Abandoned Religious Buildings
Even though I’m not religious, abandoned sites such as monasteries and churches make for amazing photography and I’m always in awe of the architecture. I often think to myself the amount of time and effort that went into creating these masterpieces of buildings and how sad it is they have become abandoned.
While many find religious topics boring, there’s always a tale to be told when it comes to abandoned buildings. For example, there was a group of monks who were murdered in the basement of a monastery in Seville, Spain. Check it out below!
An Abandoned Buddhist Meditation Centre in Chiang Mai
This abandoned Buddhist meditation centre located in the middle of Chiang Mai’s Old Town is mostly boarded up but an interesting explore all the same! Enjoy the photography gallery below and don’t forget to follow Abandoned World Photography for regular urbex updates on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
Abandoned Temples in Siem Reap, Cambodia
Not far from Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia, lies a cluster of abandoned temples. The temple complex, built in the capital of the Khmer Empire, took approximately 30 years to build. It was built by the Khmer King Suryavarman II in the first half of the 12th century, around the year 1110-1150, making the ruins almost 900 years old. Enjoy the photography gallery below and don’t forget to follow Abandoned World Photography for regular urbex updates on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. –
Abandoned Devil’s Monastery, Seville, Spain
The Abandoned Devil’s Monastery, Seville, Spain The abandoned Monasterio del Diablo, otherwise known as the monastery of “Huerta de San José” or “Monasterio Maldito”, dates all the way back to the 17th Century. Situated in one of Spain’s oldest and most beautiful towns, Carmona, the monastery is perched on top of a hill surrounded by vast farmland and Roman Empire ruins. As of now, it has been sitting derelict for over half a century and its walls hold the stories of the past including the mass murder of the friars who built it. – The History of the Monasterio del Diablo, Spain In 1620, a group of Franciscan-Dominican friars built the monastery to serve as a convent, chapel and boarding school for the local townspeople. In 1680, a new monk, Don Jaime Malvidas, joined the convent but soon after had a terrifying experience that he was later arrested for reporting to the police. A document recounting the series of events was signed by the Archbishop of Jerez overseen by the local bailiff, Alonso Sanz de Heredia. – The Mass Murder of the Carmona Monks According to the historical document, one morning, when Jaime Malvidas woke up, he did not find the
Abandoned Franciscan Mission Ruins, Dalat, Vietnam
The stunning Franciscaines Misionnaires de Marie ruins caught my eye when I was driving around Dalat on the back of a motorbike. An urban explorer always spots an abandoned building from far away! As I wasn’t sure about the safety of heading into abandoned buildings in Vietnam alone, I hired a bike and an English speaking guide who could translate for me if I ran into trouble. It was worth paying the 250,000 Vietnamese Dong because we were stopped as soon as we approached the entrance. But as soon as Hanh (my guide) explained I wanted to take photographs of the old Franciscan Mission buildings, I was granted permission and in we went. I could have kissed him! Originally a monastery, chapel and house for monks and nuns, the architecturally stunning buildings were used by the Franciscans until the end of the Vietnam war in 1975 after which they housed the Lam Vien Hotel, Thang Long School and Tran Phu High School. Most doors in the buildings, including the crumbling chapel, are heavily locked and there’s a scary white dog chained up outside one of the rooms. I didn’t dare walk past him! I believe the buildings were also used
Abandoned Marianella Redemptorist Centre, Dublin, Ireland
Abandoned chapels, holy water bottles, broken pianos, and sirens are what springs to mind when I remember this day. I found this site on Google one Saturday and decided to cycle straight to it as I wasn’t too far away from it. I had to climb over a big gate to get in which was easy enough and it only took me a few minutes to find an entrance. There was construction work on pause at the site, so there were security cameras everywhere and someone watching them on a Saturday afternoon, as it turned out. I managed to get some good photos of inside the chapel and a few of the massive outdoor yard, in which there was a really old, broken piano. Just as I was standing by the piano admiring it, a siren blasted through every speaker that surrounded the perimeter and I nearly shat my pants. A voice boomed through the mic that said if I didn’t leave the po-po would be called (the police) so I walked casually back towards the gate, gave a camera a little wave, climbed back over, and cycled home. All that mattered was that I got photos so I was
Abandoned Aldborough House, Dublin, Ireland
Many abandoned buildings are used by squatters to sleep in, drink, take drugs or perform illegal acts. Drug use has been evident in almost every building I have photographed but has never stopped me from wanting to explore. Aldborough House was a different story. Upon arriving at the site and locating an entry point into the building I began to make my advance. I was stopped in my tracks when I was met with the sight of blood spattered on the wall, which most likely came from the dirty syringes on the floor. The unusually large amount of sleeping bags in the adjacent room were also quite worrying. For once the dangers had beaten me and I was forced to leave the premises and make my safety first priority. Enjoy the photography slideshow below and don’t forget to follow Abandoned World Photography for regular urbex updates on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
