Catherine's Cathedral, also known as the Church of the Great Martyr Catherine and the Savior Cathedral in Kherson Fortress, is the first Orthodox church in Kherson and the burial place of Prince Grigory Potemkin.

Construction of the temple began in 1781 and was completed in 1786 under the guidance of Grigory Potemkin. The cathedral was consecrated in honor of Catherine of Alexandria, the patroness of Empress Catherine the Great.

The cathedral was part of the architectural ensemble of Kherson Fortress, founded in 1778. Before its completion in 1786, the cathedral's design was changed four times. Initially, it was planned to be located in the center of the square at the intersection of the main streets of the fortress.

The architecture of the temple is full of symbols related to Byzantium, the baptism of Rus, and Catherine the Great's Greek Project, which envisioned the conquest of Constantinople. The cathedral inherits the structure of ancient Rus churches from the pre-Mongol period with a cross-dome composition, but without the characteristic upward aspiration. Its architecture combines Byzantine style with classicism.

Near the central entrance are statues of the apostles Peter and Paul, symbolizing the keys to the South, obtained by the sword. Kherson was conceived as the southern Petersburg, and the cathedral was an important step in this direction. The inscription on the pediment of the western portico "TO THE SAVIOR OF MANKIND CATHERINE II DEDICATES" explains why the cathedral is called the Savior's.

In 1922, 2 poods and 18 pounds of silver were seized from the cathedral by the decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee. In 1930, the cathedral was closed, some icons were transferred to the local history museum, and the iconostasis and decoration created by V. L. Borovikovsky were lost. An anti-religious museum was established in the temple, and Potemkin's grave was repeatedly opened. In the 1930s, Potemkin's skull was exhibited as an exhibit but was later returned to the crypt.

In 1942, with the beginning of the German occupation, the cathedral was consecrated again and services resumed. Instead of a carved iconostasis, a simple one-tier one was installed, and parishioners placed the surviving icons. In 1954, the Reverend Varsonofy of Kherson became the rector, who passed away that same year and was canonized in 2008.

In 1962, the cathedral was closed again and used as a warehouse. In 1970, a House of Propaganda for the Society for the Protection of Monuments opened in the building, and in the early 1980s, the bell tower was restored. In 1989, the cathedral was closed due to its emergency condition.

On August 25, 1991, Catherine's Cathedral was returned to the believers.