Church Conversion

Interior of a brick church converted to a library with rows of contemporary bookshelves contrasting with the church interior. Flags are hanging from a curved mezzanine wrapping around the space.

De Petrus Vught

Thanks to a group of volunteers, this 19th century church in the Netherlands was saved from destruction to become the cultural heart of the community.
Interior of an English Neogothic church transformed into a library, viewed through a community room constructed in the former choir. The community room is separated from the nave by a glass partition, through which the library can be seen.

Kentville Library, Nova Scotia

Pews have given way to bookshelves in this former Presbyterian church in Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley.
Interior of a library in a converted chapel, wide-angle image of a reading room and librarian's workspace, with low metal shelves and cabinets, tables, and card catalogues. The vaulted ceiling is white with golden details.

Bibliothèque historique du Séminaire de Québec

Spanning four centuries of learning inside a former 19th century chapel, the library of the Québec Seminary is the keeper of a rich encyclopedic collection as old as the city itself.
Interior of a library in a converted Neoclassical chapel. It is a pastel-coloured barrel-vaulted hall filled with small cubicles. An organ fills a gallery at the end of the room. Cross-shaped chandeliers hang from the ceiling.

Dawson College Library, Montréal

Among the first examples of Beaux-Arts architecture in Canada, the former Notre-Dame Congregation chapel in Montréal is now the Dawson college library.
Interior of a large neoclassical chapel. The main part of the room is used as a meeting space, with movable chairs, while the front is closed off by a glass wall and contains a library.

Bibliothèque de la Compagnie de Jésus, Montréal

Long hidden behind drab ceiling tiles, the unveiling of the former chapel at Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf in Montréal in 2004 also marked the renaissance of one of the oldest libraries on the continent.
Exterior view of a brick chapel converted to a library. It is a tall, narrow neo-gothic building, with a rose window on top of a vaulted door. A sideways sign bearing the word "Médiathèque" is affixed to the facade.

Médiathèque de Cassel

The award-winning conversion of this 19th century boarding school chapel in Flanders is worth a walk up the hill.
The image shows an interior of a library located in a former church. It features rows of bookshelves and high, arched wooden ceilings. Stained glass windows and ornate columns are visible, along with tables and chairs for reading.

Bibliothèque Claire-Martin, Québec

A converted Anglican church has been serving as a library for the St Jean Baptiste neighbourhood in Québec City since 1980.
Rear view of the Monique-Corriveau library in winter.

Bibliothèque Monique-Corriveau, Québec

The transformation of this modernist church into a lively library echoes Québec's quiet revolution.