The Transfiguration Cathedral stands on Soborna Square in central Odesa, Ukraine. Its history is tied to the growth of the Black Sea port, founded in 1794 on the site of the former Ottoman settlement of Khadjibey. UNESCO describes Odesa’s historic centre as a planned urban landscape shaped by trade, migration and architecture. The cathedral is one of its religious landmarks, but its story also reflects the city’s political ruptures and repeated efforts to rebuild.
The cathedral’s own historical account distinguishes the first wooden church from the later stone building. A wooden church dedicated to Saint Nicholas was founded beside the square in 1794 and received city-cathedral status in 1800. Construction of the stone church began in 1795; it was completed in 1807 and consecrated in 1808 under the dedication to the Transfiguration of Christ. The different dates refer to separate stages, not a single opening ceremony.