Conservation and Reactivation of Churches. New Use of Historic Houses of Worship.

CONSERVATION AND REACTIVATION OF CHURCHES. NEW USE OF HISTORIC HOUSES OF WORSHIP.

Ecclesiastical Heritage Centre. Brussels. 2018 Marcus van der Meulen

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conservation and reactivation of churches : the new use of historic houses of worship.

CONSERVATION AND REACTIVATION OF CHURCHES. NEW USE OF HISTORIC HOUSES OF WORSHIP.

ECCLESIASTICAL HERITAGE CENTRE Copyright © Marcus van der Meulen, 2018

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conservation and reactivation of churches : the new use of historic houses of worship.

Part of the Gothic Revival architecture in the Netherlands must be considered for ever lost.

Today the post war buildings are in danger of undergoing a similar fate as their eclectic counterparts only a few decades ago. The loss of some of these churches that were pulled down during the second half of the twentieth century has instigated a new process of conservation. Places of worship, and especially historic religious buildings, are defining elements of place, providing a sense of belonging : the church is an instrumental part of local identity. The historic house of worship can represent a city, village or district. Cologne cathedral is part of the identity of this German city, the iconic twin towers represent Cologne and the wider metropolitan area. Reconstruction of the war damaged Frauenkirche in Dresden became a symbol of German re-unification. Today, the stone dome of this church represents not only local identity, associated with the iconic paintings by Bellotto of the Saxon capital, but national identity.

CONSERVATION AND REACTIVATION OF CHURCHES : THE NEW USE OF HISTORIC HOUSES OF WORSHIP.

By Marcus van der Meulen

INTRODUCTION In the past decades many houses of worship across Europe have lost their preeminent place in society.

Buildings that have been at the centre of community life have lost their previous status.

Modernization, including secularization, is changing the community. Changes in the way religion is practised are part of this. The need today for the amount of churches as a living place of worship is progressively diminishing. Not only in Europe.

Parishes and congregations merge, abandoning the superfluous buildings, which become vacated, neglected, sold. High maintenance costs of these historic structures is an important reason why so many are being vacated. In a secular society, the significance of a religious building seems peripheral posing the question why preservation of these abandoned churches could be relevant. In cities and towns several of these churches, mostly but not exclusively nineteenth and twentieth century places of worship, have already been demolished.

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Modern society started long before the turn of the millennium or the end of the second World War and the question of what to do with redundant places of worship is not of recent date. In the late eighteenth century many religious buildings, parish churches and monastic houses, were abandoned in the young French Republic. An abandoned building could become a ruin, but many were auctioned and sold. Sold for their building materials and subsequently demolished. The abbey of Cluny today is only a fragment of its original splendour, and the cathedrals of Arras in northern France or that of Liège in modern-day Belgium are forever lost. In a not so distant past religious buildings were pulled down in Central and Eastern Europe to undue the character of place of its religious heritage. In East Berlin, as in other socialist cities, historic churches were deliberately destroyed and eradicated from view. The modern visitor has little awareness of the Trinity church, the tall spire of St Petri or the Luisenstadt church. These historic places of worship have been erased from visual memory. This is an intended transformation of place ultimately changing perception.

The destruction of religious heritage instigated awareness of its significance. Understanding the importance of conservation only comes after the initial endangering and even demolition of churches. Amiens cathedral is saved from the tragic fate after the devastating demolition of Arras cathedral. The medieval church of St Martin-des-

conservation and reactivation of churches : the new use of historic houses of worship.

Champs Priory in Paris is reactivated in 1798 as the National Conservatory for Arts and Crafts. At the same period a report is commissioned in Ghent to establish heritage values of redundant religious buildings and their potential new purpose. The Cistercian abbey was reused for educational purposes, the church was redesigned to house a new central library. Adaptation of buildings to changes in society is of all times. Only rarely historic churches are untouched by the changes in liturgical practices, unaffected by changing fashions and tastes, or even war damage and subsequent repairs.

