There’s something eerily beautiful about the
ruins of these old churches which were all
abandoned and forgotten for various reasons.
Some played important historical roles during
times of war and civil unrest, while others depict
the challenges and hardships faced by our
modern world. Now, all that remains of these
architectural wonders are parts of the physical
structures which provide a strange and
fascinating look into what once existed.
1. Geamăna, Romania
The village of Geamăna Romania was destroyed
when the valley was flooded by polluted water
from a nearby open copper mine. Today the ruins
of the village church stand straight out of the
toxic red colored waters.

2. Yaropolets, Russia
The Kazan Theotokos Church, though now a
guarded abandoned site is still the only Russian
double-domed church which was built by the
Russian Count and military General Zakhar
Chernyshev.
3. Caen, France
The beautiful ruins of the St-Etienne-le-Vieux
Church still stand in Caen France Today. The
church and much of the city were destroyed
during The Battle of Normandy in World War II.

4. Rome, Italy
The ruins of the Church of San Bonaventura
stand on what was once the village of
Monterano in Rome. The village and sadly its
occupants were set on fire by the French Army
during a brutal and unexpected attack at the end
of the 18th century.
5. Detroit, Michigan
The city of Detroit was once the 10th largest city
in the United States, but due to job losses and
many residents vacating, the city suffered an
economic crisis and was forced to file for
bankruptcy in 2013. Today many of the cities
buildings are abandoned.
6. Ross Island, India
Ross Island, part of the Andaman and Nicobar
Islands of India was held under British
occupation and used as a seat of power for the
British during World War II. In 1941, an
earthquake shook the island causing damage
and also resulted in the eventual abandonment
of this site. Today many ruins remain of the
once lavish buildings including the church.
7. Coimbra, Portugal
The Portuguese Monastery of Santa Clara-a-
Velha was built in the 14th century on the
Mondego River in the city of Coimbra. The
building had to be abandoned in the 17th
century due to repeated flooding. Today the
church has been restored and is open to visitors
looking to see a glimpse of it’s beautiful past.

8. Bodie, California
The town of Bodie in California’s Sierra Nevada
Mountain range boomed after gold was first
discovered in 1876 and the town boomed during
this rush from 1877-1880. However, like most
gold rush towns, all good things must come to
an end and Bodie was no different. The decline
started in the early 1900′s and it’s now an
abandoned ghost town with many structures like
the church still standing reminding us of its once
glorious past.

9. St. George’s, Bermuda
The Unfinished Church sits as a reminder of
what never came to be in the small town of St.
George’s on Bermuda’s northeast end.
Construction on this site began in 1874 after the
existing church was damaged ‘beyond repair’ by
a storm. Construction was quickly halted after a
decision to repair the original church instead of
building a new one and in 1926 a storm
destroyed much of what construction had been
done on the ‘Unfinished Church’. Today the site
is part of the St. Georges UNESCO World
Heritage Site.
10. Dumfries, Scotland
The beautiful ruins of Lincluden Collegiate
Church sit on the northern outskirts of Dumfries
Scotland. Founded circa 1160, this relic was later
abandoned in 1700 and today the remains are a
heritage protected building which can still be
visited by the public.
11. Gary, Indiana
Once a booming steel town and birthplace of the
Jackson 5 musical group, this town near Chicago
Illinois has seen hard times as a result of the
steel industry which the city was built on. In
2013 an estimated one third of all homes were
reportedly unoccupied or abandoned as are
many public buildings like the city’s Methodist
Church featured below.
12. Ani, Turkey
Ani was once the capital city of the medieval
Armenian Kingdom that covered much of what is
now Armenia and Eastern Turkey. Between 961
– 1045 it played an important role as it stood on
many trade routes and its building were
considered some of the most technologically and
artistically advanced in the world. Ani was later
abandoned during the 16th and 17th centuries
but remnants of this ‘City of 1001 Churches’ still
remain today including the Church of the
Redeemer seen below.