The future of parish churches in Flanders, Belgium: a dialogue on municipality level

Jonas Danckers; Jan Jaspers; Dimitri Stevens

doi:10.6092/issn.2036-1602/6597

Authors

Jonas Danckers Centre for Religious Art and Culture
Jonas Danckers obtained his PhD in Archaeology at the Universities of Leuven (Belgium) and Bologna. Although his main focus was the last years on the Bronze Age of Northern Italy, he remained active in a local fabric committee in Flanders, where he coordinated for instance restorations and organised touristic activities on religious heritage. Since 2016, Jonas works within the “Centre for Religious Art and Culture” (CRKC) as an advisor on management and the future of parish churches in Flanders.
Jan Jaspers Centre for Religious Art and Culture
Jan Jaspers studied Pedagogical Sciences at the University of Leuven (Belgium). He had a long career in the cultural sector as director in different professional cultural organisations, coordinator for culture of “Groep T” International High School and adviser of several Flemish Ministers of Culture. In 2012 he founded the new “Department of Immovable Religious Heritage” of the CRKC. Jan obtained a broad expertise in the coordination of consultations on the future of religious buildings.
Dimitri Stevens Centre for Religious Art and Culture
Dimitri Stevens obtained a Bachelor in History and a Master in Conservation of Monuments and Landscapes (Antwerp). After a period as independent historian of architecture and collaborator of the Flemish Opera, he joined the CRKC in 2012. He was responsible for a systematic survey on Flemish parish churches in 2012-2013 and the analysis of these results. Dimitri is responsible for the databases on “Church Policy Plans” and examples of reuse of churches.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.2036-1602/6597

Keywords:

Flanders, Fabric Committees, Municipalities, Dialogue, Database

Abstract

This paper provides an overview of the actual discussion on the future of circa 1800 parish churches in Flanders, the northern Dutch-speaking part of Belgium. Secularisation and dwindling church attendance is similar to the rest of North-Western Europe, but two factors let slightly differ the issue of underused or abandoned churches in Flanders: (1) 99% of Flemish parish churches are Roman-Catholic, (2) the functioning of fabric committees, public administrations which are nominated by the bishop and financially supported by the Municipalities. After a historical introduction, the method which is obliged by the Flemish Government – elaborating a “Church Policy Plan” in a local dialogue, the guidelines and terminology of the Flemish bishops and mode of operation of the “Centre for Religious Art and Culture” (CRKC) is explained. Examples from rural and urban areas illustrate the diversity of the future use of churches of a municipality: from status quo to complete rejection.