Celestial Tapestries — An Ode to the Infinite — Series I · Ceilings of France · 2024 — ongoing

The vaults of the Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière in Lyon, photographed straight up along the central axis: gilded vaults and mosaic medallions, stained-glass windows at both ends and columns converging from every side.
Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière  —  Lyon

The artist’s statement

Transcending the boundaries of time and place, Celestial Tapestries transforms the ceilings of France’s historic monuments into portals of ethereal wonder.

Each photo unveils a cosmos woven from gilded details, frescoes, and stained glass — an orchestration of light and form that distills centuries of devotion to craft and beauty. The repeated lines of columns and arches serve as rhythmic anchors, while the richly varied interiors awaken a sense of ascending into the sublime. This ongoing project aspires to capture not merely architecture, but the very spirit that animates these sacred & cultural spaces.

Mohammadreza Domiri Ganji

DistinctionPrix de la Photographie Paris (PX3) 2025 — Silver, Architecture / Historic

Mohammadreza Domiri GanjiISeries — France

Plates I to V

Five ceilings, seen from their centre

Place
France
Years
2024 — ongoing
Subject
Ceilings of museums, theatres, cathedrals and historic halls
  1. The vaults of the Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière, Lyon, seen from directly below: gilded vaults and mosaic medallions between stained-glass windows.
    Pl. IBasilique Notre-Dame de FourvièreLyon, France · 2024View the photographPlate 1 of 5
  2. Domes and coffered vaults of a French monument seen from below, arranged symmetrically around a central rib, daylight falling through the lantern windows.
    Pl. IICelestial TapestriesFrance · 2024View the photographPlate 2 of 5
  3. A Gothic vault painted with stars, its ribs radiating between walls of violet and blue stained glass, a rose window at one end.
    Pl. IIICelestial TapestriesFrance · 2024View the photographPlate 3 of 5
  4. Three gilded coffered domes in a row, each pierced by a bright oculus, framed by columns and painted lunettes.
    Pl. IVCelestial TapestriesFrance · 2024View the photographPlate 4 of 5
  5. A gilded ceiling of painted panels and oval medallions, a crystal chandelier hanging at either end and columns rising from every side.
    Pl. VCelestial TapestriesFrance · 2024View the photographPlate 5 of 5

List of works

  1. Pl. IBasilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière, Lyon
  2. Pl. IICelestial Tapestries, France
  3. Pl. IIICelestial Tapestries, France
  4. Pl. IVCelestial Tapestries, France
  5. Pl. VCelestial Tapestries, France

For a print or a licence of one of these photographs, write to the studio — each request is answered personally.

Prints & licensingAsk about a photograph

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Other series

Iran · Paris · Versailles · Lyon

  1. A rose-tinted moqarnas vault whose star pattern converges on a central rosette.
    Series IIMoqarnas Atlas of IranMuqarnas vaults of Iran · 2025Enter the series
  2. The grand staircase of the Palais Garnier in Paris, symmetrical and golden, with visitors dissolved by a long exposure into translucent traces on the steps.
    Series IIIL’Écho du TempsGreat interiors of France · 2025Enter the series
  3. The gilded ceiling of the Hôtel de Ville de Lyon seen from directly below, framed by chandeliers.
    Series IVLyonThe city and its monumentsEnter the series
All series & galleries