Figure 1. The former church of the Carmelite convent in Ghent, Belgium, became redundant in the late eighteenth century. In the nineteenth century it was reused as the museum for antiquities. Today it is used as the exhibition space of the province of East Flanders. Photo courtesy Ghent University Library.

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Today the debate tends to focus on the inner city churches, the most historic and affluent of buildings in most European cities, and inclines to forget the problems in suburban and rural areas. Attracted by the interesting location of these historic buildings full of commercially interesting authentic details, abandoned churches have been converted by property developers into housing developments, shops, restaurants or bars. The limitations of these conversions go beyond the obvious disruption of the sacred space. The recent St Thomas’ Church in Southwark, Central London, is an example of a decent design project trying to create an interesting interior given the religious character of this former Anglican church. Retail reuse is attracted by some ecclesiastical heritage because of its location and its authentic details, currently considered an asset in retail property developments. Historic examples from the past centuries are known, the Wool weavers chapel in Ghent, Belgium, is an interesting example, and this form of reuse can preserve the material fabric of the building. A church, however, is more than a pretty container with some historic detailing to give the interior space of a restaurant or furniture store a unique atmosphere and authenticity, a concept that is very in fashion today. Architectural interventions by definition alter space, changing the meaning of a former sacred place. And perhaps it is not actually the first conversion that is potentially the most troublesome but what happens afterwards. Already churches converted into retail property, from the UK to Italy, have been vacated. Finding a new purpose for these adapted buildings can be a real challenge. For conservation, a retail reuse seems to be only a temporary solution, even if some like to contradict this, and a renewed problem of abandoned churches redesigned as a bar or boutique can be expected in 15 to 20 years’ time. Demolition looms for unloved buildings without a purpose. Is adaptive reuse a stage in the modernization process, a transition to the eventual demolition ?

conservation and reactivation of churches : the new use of historic houses of worship.

Reformation in the sixteenth century. After the second World War, the building was damaged but demolition only followed in 1956. A remarkable square with many socialist realist buildings was created in an attempt to erase memory of old Magdeburg, preserving only a handful of historic buildings as objects, monuments to a time gone by.

At the turn of the millennium a reconstruction of this medieval church was anticipated. The building would recreate the older cityscape. The intangible heritage of the church, layers of different meanings such as the foreign saint introduced by migrants, the memory of Flemish farmers relocating to modern day Sachsen-Anhalt, would have become more concrete. Places of worship can always be regarded shrines, as a physical presence of the intangible. Efforts have been made to reconstruct this historic church. A major difficulty in rebuilding, however, was finding a new purpose for this church.

Figure 2. Restaurant in a monastic church in Zwolle, the Netherlands. Many churches are currently reactivated as bars, tearooms or restaurants. The authentic period details and attractive locations of these buildings are regarded an asset.

Crossing the former Iron Curtain that once divided Germany and Europe the first city in former socialist Europe is Magdeburg. Historic images of this ancient city on the river Elbe show an abundance of church towers. Today there are only a couple of these left. In the past decade there have been attempts to rebuilt the medieval church of St Ulrich and Levin, not because of a need for more places of worship, but for reasons of heritage. First and most obvious reason is the physical presence of the building, a pleasing gothic church with double towers, which would enhance the urban landscape.

Much of the inner city was rebuilt after the second World War in a typical socialist-realist style, deliberately erasing much of the historic character.

But religious architecture is not dĂŠcor on a stage, it is more than a pleasant scenography. The dedication of the church to St Levin or Livinus of Ghent, reveals an unexpected connection to Flanders. This church in Magdeburg is a testimony of the 12th century migrants, bringing with them their saints, from the Flemish countryside to the lands across the river Elbe, just outside Magdeburg.

There is also the role this church played during the

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Religious heritage is common memory. It is a treasure box containing the stories of a town or district, a village or even a nation. Westminster Abbey is an example of a historic place of worship containing multiple layers of meaning. It is the location of the coronations of English and British monarchs, and the location of many remembrance services. It is also the site of memorials to people of some importance such as Isaac Newton or Charles Darwin, and of course the location of some royal weddings. The early twentieth century church of St Nicholas in Mesen/Messines in Belgium, a village near the French border, recalls the destructions of the First World War on the Western Front. But it has also been the location of so many weddings and funerals of locals for centuries, since this church was founded by the Countess of Flanders in the early eleventh century.

