Photographs of religious places all over the world
Ateshgah in Suraxani, Azerbaijan. Fire Temple is an ancient Hindu castle-like religious temple dedicated to Jwala Ji in Surakhani, a suburb of greater Baku, Azerbaijan, which was initially recognized as a Zoroastrian fire worship place
The Virgin and child, painted dome of the parecclesion (side chapel) of the Chora church, Istanbul. The Church of the Holy Saviour in Chora (Kariye Camii or Kariye Kilisesi in Turkish — the Chora Mosque or Church) is considered to be one of the most beautiful surviving examples of Byzantine church
Ruins of the Yereruyk basilica in Armenia, 4th-5th century AD, so it’s super-old, not too many churches from that period survived, even in this ruined state. Yereruyk is in the middle of nowhere, on the hostile Armenia-Turkey border, the place is just magical...
Chapel of St. Jacob on the Medvednica mountain in Croatia
A huge Serb Orthodox church in Priština, Kosovo, unfinished and derelict. During the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s Serbia aggressively tried to reclaim Kosovo, enticing ethnic Serbs to return to the land of their ancestors, building Serb Orthodox churches etc. This was a newly built large orthodox church in the very centre of Priština. Once Serbia lost the fight for Kosovo, and Serbs mostly left, Kosovars left the unfinished church rot – destroying it would send an unwanted message to the world. Finishing it would be pointless since there are practically no Serbs left in Kosovo outside several isolated enclaves
Small church of Saints Cosmas and Damian on the island of Ugljan, Croatia
Malacca Straits Mosque. It symbolically projects Islam onto the sea. Melakka or Malacca was first Portuguese, then Dutch colonial city
Masterpiece by the moody melancholic, the roof of the small church San Carlo Alle Quattro Fontane. It is a miniscule church in Rome, considered the most representative work of the architect Francesco Borromini. A legend says the whole church would fit into one of the pillars on the dome of St. Peter’s church in Vatican. From Wikipedia: ”Borromini had a difficult upbringing and struggled with mental illness (he eventually committed suicide), but his neurotic reclusiveness masked a brilliant analytical mind and his church of San Carlo is his demonstration of Baroque as mathematics. It is an iconic masterpiece of Baroque architecture.”
Wat Phukhao Thong, Ayutthaya. This Buddhist temple is in decrepit condition, and if it seems that stuff is kinda leaning and not standing straight, that’s because it is. The temple itself is from the 16th century, it was renovated a couple of times, however not in the last century or two....
Detail from the Sanahin monastery, Armenia. These vertical tombstones in the back are called khachkars. A famous spiritual leader and philosopher G.I. Gurdjieff spent some time in Sanahin, as a young man
Jvari fortified monastery, Georgia. A nice looking part of the defensive wall, with the gate, is visible on the right. If you look closely you’ll notice the moon, too
This is my favorite mosque in Cairo, Ibn Tulun mosque, "the oldest mosque in the city surviving in its original form, and the largest mosque in Cairo in terms of land area"... this is the courtyard and the ablution fountain (shadervan)
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This is just a small sample of photographs from the book, with very short, basic captions. Captions, or stories accompanying the photographs in the book are much more substantial.
If you like what you see, consider buying the book. 99 photos, 22 x 22 cm, 8,5 x 8,5".
Expiations on Indiegogo - original campaign page for Expiations, it can still be used to order the book.
All photos: Copyright Oleg Mastruko. Don't use without written permission.
Photo Projects: Without People / Expiations / Sea Dust Air (work in progress)
Travel projects: Pamir / Lost Kingdom /// Bio + Contact