VOA文化艺术2023--In Belgium, Empty Churches Are Being Turned into Businesses

In Belgium, Empty Churches Are Being Turned into Businesses 

Across Europe, churches and other Christian¹ religious buildings stand increasingly empty.

These empty churches are being repurposed. That means they are being changed into other things like hotels, sport climbing businesses, and even dance places.

Supporters say the changes remove the need for costly² repairs and care of the buildings. But critics say such changes raise ethical³ concerns.

Empty churches

Empty churches can be seen over much of Europe - from Germany to Italy and many nations in between.

But the empty churches really stand out in Flanders, in the northern part of Belgium. The area has some of the greatest cathedrals in Europe.

Yet there are not enough people attending the churches. In 2018, the PEW research group released an opinion study of religion in Belgium. The study found that 83 percent of people said they had been raised as Christians⁴. But only 55 percent still consider themselves to be Christians. And only 10 percent of Belgians still attend church regularly.

Johan Bonny is the bishop⁵ of Antwerp. He is a top Church leader in the city. He told the Associated Press about the issue: "That is painful. I will not hide it. On the other hand, there is no return to the past possible."

Mechelen is a town of 85,000 people just north of Brussels. It is the Roman Catholic center of Belgium. It has more than 20 churches. Mayor Bart Somers has been working for years to give many of the buildings a different purpose.

"In my city, we have a brewery⁶ 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. So, we have a lot of new destinations for the churches," said Somers.

Somers, a Flemish regional minister, is also involved in repurposing about 350 churches spread across the densely⁷ populated area of 6.7 million people.

Hotel and rock climbing gym

A famous repurposing project in Belgium was Martin's Patershof hotel in Mechelen. The inside of the church was cleaned out to create rooms. "We often hear that people come here to relax and enjoy the silence of its former identity," said hotel manager Emilie De Preter.

With its simple luxury, it offers time for thought, and more. Since it is now a hotel, people might do many things in the former church.

"So, you could say: ethically⁸, is it a good idea to have a hotel in a church? I don't have so many hesitations," said Somers. "I am more concerned about the actual architectural value."

The design value is especially clear at St. Anthony of Padua church in Brussels. These days, it is also known as Maniak Padoue climbing club. The rock climbing wall is located near large, special colored windows known as stained-glass windows.

"The stained glass brings a...warm light to the venue¹⁰ when the sun goes through it, so we can really feel the presence of the remains¹¹ 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, the Spirito night club has taken over a former Anglican church and has an image of a priest kissing a nun¹² as its logo.

It is not exactly what Bishop Bonny had in mind.

Even if the Roman Catholic religion is declining, a sense of the sacred and a need for thought still exists in society, whether one is religious or not. The sense of peace coming from a church is hard to match. So, for Bonny, there is no reason to turn churches into supermarkets or dance places.

History and future

Bonny thinks the most successful repurposing has been the handing over of churches to other Christian groups, such as Coptic or Eastern European churches.

At his office, though, he can get tired just looking at the number of people coming to make deals for empty Roman Catholic buildings. His heart is heavy when a real estate agent shows up. "They see possibilities. And you cannot believe, suddenly, how pious¹³ they can become when a financial opportunity presents itself. Suddenly they are more devout¹⁴ than a nun," he said.

Knowing the history of Christianity over hundreds of years, Bonny considers the effects of time since the near future does not look bright. "Every 300 years we nearly had to start again," he said. "Something new, I'm sure, will happen. But it takes time."

At the hotel Martin's Patershof, there is even a condition that the church can reclaim¹⁵ the building if it is needed again, said De Preter. The hotel elements were built on steel beams and could be taken out. "If the church, at a certain point, wants the building back — which holds a very small chance, probably — it is possible," De Preter said.

Words in This Story

cathedral – n. the main church of an area

brewery—n. a place where beer is made

destination –n. a place that a person goes to or is sent to

relax – v. to spend time resting or doing something enjoyable

luxury –n. something that is very costly and attractive but not necessary

hesitation⁹ – n. to stop briefly¹⁶ before you do something especially because you are nervous or unsure about what to do

architectural – adj. relating to the art or science of designing and creating buildings

venue – n. the place where an event takes place

altar – n. an area used as a center of worship in Christian ceremonies

1 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

2 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

3 ethical   

adj.伦理的，道德的，合乎道德的

参考例句：

• It is necessary to get the youth to have a high ethical concept.必须使青年具有高度的道德观念。
• It was a debate which aroused fervent ethical arguments.那是一场引发强烈的伦理道德争论的辩论。

4 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

5 bishop   

n.主教，（国际象棋）象

参考例句：

• He was a bishop who was held in reverence by all.他是一位被大家都尊敬的主教。
• Two years after his death the bishop was canonised.主教逝世两年后被正式封为圣者。

6 brewery   

n.啤酒厂

参考例句：

• The brewery had 25 heavy horses delivering beer in London.啤酒厂有25匹高头大马在伦敦城中运送啤酒。
• When business was good,the brewery employed 20 people.在生意好的时候，这家酿造厂曾经雇佣过20人。

7 densely   

ad.密集地；浓厚地

参考例句：

• A grove of trees shadowed the house densely. 树丛把这幢房子遮蔽得很密实。
• We passed through miles of densely wooded country. 我们穿过好几英里茂密的林地。

8 ethically   

adv.在伦理上，道德上

参考例句：

• Ethically , we have nothing to be ashamed about . 从伦理上说，我们没有什么好羞愧的。
• Describe the appropriate action to take in an ethically ambiguous situation. 描述适当行为采取在一个道德地模棱两可的情况。

9 hesitation   

n.犹豫，踌躇

参考例句：

• After a long hesitation, he told the truth at last.踌躇了半天，他终于直说了。
• There was a certain hesitation in her manner.她的态度有些犹豫不决。

10 venue   

n.犯罪地点，审判地，管辖地，发生地点，集合地点

参考例句：

• The hall provided a venue for weddings and other functions.大厅给婚礼和其他社会活动提供了场所。
• The chosen venue caused great controversy among the people.人们就审判地点的问题产生了极大的争议。

11 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

12 nun   

n.修女，尼姑

参考例句：

• I can't believe that the famous singer has become a nun.我无法相信那个著名的歌星已做了修女。
• She shaved her head and became a nun.她削发为尼。

13 pious   

adj.虔诚的；道貌岸然的

参考例句：

• Alexander is a pious follower of the faith.亚历山大是个虔诚的信徒。
• Her mother was a pious Christian.她母亲是一个虔诚的基督教徒。

14 devout   

adj.虔诚的，虔敬的，衷心的 (n.devoutness)

参考例句：

• His devout Catholicism appeals to ordinary people.他对天主教的虔诚信仰感染了普通民众。
• The devout man prayed daily.那位虔诚的男士每天都祈祷。

15 reclaim   

v.要求归还，收回；开垦

参考例句：

• I have tried to reclaim my money without success.我没能把钱取回来。
• You must present this ticket when you reclaim your luggage.当你要取回行李时，必须出示这张票子。

16 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。