Converting Sacred Spaces

Projectmanagement - City of Leuven - Belgium, The Netherlands, France, Ireland and the United Kingdom

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The aim of the European project Converting Sacred Spaces was to protect religious heritage sites under threat – in this case, important monasteries – by finding new uses for them. Five European countries took part in this project: the Netherlands with the Catharijneconvent in Utrecht, the United Kingdom with Fountains Abbey in Ripon, Ireland with the Presentation Sisters Convent in Cork, France with five religious sites in the North and finally, Belgium with the Park Abbey in Leuven. The five countries have collaborated in establishing a travelling exhibition presenting the problems posed by these sites, have organised a number of study days and have produced an inspiring book. The project was supported by the Interreg III B programme of the European Union. Sien was responsible for coordinating the whole project, at the request of the City of Leuven.