The reasons for safeguarding historic houses of worship are multiple. These buildings are often defining elements in the rural or urban landscape. Values range from architectural beauty and art historical importance, on a local, national or even international level, to intangible connotations such as historical events associated with the building. A house of worship has often been an essential part of community life, the location of weddings and funerals, the site of remembrance and festive celebrations. As such, the historic place of worship contributes to a sense of place, a place of belonging, shaping a communal identity. The example of Cologne cathedral shows this sense of belonging

conservation and reactivation of churches : the new use of historic houses of worship.

and place has little to do with religion itself. The importance of churches as part of our common heritage, not exclusive to the faithful of a denomination, should be recognized.

An awareness of shared heritage is often already present.

the theoretical question if the reused building can still be regarded a place of worship, the essential problem occurs when the old connections between community and building evaporate. A bar in a former church may be a new function which can safeguard the building in the short term, but what the implications are of such a transformation for the long run remains hard to predict. In current society it is very likely the bar will close within a few decades, leaving the church again abandoned. This time with the association to the hospitality industry, which can damage the original connections a community experiences with a place of worship. .

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Figure 3. Brussels. The church of Oure Lady of Riches Claires is now used by the Spanish speaking community.

Modernization is part of the solution, as many urban communities see an increase of religious denominations. Several churches have been given to other denominations. The historic church of St Elisabeth in the Large Beguinage of Ghent, Belgium, has been handed over to the city’s growing Anglican community. The disused chapel of St Nicolas in Auvers-sur-Oise, north of Paris, is now the house of worship of the Rumanian Orthodox community. In Hannover, a church (Gustav-Adolph Kirche in Leinhausen) was reactivated as a synagogue in 2007, and the evangelical Maria-Magdalena church in Hannover-Ricklingen was converted into a Sephardic synagogue a few years later. Several churches have become (Syrian) orthodox places of worship, and currently a church is converted into a mosque in Hamburg. These new functions are a continuation of the original purpose of the building as a place of worship, however, a transformation from a Christian to an Islamic house of worship can be difficult for many in the community.

The Magdeburg reconstruction example reveals the problem churches facing today is having a relevant purpose in contemporary society. Altar pieces and other imagery can find a new place in museums, organs can gain a second life in concert halls. A new position for the church itself, however, can be much more challenging. Typology can be problematic.

To reuse a church the building can need a redesign, an architectural conversion. This can be true transformation. Offices, housing, retail : a redesign for reuse that not only changes the interior, but also affects the perception of the building. Beyond

The Chapelle Corneille in Rouen, France, is an interesting example of a cultural function in a disused place of worship, a monastic church. The baroque interior of this Jesuit church was preserved, with only limited and reversible interventions that even enhance the architectural experience of the interior. The new lighting fittings and other juxtaposing contemporary additions contribute to the architectural perception of the former church. As a place for concerts, the function is a relevant reactivation and reconnects society with the ecclesiastical. The interventions have been limited, yet have added layers of new meaning expressing contemporary society. Above all, the new function has opened up a historic building. In

conservation and reactivation of churches : the new use of historic houses of worship.

2018 the Chapelle Corneille received the Prix de la Conversion Patrimoniale. Interestingly there are several examples from the former Soviet Union of similar cultural redesigns of redundant churches, albeit less respecting the built heritage or sacred atmosphere. The Church of Ss Simon and Helena in Minsk, modern day Belarus, is an example of new use as a cinema. The cathedral of the Archangel Michael in Bronnitsy, Russia, was reused as a library, and the St Isaac’s Cathedral in St Petersburg has been used as a museum since 1928, although services have resumed inside the building gradually since 1990.

