The history of Italy, home to the Vatican, is historically tied to the Catholic church.
So it comes as no surprise that there are an estimated65,000 churchesorchiesein Italy.
But what may surprise you are the vast quantities of churches that have been abandoned and left to decay.
What we see in his photographs are stunning pieces of craftsmanship slowly crumbling.
In many cases, it’s a byproduct of a phenomenon happening across Italyghost towns.
Over time, the villages become ghost towns with a near-zero or zero population.
Theseabandoned churchesmay also be due to a lack of investment on the part of the Church.
Without funds to repair or upkeep the architecture, many parishes simply cannot maintain or renovate their churches.
Over time, even with the best of intentions, they may slowly fall to the wayside.
the lack of community and the economic desolation of an area that has long past its prime.
Today, abandoned churches in Italy and elsewhere offer a unique glimpse into the past, he says.
A source of reflection, perhaps, as they prompt us to think about the future.
Twenty-five images from Robroek’sChiesaseries are currently available as NFTs onOpenSea.
Chiesais photographer Roman Robroek’s exploration of the declining Italian church.
For the series, he photographed 100 abandoned churches in Italy.
These churches are often abandoned as small towns lose their populations to urban centers.
Or as natural disasters cause damage that communities cannot afford to repair.
