댐 수몰지구와 운명을 함께한 교회당 Submerged Church and Abandoned City Hauntingly Peek Out Just Above Water

Submerged Church and Abandoned City Hauntingly Peek Out Just Above Water

 

   물에 잠긴 교회의 끝자락은 마치 신비스러운 존재처럼 보인다.

그렇지만 베네수엘라의 포토시의 교회 경우는 신의 계시가 아니었다.

포토시는 1,200명의 주민과 19.7km2 면적을 가지고 있다.

1985년 베네수엘라 정부의 수력발전소 건설로 인해 불가피하게 물에 잠기게 됐다.

거주민들은 강제로 퇴거 조치 당했고 집들과 교회만 남게됐다.

이 교회는 댐 수몰지구의 유일한 증거로 남아있다.

황기철  콘페이퍼 에디터

ki chul, hwang conpaper editor 

By Stephanie Chang July 25, 2016

Cities and buildings emerging out of the water may seem like a mystical occurrence, but in the case of the church of Potosi in Venezuela, it was not quite an act of God. The town of Potosi, which had approximately 1,200 residents and was 7.7 square miles, was deliberately flooded by the Venezuelan government in 1985 to build a hydroelectric dam. Everyone was forced to evacuate, and all houses and the single church were abandoned and submerged under the waters of the Uribante Reservoir, save for the single cross standing atop the church. 

From 1985 to 2008, visitors to the Uribante Reservoir would witness a lone cross rising out of the water, serving as an unsettling reminder of what once existed beneath the surface. The church spire was used for many years as a reference point for measuring the water levels. In 2008, the cross began to seemingly rise higher out of the water, revealing more of the gothic structure below as waters of the reservoir receded. In 2010, the town of Potosi was fully uncovered for the first time due to an extreme draught caused by El Niño, revealing a large stretch of flat land and a towering gothic church that stands 85 feet. The facade and steeple remain impressively intact, although the body of the church has been worn away due to the water and erosion.

The original city site serves as a reminder of the severe energy shortages in Venezuela, which receives the majority of its power from hydroelectricity. Josefa Garcia, a former Potosi resident, visited the town's square and upon looking at the uncovered church shared her feelings. "It brings me joy," she says, "but it also makes me sad to see the situation that we're in."

Above: © Juan Tello/Flickr

via [Atlas Obscura, Treehugger, Independent]

All images via Tachira Government unless otherwise stated.

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