Cultural events such as concerts and exhibitions are options that feel appropriate for these buildings, and several now have extended use of their space for this type of events. There are several examples of churches redesigned as concert halls. In Italy, the church of San Vidal in Venice is one of many examples in that country, or the Ptuj Monastery in Slovenia, now a performance centre. The Amuz music centre in the former Augustinian church in Antwerp and the concert hall in the former Jesuit church in Lier are good examples from Belgium.

Adapting to a place for concerts usually implies an alteration of the interior, adding modern conveniences. The two examples from Belgium have limited interventions retaining much of the original interior, including fittings and fixtures.

Adapting to changes in demography, tastes or liturgy, however, is a constant in history. The modern conversions can be regarded a continuation of older habits.

To adapt a church to facilitate use as a concert hall, the need for flexible and comfortable seating is essential. The baroque church of St Carolus Borromeus in Antwerp, Belgium, has received modern chairs which blend in with the interior. This allows different settings for a wide range of concerts or exhibitions. Removing the benches to be replaced by chairs is currently the debate at Bath Abbey, UK. The pews can be considered part of the accumulated heritage of a historic church, as an expression of the nineteenth century for instance, which make decisions on how to preserve the character of the building and simultaneously adapt to new use difficult. Adapting to changing realities is a recurring theme, especially for historic places of worship, some alterations seem A new lighting system and improvement of acoustics can be part of the redesign to stage the

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new function as a place for performances. And an essential addition to many churches, are modern conveniences such as a small kitchen and toilets.

These adaptions to new or extended usage mean most of the interior can be preserved and subsequently retain much of the original character.

Figure 4. Antwerp, church of St Carolus Borromeus.

Contemporary chairs in the baroque interior make this church suitable for many different sorts of cultural events, concerts and exhibitions.

A significant part of the houses of worship that are currently being vacated date from the nineteenth century and the twentieth century. Churches from this period are vulnerable, as the heritage value of these buildings is often regarded less significant.

Many places of worship dating from this period are not listed as monuments making demolition more likely than for those buildings dating from earlier centuries. These historic houses of worship are not only protected from demolition due to their status as national monuments, most often they can retain their original function, where the more recent buildings are given up. Studies from Belgium and the Netherlands indicate mostly those churches built after 1830 are decommissioned, given up for either demolition or reuse. Some churches in the Netherlands are recently reused for leisure as playgrounds. The mid-twentieth century church of St Joseph in Amsterdam only briefly functioned as a place of worship before coming a climbing hall first and a refugee centre later. Today renamed Candy Castle this former church is filled with installations for children to play in. In September 2018 the church of St Clemens in Hilversum, the Netherlands, reopened its doors as Trampoline Park Flight Deck 53. The interior is filled with equipment to entertain children and youth. The question about appropriateness in reactivation becomes relevant.

conservation and reactivation of churches : the new use of historic houses of worship.

New functions such as the trampoline palace may provide the funds needed for maintenance, it is also disconnecting ties between the church and the local residents, who potentially are upset with activities related to the new function. An example is the Redemptorist chapel in Ghent, Belgium, where residents complain about the cars and activities related to the party centre now located in this former monastic church.

The conversion of churches into a community centre is appealing. An architecturally pleasing example can be found in Bolton, UK. The architectural interventions of this building have resulted in an interesting contemporary interior expressing new layers of meaning representing our time.

This reactivation of the church is a continuation of the original function as a centre in social life of the community. Today it can be a much needed tool for rejuvenation of needing districts.

New programmes can contain an architectural redesign, but this is not always necessary. Often the addition of modern conveniences is sufficient to give the historic building potentials for a new contemporary being. The church of Our Lady-tenPredikheren in Leuven, Belgium, is a historic place of worship dating back to the thirteenth century.

After a restoration it became the auditorium of the municipal cultural centre 30CC. Unlike the example in Bolton the interior is virtually untouched, retaining its original character. Large houses of worship offer the possibility of hosting several functions in a singular historic space. A very recent example is De Petrus in Vught, the Netherlands.

