Catholics in Ukraine's Ternopol region are showing they are loyal to the Christian catacomb tradition – by finding a most unusual place to practise their religion.

The interiors of the church in the village of Perekhody seem to be nothing out of ordinary, but in fact the venue for the religious ceremony is an abandoned oil tanker.

St. John's chapel has been used for many different things. In Soviet times it was used in Siberia as a shelter for geologists.

The priest of the chapel says the tank also served for several years as a kiosk where a vendor treated his customers to ice-cream, sweets and soft drinks.

"Originally the tank was used as a store where chewing gum, sweets and ice-cream were sold. Later the authorities used it as a canteen for construction workers.

“One day a priest was passing by this ”barrel“ and saw people having a meal and discivered that they lived there. So, he thought that if people could stay in the ”barrel“ and could eat there, then it could be used for totally different purposes. So, he thought, why not make a chapel of it,” said Father Dmitry Andryuchin.