Nothing reflects the culture and history of a town or country quite like the architecture of churches. But while many of these beautiful structures become cherished landmarks, many are abandoned and purposely drowned to make way for dams and reservoirs. Around the world, the towers and spires of abandoned churches—some dating back to the Middle Ages—can be seen peeking above the surface of intentionally flooded sites. In many cases, these crumbling, weather-beaten ruins are all that remain of the community they once served.

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1. Drowned Church of Geamana, Romania

The village of Geamana was once a picturesque village located in the Apuseni Mountains of Transylvania, Romania, and home to around 400 families. But in the 1970s,locals were forced to leave the village so that the government could create an artificial lake that would house chemical waste resulting from copper extraction by a state-owned copper mine. Today, only the tower of Geamana's old church is visible above the toxic sludge, and the village has become a prime example of mining waste and environmental degradation.

2.Drowned Church of Graun, Reschensee, Italy

It is an artificial lake, but Reschensee (Lake Reschen) is one of the most fairytale-esque places of South Tyrol, Italy. Out in the tuquoise waters of the lake, a submerged steeple of a 14th-century church—the only visible remnant of the flooded village of Graun—can be seen protruding from the water. The village, its church, and more than 160 homes were sacrificed to make way for the construction of a dam. The site is also a tourist destination in all seasons, but in the winter, visitors can walk across the frozen lake to explore the bell tower.

3.St. Nicholas Church, Mavrovo, Macedonia

Mavrovo is a popular vacation destination for Macedonians due to its stunning natural beauty, but visitors also come here to see the eerie sight of St. Nicholas Church, built in 1850. The church stood for more than 150 years, until it was intentionally flooded in 1957 during the creation of an artificial lake designed to supply water to a local power plant. Visitors who come here will typically see the church half-submerged in the lake, as if floating in the water, but when the water levels are low, tourists can walk right up to the church, which will look like it's stuck in mud.

4.The Nativity Church, Krokhino, Russia

The village of Krokhino, Russia, along with its 18th century baroque Nativity Church, was abandoned in the 1960s when the Volga-Baltic Waterway was constructed, and the water level of Lake Beloye rose. In recent years, the church, whose bell tower was used as a beacon for passing ships, has begun to sink in the wet soil, and its walls have begun crumbling due the waves of passing vessels, according to Russia Beyond the Headlines. Volunteers have started working to preserve the church, only accessible by boat, by strengthening the stonework and preventing decay caused by wind and water.

5.Apostle Santiago Church, Chiapas, Mexico

Built by Dominican friars in the 16th century, Apostle Santiago Church in Chiapas, Mexico vanished under water in 1966 when the hydroelectric dam was built in the Grijalva river. The residents of the village of Quechula had to be relocated and had their houses submerged. But during severe drought (in 2002 and 2015, for example), the church eerily re-emerges, according to The Telegraph. During this time, visitors can take a boat for a "pilgrimage" to the church, before rainfall can cause the church to "vanish" once again.

6.St. Ivan Rilski Church, Zapalnya, Bulgaria

The half-submerged church St. Ivan Rilski is the only remaining evidence of the existence of the Bulgarian village of Zapalnya, which residents were forced to leave in the 1960s for the construction of a dam.Built in 1895, St. Ivan Rilski church was once the heart of life in the valley, and Zapalnya was known for rose oil production at the time of the Ottoman Empire, according to The Daily Mail. Today, the crumblinf stone structure is a haunting sight, as if floating in a few feet of water.

7.St. Nicolas Church, Kalyazin, Russia

Kalyazin, Russia's "Flooded Belfry," a steepled Neoclassical belfry that was once part of the St. Nicholas Church, rises over 200 feet above the waters of the Uglich Reservoir on the Volga River. The eye-catching campanile has attracted visitors to the area, which was once the home of the old town ofKalyazin. The town, which included many medieval structures, was flooded in 1940 when the Uglich Reservoir was built, and today, the waters hide hundreds of years of history.

8.Drowned Church of Old Petrolandia, Brazil

Petrolandia was a town in Brazil near the river of Sao Francisco, which was moved when the Luiz Gonzaga Dam was constructed. The only structure left standing is the church, its arches still visible above the water.

9. Alassa Church, Cyprus

If the remains of its old church, built in 1939, wasn't peeking above the water, there would be little evidence of the existence of the village of Alassa. The town had had to be relocated in the late 1980s when the Kouris Dam, Cyprus' largest dam, was built. Today, divers and snorkelers (who don't mind the cold water) visit the site to explore flooded church.

10.Church of Sant Romà de Sau, Catalonia, Spain

The creation of a reservoir flooded the village of San Romà de Sau, in Catalonia, Spain, forcing residents to abandon their town, which has been inhabited for a millenium. The residents reportedly had to exhume their dead loved ones before the town was purposely flooded. All the structures, and Rmanesque ruins, were completely submerged. When the reservoir is high, only the tip of the church spire can be seen, but during periods of drought, the entire church emerges on dry land, according to Atlas Obscura. During one such dry period, workers fortified the remaning structure, and the church was reinforced with concrete.

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