This large Gothic Revival church combines several community related functions in one building. A contemporary version of the traditional library as a place of education, a local museum about local history, a boutique of the local World Shop, a fair trade third world Caritas, and a tearoom/restaurant function. This social function is also the new use of the church of St AndrĂŠ in Hem, Lille Metropolitan region, France. The post war church located in a suburb of Lille has been inaugurated in 2017 as Centre Solidaire, including a social restaurant and a solidarity shop selling affordable fruits and vegetables. A new relevant use in a demanding district.

Demolition erases part of common history, an irreplaceable part of local identity as the number of gothic revival churches demolished in the

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Netherlands illustrate. Many of these buildings were in a poor condition yet could have been easily saved. The changes in the liturgy due to the reforms of the Vatican Council in the 1960s were part of the dilemma ultimately resulting in their demolition.

These liturgical changes demanded a redesign of the church interior, at the time some dioceses thought this too expensive and preferred a demolition of the high maintenance neogothic churches. A surge of demolition took place during the second half of the twentieth century in many European cities on both sides of the Iron Curtain. In East Berlin, neogothic churches such as St Petri or St George, were knocked down. In Amsterdam, the unique neogothic churches of St Willibrord and St Mary Magdalene have been removed from visual history.

Figure 5. The attraction of Post War modernist churches can be limited. Church of St Ansgar in the Hansa-viertel of former West Berlin.

The age of destruction is only gradually is coming to an end. The Corvinus Church in Hanover, or the Church of St Lambert in Immerath, both in Germany, illustrate status as a monument does not prevent religious buildings from demolition. Today it is buildings like these, in rural and suburban areas, in revivalist or modernist styles, that are most vulnerable. Post-war architecture, unlike the gothic cathedrals, is not widely loved and appeals to preserve these buildings can be challenging. Yet

conservation and reactivation of churches : the new use of historic houses of worship.

these churches tell an important chapter of Europe’s history : the rebuilding of the continent after the destruction of the second World War. Especially in Germany, where several cities were heavily bombed during the war, the rebuilding of the nation came with the construction of new houses of worship in a radically untraditional design. Many of these buildings are located in the suburbs, and are losing their original use. In regions such as the Ruhrgebiet (Essen Diocese) the issue of preservation of post-war churches has become a valued task, and the redesign for adaptive reuse is instrumental in its preservation. Other churches are now in an urgent need for renovation, after decades of use. Problematic are those churches which were designed as a Gesamtkunstwerk. The issue of these unique places of worship which were designed as one and are more or less in its original state requires a fresh approach towards heritage.

Some of these churches can be regarded exceptional creations, artistic and historic significant buildings. Altering the interior implies changing the entire building and thus the meaning of these buildings. An inspiring redesign is Holy Family Church in OsnabrĂźck, Germany, where the circular liturgical space was reduced by adding walls with niches for storing urns. This type of columbarium is a way of reconnecting to the tradition of burials in churches and the function of a church as a place of commemoration and contemplation, as also providing an annual income for the maintenance of the building. Post war churches, however, can offer potentials for redesign and reuse because of their non-traditional typology. In the dioceses of Munster and of Essen, both in Western Germany, are some interesting examples of reactivation.

St Sebastian in MĂźnster as a daycare centre for children has a socially significant function. The interior is stripped of all sacred connotations and the interior space . Post war churches need to be considered. Many of these Post war modern and revivalist style churches were built in the suburbs. With a predominantly residential character, suburbs are less convenient for the reactivations of churches that are developing in urban areas and especially the inner cities.

The days everyone in the community went to church on Sunday morning are behind us, even in rural areas. The transformation of the countryside due to modernization is often overlooked. Cities continue to grow yet many towns and villages struggle to survive. The consequences for religious heritage are sincere. In 2018 the village of Asnan in

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France sold their disused church to a building materials company. During summer of this year the church was dismantled. The value of this building was not in its material fabric but rather in its function as a container of communal history. Some village churches are bucolic, dating back to medieval times. Many, however, were built in the long nineteenth century, as Asnan in France, Immerath in Germany or Klein Wetsinge in the Netherlands. The significance of ecclesiastical heritage in rural and suburban areas is rarely in its architectural meaning. These local places of worship are containers of memory, a physical reminder of local history, and a connection of a community to its past and place.

