Ruinous Monastery

Ruinous Monastery is a long-abandoned monastery that is being restored, and it feels sacred, peaceful and mysterious. The ground floor holds a vestibule and a chapel, a tavern is carved out of the stone beneath the building, and upstairs is an overgrown room with a pond and a grand piano.

The vestibule is lit by tall panels of blue stained glass and by candelabras against its stone walls, beside a carved golden screen. A wooden staircase climbs past a glowing sphere set in a rocky alcove, and overhead is a skylight full of stars, with vines of white flowers hanging below it.

In the chapel, a vaulted ceiling arches over rows of weathered pews on a red carpet, and white roses climb the walls on either side. The stained glass windows stand in an arc around the altar, where candles, gold lanterns and a brass globe in its rings sit between two green urns, and round stained-glass windows look in from either wall. At the back of the chapel, bookshelves fill an arch, a grandfather clock stands beside a map and a painting, and there is a window seat heaped with cushions under a curtained window.

The tavern below is carved out of the stone under the building, ivy trailing from its rough ceiling. Wine is stored in barrels set into the walls, long tables and benches stand on blue rugs between burning fire baskets, and the bar is of rich wood, with shelves of bottles and taps behind it. In one corner a seating nook sits under stained glass windows, beside a waterfall running down the rock between two pillars.

Upstairs is an airy, open space, overgrown and dilapidated: ivory pillars show between walls of plants, plaster is peeling off the walls to the brick beneath, and the windows are cracked. The grand piano is the centerpiece, ringed with candles under a great round window shaped like a clock face, and it is possible to sit on the piano, which makes it a natural spot for the client's GPose. Opposite it is a nature-filled corner where the client can pose as well. A pond holds a glowing sphere among trees and purple flowers, and a low cushioned seat rests on a carpet of white flowers. Against one wall is a stack of boxes and a barrel, and it is possible to sit atop the boxes too.

Outside, cobblestone paths run through wild planting between pine trees and lamp posts, past a brick fountain, a gazebo with a green dome, and a pond of lily pads fed by two spouts beneath a balustraded stair.