Heritage Care and Valorization in a Changing Religious Landscape

The changing religious landscape of Flanders/Belgium presents a challenge for organizations seeking to care for and valorize religious heritage. To broaden their scope and respond to the far-reaching changes in society, they need to develop broad expertise and extensive networks across religious and cultural boundaries. In 2019-2020, KADOC-KU Leuven and PARCUM conducted the project Hemelsbreed. Diverse Religious Heritage in Flanders to focus on the movable, immovable, and intangible heritage and heritagerelated needs of Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, Islamic, Jewish, and Protestant faith communities. Hemelsbreed was an important first step in mapping out the diversity of religious heritage in Flanders. In this article, we present the project s research methodology and offer an overview of its principal results. We conclude with suggestions for future actions in the field of religious heritage care and valorization, actions which can also stimulate innovative research on the evolving religious landscape.