The Church of St. George in Lukova is an extraordinary work of art!
On the Internet, you can have fun searching for the scariest places on the globe, and for fans of big thrills and chills, there’s plenty to keep you busy. But have you ever visited the Church of St. George in Lukova, Czech Republic? There’s a good chance you won’t come away unscathed, as this place, abandoned by man and time, will grab you by the throat.
At the start
Built in the 14th century, St. George’s Church in Lukova was abandoned in 1968. At that time, the roof collapsed on worshippers who had come to attend a funeral. Nearly 32 people were killed.
The people of the village of Lukova saw this tragedy as a sinister omen and never returned to the church again. More than 50 years after the event, and with the church still under threat of destruction, a Czech artist came up with the idea of placing 32 statues of people draped in plaster over the benches left untouched. Each « ghost » from the past represents a member of the faithful who came to pray before the tragedy of 1968.
The art installation
It was artist Jakub Hadrava ‘s idea to « revive » these ghosts of a bygone era. The plaster statues occupy the benches, their heads bowed as if in contemplation or meditation. These statues represent the wandering souls who have not found rest after the tragedy.
Thanks to this permanent exhibition by artist Jakub Hadrava, the show is utterly breathtaking, edifying, surprising, almost creepy and yet utterly exceptional and singular. The effect is successful: the mysterious white spectres, frozen in time and space, replace the faithful, and you can come and sit beside them for a moment of remembrance and contemplation.
The Church of St. George in Lukova, located in the Bohemian region of the north-western Czech Republic, is one of those so-called haunted places, forgotten by the rest of the world, and an opportunity to remember where you come from, to discover or rediscover the history of a people, a town. This place, terrifying at first sight, is nonetheless magnificent and fascinating.
The church, which has become a major tourist attraction, now generates income to help preserve the site. Tourists flock from Germany, Australia and Brazil to discover this unique work of art, and also to make a donation to renovate this sanctuary that some would say has risen from beyond the grave.
Whether or not you believe in ghosts, it’s quite possible that you’ll never enter a church in the same way again once you’ve seen this artistic exhibition up close and personal.
Photos via The Infinite Beauty of Decay, Frank Zumbach, radio.cz