Historic Odesa cathedral badly damaged in Russian missile strike

The Transfiguration Cathedral in Odesa before the bombing. (Photo: Getty/iStock)

The main cathedral in the Ukrainian port city of Odesa suffered severe damage in an overnight bombardment on Sunday. 

At least one person was killed and dozens injured in the missile strike that damaged 25 historic buildings, according to Oleh Kiper, regional governor. 

The Transfiguration Cathedral's is still standing but EuroNews reports that the building is at risk of collapse.

Its roof and interior, including the altar, precious artwork and gold decorations, were all badly damaged. Footage from the scene shows large cracks in the walls and damaged columns.

People spent Sunday salvaging objects and clearing debris from the church. A service was held outside the building and parishioners lit candles.

"The Transfiguration Cathedral in Odesa is no more. That's it," said one man filming a video inside the cathedral shortly after the attack, according to The Telegraph.

"The altar has gone and there are three fires."

Andriy Palchuk, the archdeacon of the cathedral, told the BBC, "The destruction is enormous; half of the cathedral was left without a roof, and the central piles and foundation were destroyed.

"All the windows and stucco moulding were blown out. There was a fragmentary fire, the part where icons and candles are sold in the church caught fire. It was all on fire, burning."

Transfiguration Cathedral belongs to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and is situated within Odesa's UNESCO World Heritage-recognised city centre.

The cathedral's spiritual roots date back to 1794. The original cathedral was consecrated in 1809 but was demolished by the Soviets in the 1930s. The current building dates to 2003. 

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