A woman walks by an art installation being set up at the Sacred Heart church in Mechelen, Beligum, Monday, June 19, 2023. Across Europe, the continent that nurtured Christianity for most of two millennia, many churches, convents, beguinages and chapels stand empty as faith and church attendance have dwindled over the past half century. Many are now been repurposed to preserve their historical and architectural relevance, while others have opened up to non-religious activities to expand their use.
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Across Europe, churches, convents and chapels stand empty and increasingly derelict after faith and church attendance shriveled over the past half century. More of the once-sacred structures are repurposed for anything from clothes shops and climbing walls to night clubs. The phenomenon is seen across much of Europe’s Christian heartland from Portugal to Austria, but really stands out in Flanders, in northern Belgium. Every of the 300 towns in Flanders has about six churches and often not enough faithful to fill a single one.