2022, Patriarch Kirill blessed the Russian war against Ukraine and praised the Russian invaders who went to fight against Ukrainians. In the speeches of Putin’s friend, “victory over fascism”, “protection of the peoples of Russia” from the West and other nonsense appeared. After today’s rocket attack, the cleric of the Odesa UOC diocese, Archdeacon Andriy Palchuk, recorded an emotional video in which he spoke about the destruction. “The Russian creatures hit the cathedral that was being built by the whole of Odessa. It just hit the altar, everything was simply destroyed. The cathedral is no more… Thank you, Russian brothers… Thank you, your holiness, that you hit the very heart of Metropolitan Agafangel. The Mother of God will not forgive you for this,” said the man. The press service also stated that the UOC condemns Russian aggression. “The Odesa Diocese of the UOC once again condemns the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine and the terrorist act against the main shrine and the spiritual heart of the city of Odesa – the Savior and Transfiguration Cathedral, surrounded by peaceful people, and the cathedral itself is in no way connected with military facilities,” the website of the diocese says. Read also: “Negatively stood up”: reactions of Ukrainians to the fall of Patriarch Kirill Cathedral entered the UNESCO World Heritage List In 2023, the Savior and Transfiguration Cathedral in Odesa entered the UNESCO World Heritage List along with the entire historical center of the city. Today, UNESCO “strongly condemned” the missile strike. “In response to the statement of the UN Secretary General, UNESCO condemns the Russian attack in the buffer zone of the World Heritage Site “Historical Center of Odesa”, which affected buildings of cultural significance within the site,” the organization’s website states. A Russian rocket hit the altar Photo: Konstantin and Vlada Liberovy/libkos The UOC Diocese of Odesa reported that a rocket had directly hit the central altar, as a result of which the cathedral building was partially destroyed. The Russians destroyed the ceilings of the three lower floors, significantly damaged the interior decoration and icons, and completely destroyed the service premises of the lower part of the cathedral. A guard and a seminarian were in the cathedral during the shelling. They survived, but the guard was injured. Orthodox shrines were also damaged: the Kasperov Icon of the Mother of God, considered the patroness of Odessa, was retrieved from under the rubble. Tourists loved the Transfiguration Cathedral in Odessa The Transfiguration Cathedral was a famous tourist attraction. Ukrainians began to share memories of visiting the cathedral on social networks, as well as to publish photos “before” and “after” the missile attack. Photo: nastia_haioshko Photo: groz.va, pani_margo Read also: “Cultural exchange”: how the Russians blew up St. Michael’s Cathedral and then appropriated its mosaics

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