**1. Rituals and Spaces—Introduction**

In this article, we will describe the recent changes of funeral rites in relation to the adaptive reuse project of the St. Odulphus church in Booienhoven (Zoutleeuw), Flanders (see Figures 1 and 2). We will explore the potential relationship between the spatial properties of the design and the funeral rites that are to be (re-)introduced in the context of the adaptive reuse of the site. Nowadays, the burial of the deceased is taking on new and almost experimental forms, with the increase of cremation as a subtle sign of secularization. As a recently accepted practice (1963) in the Roman Catholic Church, it also raises questions on the spiritual function and meaning of a Christian funeral service in contemporary Western society. This is perhaps even more relevant in Flanders, since its secularization process has an ambiguous nature. The traditionally very Roman Catholic area is characterized by a strong adherence to "cultural Christianity"—people attaching value to certain elements of the Christian tradition, without identifying themselves as belonging to the institute of the Catholic Church (Billiet 2017).

In the light of the need for new rituals concerning death and mourning, we take the opportunity to rethink and expand the Christian liturgy of burial to include a wide variety of funeral services. Using

the exercise to design a central urn cemetery in Zoutleeuw as an example, we consider the creation of new sacred spaces and rituals that still connect to Christian tradition. We ask ourselves: *what form can the new rituals receive and how do they relate to the existing ones? How can the renewed funeral celebration be (re-)integrated in the adaptive reuse of the church and site and vice versa? In what way are ritual and space connected and mutually inspiring in this particular case?*

Inspired by the liturgical reform before and after Vatican II, we propose a "layered liturgy", reflecting a wider and contemporary spiritual experience of burial rituals while at the same time respecting its Catholic roots. The approach developed here can be described as a "topological" reflection on the intimate and recurring relationship between rituals and spaces.

**Figure 1.** View of the St. Odulphus site with the ensemble of the church, the former rectory and the guild hall in the rural environment of Hageland Belgium.

**Figure 2.** Left: view of the current interior of the St. Odulphus church; right: a sketched impression of the transformation into a columbarium church (hand drawing by Saidja Heynickx).
