Historically, the city of Zhytomyr for a long time was a part of both Orthodox and Catholic states, states with different religious beliefs. That is why the city is rich in monuments of sacral architecture. Along with Orthodox churches, there are many functioning Catholic churches. One of such Catholic shrines is the majestic Cathedral Church of St. Sophia — one of the main architectural attractions of Zhytomyr.
The temple is located on Zamkova Hill at 12a Cathedral Street. The construction of this majestic building was started in 1731 on the initiative of Bishop S. Ozhig and the support of the ministers of the Order. Ožiga and the support of the ministers of the Order of Jesus. The construction of the cathedral was completed in 1751. Its architecture successfully used a combination of elements of two styles — Baroque and late Renaissance, as a result of which the building acquired a magnificent, majestic look. A 26-meter-high bell tower was also built next to the church. The facade of the cathedral is divided into two tiers and decorated with towers, the thickness of brick walls reaches 2 meters. The second tier and the towers are finished with rustics: the walls are faced with roughly hewn stones from the outside. The majestic appearance of the cathedral is complemented by Ionic and Tuscan orders — architectural compositions consisting of vertical bearing parts and horizontal bearing parts, including frieze and cornice.
After reconstruction in the XIX century in the architecture of the cathedral the prevailing style became classicism. The interior decoration of the cathedral, wall paintings and stucco remained unchanged.
Today the Cathedral of St. Sophia is a full-fledged working temple, it holds solemn services on the days of Catholic religious holidays. As one of the oldest monuments of architecture of national importance, the cathedral attracts constant attention of the city’s residents and guests.