Transfiguration Cathedral, Odesa

Transfiguration Cathedral
Спасо-Преображенський кафедральний собор
Transfiguration Cathedral
46°28′59.44″N 30°43′51.75″E / 46.4831778°N 30.7310417°E / 46.4831778; 30.7310417
LocationSoborna Square 3, Odesa
CountryUkraine
DenominationEastern Orthodox
WebsiteSobor.odessa.ua
History
DedicationTransfiguration of Jesus
Architecture
ArchitectV.Vonrezant
StyleNeoclassicism
Groundbreaking1795
Completed1808 (original),
2005 (reconstruction)
Demolished1936
Specifications
Capacity9,000 (main)[1]
3,000 (underground)[1]
Length90.6 m[2]
Width46.6 m[2]
Height77 m (top cross bell tower)[3]
Floor area3,100 m2
Administration
DivisionMoscow Patriarchate
Immovable Monument of Local Significance of Ukraine
Official nameБудівля Спасо-Преображенського собору, де поховано видатних людей м. Одеси й Південного регіону України – князя Воронцова М.С. та княгиню Воронцову Є.К. (Building of the Saviour-Transfiguration Cathedral, where prominent people of Odesa and the southern region of Ukraine, prince M. S. Vorontsov and princess Y. K. Vorontsova, are buried)
TypeHistory
Reference no.35-Од

The Transfiguration Cathedral (Ukrainian: Спасо-Преображенський собор) is the Orthodox Cathedral in Odesa, Ukraine, dedicated to the Transfiguration of Jesus and belongs to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate).

History

The first and foremost church in the city of Odesa, the cathedral was founded in 1794 by Gavril Bănulescu-Bodoni.[4] The construction started on November 14, 1795 following the project by Vikentiy Vanrezant, with the church originally dedicated to Saint Nicholas.[5] Construction lagged several years behind schedule and the newly appointed governor of New Russia, Armand-Emmanuel de Vignerot du Plessis, Duc de Richelieu, employed the Italian architect Francesco Frappoli in 1798 to complete the edifice.[4][5]

The church was designated as a cathedral in 1800. Three of its altars were consecrated in 1808, when the church was renamed to the Transfiguration Cathedral. It was continuously expanded throughout the 19th century. The belltower was built between 1827 and 1837 (architects Francesco Frappoli and Giorgio Torricelli), and the refectory connecting it to the main church was constructed in 1842.[5] The interior was lined with real and artificial marble, and the iconostasis also was made of marble.[1] Minor additions were made to the building until 1903, when it reached its final form.[6]

Several churches in the region, including the Nativity Cathedral in Chişinău, were built in conscious imitation of the Odesa church. The cathedral was the burial place of the bishops of Tauride, including Saint Innocent of Kherson, and Prince Mikhail Semyonovich Vorontsov, the famous governor of New Russia.

The original structure was demolished by the Soviets in 1936. The cathedral's foundation was excavated in 1996, a few years after the Declaration of Independence of Ukraine. From August to September 1999, a competition for the best reconstruction project was held by the local government, resulting in the implementation of the project by V. Meshcheriakov, A. Martynenko, and Institute "Ukrproektrestavratsiia". The reconstruction started in 2000, and the cathedral was opened on May 22, 2005. The remains of Prince Vorontsov and his wife were reburied in the cathedral on November 10, 2005. There is a statue of him on the cathedral square,[5][6] though its monumental status was scrapped on November 11, 2023 in order to comply with the 2023 derussification law.[7] On July 21, 2010, the cathedral was consecrated by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow.[6]

In January 2023, the cathedral was inscribed on the World Heritage List as part of the Historic Centre of Odesa and immediately listed as in danger due to the Russo-Ukrainian war.[8] On July 23, 2023, the cathedral was severely damaged by a Russian missile attack.[9][10] UNESCO strongly condemned repeated attacks by Russia on the Historic Centre of Odesa.[11] The cathedral was restored with support from the Italian government and UNESCO, with the bulk of the restoration works completed by October 2024 and the heating system restored by December 2025.[12]

Description

The Transfiguration Cathedral is a dominant structure of Odesa's cityscape. It was originally cross-shaped and one-domed, with a four-tiered bell tower. Although most of the building follows the neoclassicist style, some of the dome features are eclecticist. Currently, the cathedral is a two-storey building, housing a winter church on the ground level and a summer church above. A chapel is located in the bottom of the bell tower.[5] The cathedral bells are controlled by an electronic device capable of playing 99 melodies.

