Cultural Heritage Under Siege: Photo Exhibition in Rome
In the capital of Italy, Rome, a photo exhibition titled "Cultural Heritage Under Siege" has opened, showcasing images of the Odesa Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Savior, which was destroyed by Russian aggression.
This was reported by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The exhibition is part of the international conference on Ukraine's recovery (URC2025), which will be held in Rome from July 10 to 11.
The Italian ministry emphasized that "Cultural Heritage Under Siege" illustrates "not only the scale of destruction caused by the war in Ukraine but also the resilience of culture that remains strong despite conflict."
The photographs depict the Odesa Cathedral, which was destroyed on July 23, 2023. Other affected sites included the House of Scientists, Zhvanytsky Boulevard, residential buildings, and port infrastructure.
A Russian missile struck the central altar, partially destroying the cathedral. The ceilings of three lower floors were damaged, and the interior decoration and icons were significantly harmed; the service premises in the lower part of the cathedral were completely destroyed.
"The exhibition captures the losses of cultural heritage – the Odesa Cathedral, which was restored by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, will continue its work on preserving the cultural heritage of the city’s historical center," the ministry stated.
The images were selected from a pool of 6,000 photographs taken by Ukrainian photojournalists.
Beyond the Transfiguration Cathedral, the photos also feature:
- the Lviv National University of Natural Resources building in Dublyany, which was damaged by Russians on January 1, 2024. Photo by Roman Baluk,
- the Archangel Michael Temple, built in 1906, which was destroyed on April 16, 2023. Photo by Dmytro Smolenko,
- the Chernihiv Drama Theater, which was hit by the Russian army on August 19, 2023. Photo by Stas Kozliuk.
The ministry noted that this project honors the contribution of journalists who continue to document the war and preserve collective memory.
The photo project in 2024 was carried out by the Institute of Mass Information with financial support from the UNESCO Heritage Emergency Fund and the people of Japan.
