St. Catherine Cathedral

St. Catherine Cathedral is located at 13 Perekopska Street. The cathedral is a part of Kherson fortress which is the first ensemble of classicism in Ukraine.

History of creation

The construction of the church lasted from 1781 to 1786 and was personally controlled by Count Hryhorii Potemkin. The building is made of local yellow limestone. This is a cross-domed composition in which classicism is combined with features of Byzantine architecture. In the external niches of the cathedral are six sculptures of saints of human height. The statues near the main entrance have symbolic meaning: St. Peter the Apostle with the keys to paradise and St. Paul the Apostle with a sword. These figures act as a reminder to everyone entering the church that the keys to the south did not come easily, they were obtained as a result of heavy sword fighting.

The architect of the project is one of the founders of classicism - Ivan Starov. In fact, the construction was led by Ivan Sitnikov.

In May 1787, Empress Catherine the Great is said to have attended the Holy Trinity Mass at this church. The ashes of Hryhorii Potemkin lie in Catherine’s Cathedral.

Cathedral on the map