  • The belltower and the main entrance
    The belltower and the main entrance
  • Overall view
    Overall view
  • The Cathedral Square in the early 20th century
    The Cathedral Square in the early 20th century
  • The iconostasis in a side chapel
    The iconostasis in a side chapel
  • Interior of the cathedral after the missile attack
    Interior of the cathedral after the missile attack
  • Wall painting in the partially destroyed cathedral
    Wall painting in the partially destroyed cathedral

See also

  • List of largest Eastern Orthodox church buildings

References

  1. ^ a b c Voloshyna, Anna (September 3, 2015). Одеса: собор, що преображає [Odesa: the cathedral that transfigures]. Religious Informational Service of Ukraine (in Ukrainian).
  2. ^ a b Прошлое и будущее Одесского Кафедрального Спасо-Преображенского собора [The past and the future of Odesa Transfiguration Cathedral]. Odesa Transfiguration Cathedral (in Russian). Archived from the original on May 15, 2021. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
  3. ^ Спасо-преображенский кафедральный интернет [Transfiguration Cathedral Internet]. Odesa Transfiguration Cathedral (in Russian). Archived from the original on March 6, 2012. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
  4. ^ a b Brumfield, William Craft, ed. (2001). Commerce in Russian urban culture : 1861–1914. Washington, DC: Woodrow Wilson Center Press [u.a.] ISBN 0801867509.
  5. ^ a b c d e Vechersky, Victor (February 25, 2022). Спасо-Преображенський собор в Одесі [Saviour-Transfiguration Cathedral in Odesa]. Great Ukrainian Encyclopedia (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on July 25, 2023. Retrieved April 26, 2026.
  6. ^ a b c Свято-Преображенський собор в Одесі росіяни зруйнували вдруге за століття: історія храму [The Saviour-Transfiguration Cathedral in Odesa was ruined by the Russians for the second time in the century: history of the church]. Rayon.in.ua. July 23, 2023. Archived from the original on August 24, 2025. Retrieved April 26, 2026.
  7. ^ Уряд ухвалив рішення, яке знімає охоронний статус з низки пам'ятників радянської та імперської доби [The government has adopted a decision that removes the protection status from a number of monuments of the Soviet and imperial era]. Istorychna Pravda (in Ukrainian). November 11, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  8. ^ "Statement regarding the threat of destruction of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Historical Centre of the Port City of Odesa"". ICOMOS Ukraine. July 22, 2023. Archived from the original on July 1, 2025. Retrieved April 26, 2026.
  9. ^ Yurchenko, Natalia (July 23, 2023). Разрушения колоссальные, половину крыши снесло: последствия удара РФ по собору в Одессе [The damage is colossal, half of the roof was ruined: consequences of Russian Federation's strike on the cathedral in Odesa]. RBC-Ukraine (in Russian). Archived from the original on April 21, 2026. Retrieved April 26, 2026.
  10. ^ "Damage to the Odesa Transfiguration Cathedral (video)". New York Times. July 23, 2023. Retrieved April 26, 2026.
  11. ^ Sirkovych, Zhanna (July 23, 2023). "Odesa: UNESCO strongly condemns repeated attacks against cultural heritage, including World Heritage". United Nations. Retrieved April 26, 2026.
  12. ^ Одеса: ЮНЕСКО та Італія завершили аварійні відновлювальні роботи у Спасо-Преображенському кафедральному соборі [Odesa: UNESCO and Italy have finished emergency restoration work in the Transfiguration Cathedral]. UNESCO (in Ukrainian). December 1, 2025. Archived from the original on February 9, 2026. Retrieved April 26, 2026.
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