supported by the UCF

Odesa Cossack Crosses

Digital-first research of historical burials

Cossack cross and gravestone of the Kuialnyk cemetery — 3D model

About the project

The project aims to research, document and bring renewed attention to the stone Cossack crosses of the Kuialnyk cemetery in Odesa as important evidence of the Ukrainian presence in the South and as part of the national memorial culture.

We want to prevent further deterioration of the burials, inventory all the crosses and gravestones, and create a convenient data-processing platform for everyone interested in this site.

210: crosses surveyed
85: described in the database
10: holograms
45: 3D models
50: crosses photo-documented

Digital platform

Methodology Database structure Metadata Partners

The open cross-sectoral platform brings together research, digital copies of objects, metadata, visualisations and access tools for researchers and a wider audience.

In 3D digitisation projects, a single cultural heritage object is usually represented not by one file but by a whole set of interrelated data types. Treating the 3D model alone as “the object itself” is not enough. What is needed is a coherent information ecosystem covering all related data and metadata.

Repox platform interface: object record with metadata and a 3D model viewer

Get access to a unique cloud database of research on the Kuialnyk cemetery: Metadata provide context and record provenance. Raw capture data preserve complete information about the original acquisition. Processed 3D outputs are only one of the object’s final representations. Text documentation records the process, methods and interpretations. Supporting images, video and audio deepen the understanding of the object and its condition.

Repox platform interface: list of data streams for a single object — 3D models, textures, documents

The aim of our research is to inventory and describe all the crosses, so that no damaged or fallen cross is left to crumble away with nobody knowing where it came from.

To this end, we have created a metadata system that anyone with access to the platform can use to describe a cultural heritage object and help preserve it:

Year of burial, Name and surname, Inscription, Form typology, Cross dimensions, Slab dimensions, Annotations, Renders, Photo documentation from 5 angles, AO availability, Presence in Shuvalov’s catalogue, Map ID, Link to the website, Sketchfab, Europeana and other platforms where the models are published.

Cossack crosses of the Kuialnyk necropolis in the Europeana catalogue, published by Pixelated Realities PO

Pixelated Realities, in partnership with the Greek platform Repox.io by Talent S.A, have launched the international project “Cross-sectoral Platform for Research on Cossack Crosses of Odesa” with the support of the UCF. The new joint initiative of the two organisations aims to fill the Repox database with information about 85 Cossack crosses of the Kuialnyk cemetery.

With Repox, researchers will be able to access the cloud database, view all the data and comment on it. Together we will thus be able to describe all the crosses and monitor their condition over time.

To the database ↗

Repox platform interface: database search with filters by object type

Interactive map of the Kuialnyk cemetery

Placement zones and form typology of crosses with inscriptions and carvings

1 Cossack Cross 1 – 1817 1817 Object card →
2 Cossack Cross 2 – 1898 1898 Object card →
3 Cossack Cross 3 – 1854 1852 Object card →
4 Cossack Cross 4 – 184… Object card →
5 Cossack Cross 5 – 1855 1855 Object card →
6 Cossack Cross 6 – 1850 1849 Object card →
7 Cossack Cross 7 – 1854 1853 Object card →
8 Cossack Cross 8 – 1842 1842 Object card →
9 Cossack Cross 9 Object card →
10 Cossack Cross 10 – 1856 1855 Object card →
11 Cossack Cross 11 – 1898 1898 Object card →
12 Cossack Cross 12 – 1861 1859 Object card →
13 Cossack Cross 13 – 1856 1856 Object card →
14 Cossack Cross 14 – 1807 1807 Object card →
15 Cossack Cross 15 Object card →
16 Cossack Cross 16 – 1818 1818 Object card →
17 Cossack Cross 17 – 1902 1901 Object card →
18 Cossack Cross 18 Object card →
19 Cossack Cross 19 – 1811 1808
20 Cossack Cross 20 – 1821 1821
21 Cossack Cross 21
22 Slab 22 – 1818 1818
23 Cossack Cross 23 – 1850 1850
24 Cossack Cross 24 – 1882 1882
25 Cossack Cross 25
26 Cossack Cross 26
27 Cossack Cross 27
28 Cossack Cross 28 – 1856 1856
29 Cossack Cross 29 – 1855 1855
30 Cossack Cross 30 – 1840 1840
31 Cossack Cross 31 – 1824 1824
32 Cossack Cross 32 – 1791 1791

Events calendar

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Bringing researchers and history enthusiasts together

for researchers

Database access

Researchers will be able to access the platform’s materials and database upon prior registration. Follow our updates — we will share the details and links soon.

Apply

for everyone

Get the interactive album

Crosses of Kuialnyk — a printed bilingual edition with holograms

Order

Please fill in this form if you would like to receive the interactive album «Crosses of Kuialnyk». The album is distributed to everyone interested, and in particular within the research community, the cultural and creative industries, and the civic and public sector.

The number of available copies is limited. Copies are sent in the order requests are received. Once the first print run is out, applicants are added to the waiting list for the second run.

The interactive album «Crosses of Kuialnyk» is produced within the project «Cross-sectoral platform for researching the Cossack crosses of Odesa», implemented by Pixelated Realities PO in partnership with REPOX from TALENT S.A. with the support of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation.

Do you consent to the processing of your personal data to handle this request and send the album?

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Field of research / professional activity

Album language *
UkrainianEnglish

If you represent an organisation, indicate the number of Ukrainian copies

If you represent an organisation, indicate the number of English copies

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Nova Poshta branch number and address, recipient contacts

If you do not use Nova Poshta, provide the full postal address with the postcode

Why do you need the interactive album «Crosses of Kuialnyk»? Tell us how the album will affect your further work or creative practice

Comments

Media

In 2026 the interactive album “Crosses of Kuialnyk” is published in print for the first time, in Ukrainian and English. The set includes holograms and a holographic pyramid, a sticker pack and postcards, and an enclosed map for visiting the site.

Cover of the interactive album “Crosses of Kuialnyk” — front and back spread

Album with holograms

Spread of the Kuialnyk crosses catalogue: the 1791 cross with its inscription and QR codes

Postcards

Page of the Kuialnyk crosses catalogue with the 1791 cross

Sticker pack

Printed plan of the Kuialnyk necropolis marking the surveyed crosses, gravestones and relief

Printed map

Team

Yuliia Frolova

research coordinator

Yana Boitsova

project initiator

Liubov Synetska

executive director

⛳ team photos (4)

Experts

Fedir Boitsov

Alik Kadoum

Inga Ioanno

Dmytro Dokunov

Oleksandr Levytskyi

Angelina Gerasymenko

Volodymyr Nemertsalov

Ivan Schurko

Shymon Modzyievsky

Roman Malenkov

Oksana Kuznetsova

Project partners

The project is implemented with the support of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation

The international project “Cross-sectoral Platform for Research on Cossack Crosses of Odesa” is implemented by Pixelated Realities PO in partnership with REPOX from TALENT S.A. with the support of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation. The platform’s technology solution is Repox Store — a digital system for preserving, structuring, describing and publishing cultural heritage data, provided by the partner for the implementation of the project. • Pixelated Realities PO — initiator and implementer of the project. • Talent S.A. / Repox — technology partner for the digital platform and cloud infrastructure.