Beautiful, haunting photographs of abandoned religious buildings.

Between 2012 and 2019 Francis Meslet photographed several hundred places of worship across Europe. Over time, these places have became enveloped in silence, the only thing heard there now an occasional gust of wind whistling though broken stained glass, or the rhythmic drip of water leaking through the dilapidated roof above a nave. Nevertheless, these muted places still draw an occasional visitor.

Once upon a time, prayers could be heard recited in Latin in a German church; and in a French Catholic college, the voices of children once resounded to the sound of the bells. But who can imagine what sounds might be concealed behind the walls of a crypt in the heart of the Italian mountains, or within a tomb in a former convent in Portugal? In his spare time Francis travels the world in search of places that have fallen into disuse -- religious buildings where time has stood still since their doors were closed for the last time. He returns with incredible photographs, each a time capsule, a record of a parallel universe. They prompt us to let our imaginations wander and ask ourselves questions. With the greatest respect for the faithful who regularly visited them long ago, he offers us an opportunity to immerse ourselves in places that have been abandoned by faith, to seek a divine light.

美丽迷人的废弃宗教建筑照片。

2012年至2019年期间，弗朗西斯·梅斯莱特（Francis Meslet）拍摄了欧洲各地数百个礼拜场所。随着时间的推移，这些地方已经笼罩在一片寂静之中，现在**能听到的是偶尔一阵风吹过破碎的彩色玻璃发出的呼啸声，或者是中殿上方破旧的屋顶漏下的有节奏的水滴声。尽管如此，这些安静的地方仍然吸引偶尔造访的客人。

从前，人们可以在德国的教堂里听到用拉丁语朗诵的祈祷；在法国的一所天主教学院里，孩子们的声音曾经响彻钟声。但谁又能想到，在意大利山区中心的地窖墙壁后面，或者在葡萄牙的一个前修道院的坟墓内，可能隐藏着什么样的声音？在业余时间，弗朗西斯到世界各地寻找那些已经废弃的宗教建筑，自从大门最后一次关闭后里面的时间就静止了。他带回的照片非常令人惊艳，每一张都是一个时间胶囊，一个平行宇宙的记录，促使我们的想象力徜徉其中，向自己提出问题。带着对很久以前经常访问它们的信徒的**尊重，弗朗西斯为我们提供了一个机会，让我们沉浸在那些被信仰抛弃的地方，寻求神圣的光芒。