Partying in a former church? It is possible in Belgium
One of the Belgium churches that has been converted into a night club. Photo screenshot website Spirito
Western Europe
Fewer and fewer churchgoers lead to more and more empty churches. Several of them get a new destination.
Have you ever dreamt of sleeping with a bedroom view through old stained windows with organ pipes as your headboard? Then go to "Martin's Patershof", the Norwegian newspaper Vart Land discovered. The daily looked at several churches that no longer serve as a place of worship. Hotels, nightclubs, breweries, and clothing stores are only a few of the purposes empty churches serve.
Climbing hall
In the old St. Anthony of Padua Church, sporty visitors can climb their way to the church roof. The building has recently been converted into an indoor climbing hall. Yet, the past of the building is undeniable. "The coloured glass panes provide a warm illumination when the sun shines through them, so we can really feel the presence of the remains of the church, Kyril Wittouck says to AP. He is the co-founder of the climbing club. "The altar is also still in place, so we are surrounded by parts of the old church, and they remind us where we actually are", he adds.
Some people are happy with the repurposing of the buildings because it solves the financial problems their maintenance causes. Others, however, feel ethical hesitations, AP reports.
Dance
One of the more controversial repurposed churches might very well be one of the old Anglican churches of Brussels. It has been converted into an exclusive nightclub, Spirito. Whoever visits the website is first confronted with the logo of the club, depicting a priest and nun kissing. After that, the overwhelming atmosphere of a typical nightclub appears. People dance while lights flash.
"By pushing the doors of our desecrated Anglican church, discover a world where no limits are required", the website reads.
The bishop of Antwerp is not happy with the course of events. "It is painful", he tells AP. "I don't want to hide it. But on the other hand, there is no way back to the past."
Apartment building
Belgium is one of the European countries with the most repurposed churches; in total, there is an ongoing project that wants to convert 350 buildings into something else.
But Belgium is not the only one. Italy and Germany have been doing the same thing. Over the last ten to twenty years, thousands of buildings have become apartment buildings, as church owners could no longer afford the maintenance of the building, Vart Land writes.
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