The Cossack crosses at Odessa’s oldest cemetery will be digitized and displayed on a map

An international project has been launched in Odesa to study and digitally preserve the Kuyalnik Cossack Cemetery, which is considered the oldest in the city. As part of the project, an open online platform and an interactive map will be created, and a digital album featuring stone Cossack crosses will be published.

This was reported by the nonprofit organization “Pixelated Realities.”

The project is being implemented in collaboration with the Greek company Talent S.A., with support from the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation as part of the “Cultural Heritage” program.

As part of the project, experts will conduct a new phase of research at the Kuyalnik Cossack Cemetery. They will survey 61 graves, create 3D models of 11 stone Cossack crosses, and take detailed photographs of another 50 monuments.

All materials will be compiled on an open digital platform. There, users will be able to view an interactive map of the cemetery, photographs, 3D models, and information about each site. In total, the database will contain at least 85 monuments, including materials from previous research and new discoveries.

The project’s authors also plan to publish an interactive album about the stone Cossack crosses of Kuyalnik in Ukrainian and English.

Talent S.A. is serving as the project’s technology partner. The company is providing the Repox Store platform for storing, describing, and visualizing digital data on cultural heritage.

The Greek side will provide IT support for the platform’s launch, configure the access system, and maintain the solution free of charge for two years.

It is worth noting that the Kuyalnik Cossack Cemetery is considered the oldest in Odesa. It is not only a historical landmark but also an example of folk stonemasonry.

The cemetery was established in the late 18th century near the Khadzhibey Estuary.

It covers about 16 hectares on the slope of Shkodova Mountain, on the site of the former settlement of Kuyalnik.

In the early 19th century, a house of prayer was built nearby, followed later by the Church of the Ascension. During the Soviet period, the church was destroyed, but the parish records were preserved. It was these records that helped historians partially reconstruct information about the people who lived in this area.

Ірина Глухова