The revivalist church of St Lambert in Immerath, Germany, was recently pulled down and replaced by a much smaller contemporary chapel. Here the entire village was relocated as it was situated on an economically interesting site for brown coal mining.

The historic house of worship was not saved and the forced relocation was used to build a new place of worship more fitting the needs of the local community. Some village churches are simply too large for the present congregation. Such churches are still used for worship, however, much of the benches remain empty. An interesting example of a more fitting interior for contemporary worship comes from Wietmarschen in Lower Saxony, Germany. A pilgrims chapel is created inside the old church, a solution of adapting to changing realities.

Other communities, parishes and congregations, have diminished significantly and can no longer support a vicar, a priest, a church. Modernization with decrease of population and growing secularization has significant impact on rural communities.

Figure 6. Wietmarschen, Lower Saxony. The pilgrimage chapel placed in the nave of the church, significantly reducing the number of seats in the nave.

conservation and reactivation of churches : the new use of historic houses of worship.

shared heritage approach. An encouraging example comes from Police-u-Jemnice in the Czech Republic, where a derelict synagogue is gradually renovated as a cultural centre.

The upkeeping of the historic house of worship is increasingly difficult, yet the need for a communal place connecting the local society is progressively meaningful.

The redesign of rural religious buildings as hubs for social and cultural life of the local community can be a spiritual continuation of the village church. It can become a much needed rejuvenation. The village church in Klein

Figure 7. Klein Wetsinge, the Netherlands. A village church of limited heritage value, dating from the nineteenth century, has regained a place in community life and has become a tool for rural regeneration.

The continuing demolition of churches in rural areas is a tragic reality. What is possibly even more alarming is the delisting and subsequent demolition of designated monuments, which has been going on for decades. Some examples are of from a shockingly recent date. The reason for the ultimate demolition of these places of worship is alienation, when society has lost interest in renovation, reuse, reactivation. Examples from France, Germany and the Netherlands all have in common these churches had lost a connection with a community. The biggest thread to the survival in the long term for ecclesiastical heritage seems to be alienation.

Alienation happens when community and the built heritage get disconnected. This is apparent in the ruinous houses of worship in several countries of the former Soviet Union, in Eastern Asia and Central Europe. The synagogues of rural Belarus are a tragic example. Reconnection starts with awareness of religious buildings as a shared and common heritage. The ownership debate has shifted from an exclusive faithful approach towards a common and

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Wetsinge, the Netherlands, is an example of a redundant and plain building redesigned to both rejuvenate the community and attract tourism to provide funds for maintenance. Architectural interventions have contributed to the appeal of this otherwise plain building. In Mont-devant-Sassey, France, a local group of activists have revived their historic church by starting several initiatives involving the local community. Teenagers are educated as guides, thus learning the importance of their local heritage and passing it through to visitors. Jobless are participating in the conservation of the church. In the past decade this neglected building was renovated. New activities have transformed a derelict building a living place, hosting attractive concerts and welcoming visitors, from the region itself and from abroad. Above all, the church has regained its place in the community.

A process of alienation between the historic place of worship and local community was reversed.

Involving the community reconnects the heritage and thus safeguards the historic place of worship for future generations. The village church of Montdevant-Sassey, Lorraine, France, is a vibrant example of how reactivation of a parish church becomes a regeneration of both ecclesiastical heritage and local society.

A church represents more than the physicality of its building materials. Reconstructions or restored churches can be regarded by traditional heritage conservation as lacking authenticity and therefor are of a lesser interest to preserve. The rebuilt church of Mesen/Messines in Belgium is not listed as a monument (apart from its eleventh century crypt). The physical appearance of this church is indeed an architecturally poor version of the original medieval building, however, it is the perfect container for all those stories related to the

conservation and reactivation of churches : the new use of historic houses of worship.

annihilating horrors of the First World War which took place here, in Flanders Fields. The true value of ecclesiastical heritage, and this is especially true for those places of worship in villages and towns, is in the accumulation of many different meanings. A shift from the material preoccupation towards a spiritual understanding, treating the house of worship not as a material object but as a container, as a shrine, of intangible heritage and history of a community.

