Italy to help restore Transfiguration Cathedral in Odesa: 500 thousand euros allocated

The Republic of Italy will make a contribution of 500 thousand euros to carry out priority restoration work in the Transfiguration Cathedral, which was destroyed during a missile attack on Odesa on July 23, 2023. This was reported by the press service of the Odesa City Council.

An Italian government delegation led by the Special Envoy for the Reconstruction and Resilience of Ukraine Davide La Cecilia arrived in Odesa on an official visit. He emphasized that with the beginning of Italy's presidency of the G7, the issue of rebuilding Ukraine has become a priority for the G7.

There are also plans to sign a trilateral Memorandum of Cooperation on the reconstruction of Odesa between Italy, Ukraine and UNESCO, as well as a bilateral agreement between Italy and Ukraine, which will define areas of cooperation.

"This week, an agreement was signed between the Italian Republic and UNESCO, under which Italy provides 500 thousand euros for priority works in the Transfiguration Cathedral. This is the first step in cooperation," the Odesa City Council noted.

UNESCO Coordinator in Ukraine Chiara Dezzi Bardeschi presented the main areas of cooperation, including the urgent stabilization of damaged monuments and the creation of a master plan for cultural heritage management.

For this purpose, a Supervisory Board will be established, which will include all parties to the Memorandum, as well as strategic, technical, and scientific committees, the latter of which will include Italian scientists from the Polytechnic Institute of Milan and museum experts.