Drowned churches around the world

Church of Mediano, Huesca, Spain

The 16th-century church went underwater in 1974, when of one of the country’s largest reservoirs was created in the town of Mediano.

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Holy Rosary Church, Shettihalli, India

Located about 125 miles (200 km) from Bangalore, Holy Rosary Church remains partially submerged in the backwaters of the Hemvathy reservoir during monsoon season and reemerges in summers.

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Church of St. Nicholas, Skopje, Macedonia

Located 62 miles (100 km) west of Skopje, the church of St. Nicholas was intentionally flooded in 1957 during the creation of an artificial lake designed to supply water to a local power plant.

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St. Nicolas, Cyprus

The church, located in the abandoned Alassa village, goes underwater when the Kouris Dam fills up.

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Flooded church in Geamana village, Romania

Geamana village in Romania was like any other village in the country till 1978, when it was converted into a toxic wasteland, generated from copper mining in the Apuseni mountains close by. The village was evacuated to make way for sludge that now covers, among other buildings, a church.

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St. Nicholas Cathedral, Kalyazin, Russia

The bell tower of St. Nicholas Cathedral in the small Russian town of Kalyazin was flooded when the Uglich reservoir was built on the River Volga. At 244 feet (74.5 meters), it is the only over-ground part of the Monastery of St. Nicholas.

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The Church of Sant Roma de Sau, Catalonia, Spain

The church and the village of Sant Roma de Sau went underwater after the Sau reservoir was created in 1962. The church makes sporadic appearances though, most notably during droughts.

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Bell tower of the Reschensee (Resia), Italy

Located in the village of Graun, the bell tower of a 14th century church drowned in lake Reschen (or Lago di Resia), an artificial lake in South Tyrol. The lake freezes during winters, allowing visitors to walk to the tower.

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St. Ivan Rilski Church, Bulgaria

Ivan Rislski Church was swallowed by an artificial lake in 1965, when the government decided to build a dam in the Zapalnya region. The ruins and reservoir are now a popular tourist destination.

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Nativity Church, Krokhino, Russia

In 1964, the water level in the Sheksna River was artificially raised during the construction of Volga-Baltic Canal. The village of Krokhino, on the river bank, was submerged, leaving only Nativity Church out of the water.