Cultural Heritage Under Threat: Photography Exhibition in Rome

A photography exhibition titled "Culture Under Threat: Documenting Losses" is taking place in Rome, Italy, featuring images of the destroyed Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Savior in Odesa, which was damaged by Russian attacks.

This was reported by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The exhibition is part of the international conference on Ukraine's recovery (URC2025), scheduled to take place in Rome from July 10 to 11.

The Italian ministry noted that "Culture Under Threat" highlights "not only the scale of destruction caused by the war in Ukraine but also the resilience of culture that persists despite conflict."

The photographs depict the Odesa Cathedral, which was destroyed on July 23, 2023. Other affected sites include the House of Scientists, Zhvanetsky Boulevard, residential buildings, and port infrastructure.

At that time, a Russian missile struck the central altar, leading to significant damage to the cathedral structure. The ceilings of three lower floors were destroyed, and the interior decoration and icons were severely damaged, while the service rooms of the lower part of the cathedral were completely ruined.

"The exhibition captures the losses of cultural heritage – the Odesa Cathedral, which was restored with the support of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, will continue its work on the cultural heritage of the historic city center," the ministry stated.

The photographs were selected from a pool of 6,000 images by Ukrainian photojournalists.

In addition to the Transfiguration Cathedral, the photos also feature:

• the building of the Lviv National University of Natural Resources in Dublyany, damaged on January 1, 2024. Photo by Roman Baluk,
• the Church of the Archangel Michael, destroyed on April 16, 2023. Photo by Dmytro Smolenko,
• the Chernihiv Drama Theater, which was struck by the Russian army on August 19, 2023. Photo by Stas Kozyuk. 

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

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