Rebuilding Ukraine: Italy pledges €45 mln for restoring Odesa’s historic center

Italy will help rebuild the historic center of Odesa, which was damaged by Russian attacks last summer. The recovery plan will last three years and cost 45 million euros.

The Ministry of Culture and Information Policy reported this.

What is the problem?

In the UNESCO–protected historic center of Odesa, 25 architectural landmarks were damaged by a rocket attack on the night of July 23 during the Russian shelling. One of the most affected was the Transfiguration Cathedral, with nearly half of its roof destroyed, central pillars and foundation shattered, windows shattered, and stucco knocked down.

In August, the office of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said that Italy plans to contribute to efforts to restore the Odesa Cathedral, which was bombed by the Russian army.

In October, Ukraine and Italy signed an agreement to renew the Transfiguration Cathedral.

What is the solution?

Today, the Acting Minister of Culture and Information Policy, Rostyslav Karandeev, met with the special envoy of the Italian Republic's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Davide La Cecilia, and the second secretary and consul of the Italian Embassy in Ukraine, Stefano Moser.

Davide La Cecilia informed about the plan for the restoration of Odesa. According to him, the project includes three parts: the restoration of the Transfiguration Cathedral, the protection and digital accounting of 52 cultural heritage sites included in the UNESCO World Heritage List under threat, as well as the development of a master plan for the city, which will consist of recommendations for development of Odesa and involvement of other funds and partner countries in recovery.

"Culture has always been a strong aspect in the bilateral relations between Ukraine and Italy, so we intend to continue this matter," the ambassador emphasized.

How does it work?

The envoy added that this plan is designed to last three years and will cost 45 million euros.

"Regarding the Transfiguration Cathedral, the first step is to restore the roof and close the hole left by the rocket. We plan to carry out these works before the beginning of winter 2024. Half a million euros have already been allocated for the roof restoration. In general, we plan to allocate 2 million euros to the restoration of the church," Davide La Cecilia said.

According to him, UNESCO can assist in implementing the recovery plan. In particular, it is planned to involve the Ukrainian representative office of the organization and create a supervisory board with the participation of Italian and Ukrainian institutions and UNESCO.

For its part, the acting minister thanked the partners for the initiative. He noted that creating a joint supervisory board is relevant, as it will lead to the systematic implementation of the restoration plan.

At the same time, Rostyslav Karandeev proposed expanding the Italian-Ukrainian partnership thanks to the patronage system between cultural institutions.

As Rubryka previously reported, in Odesa, in the Transfiguration Cathedral, which was damaged during shelling by the Russian military in July 2023, the central part of the roof was covered with a coating.