These haunting images show the partially-submerged ruins of a church where a town was swallowed by an artificial lake 50 years ago. The St Ivan Rilski Church is the only remaining evidence of the community of Zapalnya, Bulgaria, where residents lived until they were forced to leave their homes to make way for a dam built by the Communist regime. Named after the patron saint of Bulgaria, the crumbling stone structure now cuts a ghostly figure in a few feet of water at the Zhrebchevo reservoir, near the town of Tvardica. The partially-submerged ruins of the St Ivan Rilski Church are visible at the Zhrebchevo reservoir, near the town of Tvardica, Bulgaria . The church is the only remaining evidence of the settlement of Zapalnya, Bulgaria, where residents were forced to leave in the 1960s . Located about 175 miles east of the capital, the ruins and the reservoir itself have become a popular destination for photographers . Residents’ abandoned homes were inundated and destroyed when the settlement and surrounding area – including two other villages – in south-east Bulgaria were submerged in 1965. Most inhabitants moved to neighbouring villages that were not affected when the man-made lake formed. Located about 175 miles east of the capital, Sofia, the ruins and the reservoir itself have become a popular destination for tourists, photographers and fishermen. With rolling hills in the distance, aerial photos show vegetation growing on top of the church’s walls after the roof collapsed long ago . Homes were inundated and destroyed when the settlement and surrounding area – including two other towns – were submerged in 1965 . With rolling hills in the distance, aerial photos show vegetation growing on top of the church’s walls, which once supported a roof that collapsed long ago. Vagabond, an English-language news magazine in Bulgaria, wrote that a segment of the cemetery is visible at times, depending on water levels. The scene is not unique to the Zhrebchevo reservoir, the third largest dam in Bulgaria. The church, built in 1895, was the heart of life in the valley, and Zapalnya was known for rose oil production during the Ottoman Empire . Named after the patron saint of Bulgaria, the crumbling stone structure now cuts a ghostly figure in a few feet of water . A segment of the cemetery is visible at times, depending on water levels in the reservoir, which is a popular fishing spot . It is one of several settlements which no longer exist due to homes being washed away by Communist-era dams. Radio Bulgaria said the church, built in 1895, was the heart of life in the valley, and Zapalnya was known for rose oil production at the time of the Ottoman Empire. Now wiped off the face of the planet, the town existed before the 13th century under a different name.
The crumbling St Ivan Rilski Church is the only remaining evidence of the community of Zapalnya, Bulgaria .
Named after the patron saint of Bulgaria, the stone structure cuts a ghostly figure in the Zhrebchevo reservoir .
The settlement and two other villages were wiped out when the land was submerged in 1965 .