The Roman Catholic church appeared in Odessa soon after the city was founded. At that time, it was a small wooden house of prayer for those professing Catholicism. But in 1805, Duke Richelieu – the first mayor of Odessa – allocated a vast area specifically for the construction of the church. After the church opened, an orphanage, a Catholic school, a shelter, and a nursing home began operating with it.
Unfortunately, the church shared the fate of many other churches in Odessa - during the Soviet period it ceased operating. Several years later, the church resumed its work, but after the war, it was closed again. The marble altars in the church were destroyed, the columns were demolished, the shape of the Gothic windows was changed, the stone vaults were destroyed... A gym was placed in the building, altered beyond recognition.
Only at the end of the 20th century did the city administration restore the church's original status, and after many years of oblivion, Mass was celebrated in the church once again.
