The exhibition Resilient Heritage: From Timbuktu to Odesa, which explores the destruction of significant architectural landmarks as a result of war, has opened at the Cité de l’architecture et du patrimoine in Paris, according to Ukraine’s First Lady, Olena Zelenska.
One of the key exhibits in the exhibition Resilient Heritage: From Timbuktu to Odesa at the Paris architecture museum is the Transfiguration Cathedral in Odesa. It sustained significant damage during a Russian missile strike in 2023.
The exhibition consists of three consecutive sections — focusing on the destruction of architectural heritage caused by war, its protection and its reconstruction. The Odesa cathedral is featured in the first section, entitled Erasure.
“What Ukrainians see with their own eyes every day, and what a safer Europe must at least see in photographs. Our museums, libraries, theatres and places of worship,” Zelenska wrote.
The second section of the exhibition is entitled Resistance. It tells the story of efforts to protect cultural heritage, undertaken not only by major international institutions but also by civil society organisations and associations.
“The exhibition shows how Ukrainians are protecting valuable sites with sandbags and evacuating collections,” Zelenska added.
The final section is entitled Restoration. It demonstrates how 3D scanning technology is used to document destruction. As noted on the museum’s website, restoration goes beyond mere physical reconstruction. It also involves rebuilding society and social ties, transferring knowledge and preserving memory. In this context, cultural heritage becomes a tool for envisioning a shared future.
Zelenska emphasised the museum’s involvement in preserving Ukrainian heritage, particularly through the École de Chaillot’s educational and research project, which brings together Ukrainian and European experts to focus on the architectural treasures of the Black Sea coast.
The Transfiguration Cathedral was built in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It is listed in Ukraine’s State Register of Monuments of Local Significance. On 23 July 2023, the building sustained damage during a Russian attack. In August of the same year, the office of Giorgia Meloni announced that Italy planned to contribute to its restoration.
The Cité de l’architecture et du patrimoine is the world’s largest museum of architecture. It is situated in the north-eastern wing of the Palais de Chaillot. The museum brings together several institutions, including the Museum of French Architectural Heritage and the École de Chaillot, an educational institution specialising in architecture and the preservation of cultural heritage.