More than one-fifth of all church buildings in the Nether-lands have now been converted into libraries, apartments, offices or other functions in line with the growing secularisation in the country, according to an inquiry by the Protestant daily ‘Trouw.’

Of the 6,900 Dutch church buildings, one-fifth of those built before 1800 –which makes them national monuments – have been secularised. Of those built since then, almost one-quarter have been given over to other uses.

Catholic Churches are less likely to be transformed than Protestant ones because of the different meanings the buildings have for the two communities, Trouw said.

“For Roman Catholics the church is sacred, for Protestants the church is useful. As a result, Roman Catholics are more reluctant to give their churches a different function,” it wrote.

That meant only about 15% of Catholic Churches have been desacralised compared to the one-quarter of Protestant Churches that are now serving other functions.