What happens to a sacred place when people no longer gather there to seek the divine?
A lot of things, actually.
As more people find spirituality outside of traditional church settings, some of the big, beautiful cathedrals, churches and synagogues that were once centers of community life are being repurposed into secular spaces. Their transformations are a reflection of the changes that have happened with religions in Western society.
Mainline Protestant Christian denominations, like the Anglican and Lutheran churches, once dominated the religious landscapes of both the United States and Northern Europe. But this tradition's share of the population has been declining sharply in recent decades. The Roman Catholic Church and Jewish synagogues have suffered losses as well, with attendance at religious services steadily declining.
In addition, secularism is on the rise. The number of religiously unaffiliated adults who say they rarely or seldom attend worship services has grown rapidly in America over the past decade. In both Europe and North America, the unaffiliated are expected to continuing growing.
While some of the defunct sacred buildings these denominations leave behind are shuttered and abandoned, many have found new life in unexpected ways -- from a church-turned-bar in Dublin, Ireland to a Lower East Side synagogue in New York City that has morphed into a townhouse that you can now rent on AirBnb.
Scroll down to see some of these remarkable transformations.
The church was transformed by the Amsterdam-based architects Merkx+Girod and now houses a three-storey bookshelf.
Scroll down for images of Boekhandel Selexyz Dominicanen.
The gorgeous Renatus Harris organ inside The Church was once played by George Frederic Handel, and Arthur Guinness, the founder of Guinness Brewery, was married in this sacred space back in 1761.
Scroll down for images of The Church.
The building has been used as a commune, a nightclub (whose opening-night party was hosted by Andy Warhol), an upscale urban mall called Limelight Shops, and recently a Chinese restaurant.
Scroll down for images of this former Episcopal church.
Scroll down for images from inside the renovated Knox Church.
Scroll down for images from inside the renovated St. Mark's Protestant Episcopal Church.
Scroll down for images of the Little Stone Church.
Scroll down for images from inside the renovated Washington Square United Methodist Church.
Scroll down for images inside the Early Romanesque Revival church.
The space is now a three-bedroom townhouse with three outdoor terraces and cathedral ceilings. It is reportedly available to rent on AirBnB.
Scroll down for more images from inside the 8th Street Shul.
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