Churches are repurposed, as European Christianity fades

Churches are being emptied across Europe as the number of Christians, especially practicing Christians, continues to decline on the continent. Many church buildings are being demolished or given a new function as former places of worship. These former sacred spaces tend to give way to hotels, nightclubs, gyms or even libraries.

WORLD JUNE 27. 2023 14:54

„That is painful. I will not hide it. On the other hand, there is no return to the past possible,” Mgr. Johan Bonny, bishop of Antwerp, told the Associated Press.

In Europe, some churches have been repurposed into clothes stores, nightclubs and hotels. In Belgium’s Mechelen, the Sacred Hearts Church has bene closed down for two years now, as a cafe and concert stage are added, with plans to turn the church into “a new cultural hot spot in the heart of Mechelen.”

Belgium has the most church conversions in Europe. A 2018 study from the PEW research group showed, in Belgium, that of the 83% that say they were raised Christian, only 55% still consider themselves so. Only 10% of Belgians still attended church regularly.

It is a phenomenon seen not just in Belgium, but over much of Europe’s Christian heartland from Germany to Italy and many nations in between. It really stands out in Flanders, in northern Belgium, where towns used to have six churches on average. By now, some of these old buildings become eyesores in city centers, with their maintenance a constant drain on local finances, which ushered in a new movement that’s bent on converting these churches into shops and businesses.

„In my city, we have a brewery in a church, we have a hotel in a church, we have a cultural center in a church, we have a library in a church,” Mechelen Mayor Bart Somers told the Associated Press, who is also involved in the re-purposing of some 350 churches.

A landmark re-purposing project in Belgium was Martin’s Patershof hotel in Mechelen, which currently boasts a „very good,” 8,4 approval rating on Booking.com

We often hear that people come here to relax and enjoy the silence of its former identity,” hotel manager Emilie De Preter told the Associated Press..

Mayor Bart Sommers said he has no ethical concerns. He believes it’s not a problem if people sleep in what was once a church, or maybe they have sex in there. He says he is more concerned that if the churches are not converted and put to good use and demolished, the towns will lose their architectural value.

This „value” is especially clear at the St. Anthony of Padua church in Brussels, which is known as the Maniak Padoue climbing club, where the old remains of the chucrch are still visible.

„The stained glass brings a real shimmering and warm light to the venue when the sun goes through it, so we can really feel the presence of the remains of the church,” said Kyril Wittouck, the co-founder of the club. “The altar is still in place, so we are surrounded by remains and it reminds us where we actually are.”

Also in Brussels, a night club has taken over a de-consecrated Anglican church building

But not everyone is thrilled with the way old churches are treated. „Those are places for contemplation,” Antwerp Bishop Mgr. Johan Bonny said. However, he takes the long view and believes that this is a temporary phenomenon, arguing that a potential renaissance of European faith is still an option.

„Every 300 years, we nearly had to start again,” Bonny said. “Something new, I’m sure, will happen. But it takes time.”

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