Open Churches

MISSION

Open Churches believes that churches are of the public domain and they should be open for visitors.  They are not just for religious purposes, but as village centres, a representation of social life, a cultural space, and a touristic site.  Open Churches is a network of more than 425 open and welcoming churches in the heart of Europe. Thanks to their website, the visitors will be able to discover which buildings belong to the ‘Open Churches’ with information about the opening times, descriptions, photos, highlighted elements of the church, information on events, etc.  The organization’s main goals are to Empower religious heritage and make it accessible for the local population, to create the correct atmosphere that will help visitors discover the richness of our religious heritage, and to organize social activities such as concerts and exhibitions to bring people closer to religious heritage and involve them in its safeguarding

ACTIVITIES

NETWORK

Open churches operates a network of over 425 churches in Belgium, France, and Luxembourg.  It gathers information on them such as opening times, addresses, etc. to ensure that they are accessible to everyone.  It also gathers information about their events which are advertised on their website.

DATABASE

Open churches also maintains a detailed database of information about churches.  On their website, one can find an interactive map that shows all of the churches in their network with information about each.  Events that are held at each of these churches or are relating to religious heritage can be found on their website.  Finally, Open Churches has a list of circuits that can be walked, biked, or driven so that people can tour local religious heritage at their own pace.

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