Cultural tourism in the broad understanding of the word can revive both the house of worship and the community .

Figure 8. Period details for a furniture store. The piscina in the fouteenth century chapel of St Leonard's of the Wool Weavers in Ghent, Belgium.

Modern society is in a transition and religious buildings need to be adapted to the changes in needs, ideas and tastes, as has happened in the past. Throughout history houses of worship have changed their appearance to changes in liturgy and demographics, denomination or fashion. The conservation of churches, temples, synagogues as historic monuments including their interior and fittings, is arbitrary and freezing a sacred building

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in time. This approach is in danger of reducing all religious heritage to defunct monuments. On the other end of the spectrum are commercial new functions, which are supposed to open up abandoned buildings to a large public and generate funds for future maintenance, thus securing conservation. The Wool Weavers Chapel in Ghent, Belgium, became redundant in the late eighteenth century. After several commercial uses in the previous centuries, it was completely restored and reopened as a fashion boutique. Today it is a furniture store. It is accessible to the general public and the building is in a decent state, the sacred character of this sacred building, however, has been changed dramatically. The material fabric may be preserved, the spirit of the building is transformed.

Extended or new use as a venue for social, cultural or educational functions is an option to retain much more of the original character. As Heidegger once wrote in his Bauen, Wohnen, Denken (1951), ´´true safeguarding is positive and allows to retain its being. Wijesuriya argues religious heritage is different from other built heritage because of its values, and advocates a shift from a material centered conservation towards a conservation of the spiritual fabric. The being or spirit of ecclesiastical heritage can be regarded its historic place as a centre of society, the centre of social, cultural and educational life.

Throughout history religious buildings have adapted to changes in demography, in liturgy and in tastes. Redesigning churches today to changing realities is a continuation of this tradition. A tradition that has proven to preserve significant parts of both the material and the spiritual fabric of ecclesiastical heritage. A distinction can be made between churches in urban and in rural areas. In most western regions a third category can be distinguished: suburban. Solutions of new use that are suitable for one area can be meaningless for other areas. Decommissioned parish churches in rural and suburban may need special attention. A second distinction that can be made is typology. A significant part of the decommissioned churches were built in the nineteenth and twentieth century.

The intentionally untraditional design of many Post War churches, as well as their location, can make these suitable for relevant new use. Also unlike most other churches their interiors are often untouched meaning many can be considered a

conservation and reactivation of churches : the new use of historic houses of worship.

Gesamtkunstwerk. This may affect the heritage value of the interior. More research into the specific issue of decommissioned rural parish churches and into the specific issue of suburban Post War churches seems sensible. As the context of each church is different, the outcome of a new use approach connected to context and society, rural, suburban or urban, will always be specific and related to a local situation. A people centered reactivation is in spirit of the original building. It is new use related to these modern interpretations of the original church that places of worship can retain its relevance in the community. People related reactivations can become motivators for development, tools for regeneration. As a community centre or a concert hall, or as a chapel a columbarium, a library. The potentials for adapted continuation of churches has not reached its full potential yet and new uses are likely to emerge.

Churches are the physical presence of a shared and common heritage, both tangible and intangible.

Churches give a sense of place and contribute to local or even national identity. A material focus of built heritage preservation needs a shift towards a people-related process safeguarding the spirit of historic places of worship. Adapting to changing realities includes understanding why these buildings are significant and how best to preserve the character as relevant centres of community life.

A redesign for new uses can be necessary, the reconnection of the heritage to the community significant and important, it is advisable to retain the original function of the church as a common place of gathering, the venue of cultural and social events, the destination of a pilgrimage.

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conservation and reactivation of churches : the new use of historic houses of worship.

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conservation and reactivation of churches : the new use of historic houses of worship.