Lead Review

• Book: Abandoned Churches: Unclaimed Places of Worship
• Location: Europe
• Author: Francis Meslet

Review Author: Tina Hartas

I have read Abandoned Spain and Abandoned Italy which have absolutely transported me to the respective countries and now I long to go back to my urbexing days. But leaping over fences, crawling under barbed wire, stepping on unsafe structures is a tall ask. So hats off to the photographers who have braved some incredibly iconic buildings to record abandoned building for posterity. The photos will remain, the buildings may well deteriorate and eventually crumble to dust, with a helping hand from vandalism, fire and the elements. Some are already really struggling to withstand the ravages of time and you can sense that many will soon disappear.

The photographer has this time worked together with his team and explored abandoned churches across Europe, specifically Northern Italy, France,Germany, Belgium and Portugal. For each church there is a commentary and prescient thoughts to accompany the photos.

People have seen the beginning, middle and end of life in these edifices and now that the spiritual element is gone, they are mere buildings, often with the trappings of religion. Unlike the Abandoned Spain/Abandoned Italy, it is hard to hear the echoes of laughter, life and the  tragedy and joy of lives lived….once their specific raison d’être has been removed, they feel more like interesting shells, their soul has evaporated.

Chairs are askance as though the worshippers have just left, wilted flowers on a table, sarcophagi still embedded in walls with green slime oozing down over them from the broken roof. Other structures are supported by scaffolding. Some are remote, others in the centre of towns and villages.

This makes for a very interesting yet oftentimes sad read, with the musings of contributors adding a nice dimension.

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