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Closed church buildings in Britain are used for non-religious purposes

2023-12-02 19:24:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Closed church buildings in Britain are used for non-religious purposes

Illustrative photo

Over two thousand churches have closed in Britain in the last decade. The buildings in many cases have been destroyed, but as Voice of America correspondent Umberto Aguiar from London reports, some of them are being used for other non-religious reasons.

The Church of St Bartholomew the Great is one of the oldest in London and is celebrating its 900th anniversary.

But the number of such churches is dwindling in Britain. Two thousand churches have already closed over the past decade.

Despite the recovery experienced after the Covid-19 pandemic, attendance at church services remains in decline in Britain. According to recent studies, a quarter of Anglican churches no longer hold weekly services. Only 6 percent of Britons identify themselves as practicing Christians.

"There are many reasons for closing churches. One of the reasons is the decline of religious faith, which has swept Western Europe and now the United States as well," says Father Marcus Walker, rector of the Church of St. Bartholomew the Great.

Many church buildings are now used for other purposes. This church in London's financial district has been turned into a garden.

In autumn, leaves now fall where stained glass windows, artwork and the spire of a church once stood. The bells of a church are now located in a wine production center in California.

"It is a tragedy when a church is not used for its primary purpose of worshiping God. With this, the common space and memory of a community is lost," says Father Marcus Walker, rector of the Church of St. Bartholomew the Great.

In the Mayfair district of central London, a food market has taken the place of an American church, where Americans prayed during the second world war and at that time was located near the American embassy.

"Many churches are closing. We have to find a new use for these religious objects and we tried to do that here", says Andrea Rasca, executive director of the "Mercato Metropolitan" center.

Mr. Rasca says that the aim of the "Mercato Metropolitan" center is to help refugees, women entrepreneurs and people from all over the world who come to London to share their culture.

"We managed to convince the owner to use this space for food preparation courses, music courses for children and as a place where the elderly can spend time," he says.

Although attendance at some church services is declining in Britain, attendance at other churches has seen a slight increase. The Catholic Church of Our Lady of Victories, which was destroyed during the Second World War and rebuilt in 1958, is often filled with believers during Sunday Masses./ VOA