Converted convent

A converted convent is a former Catholic monastery (Augustinian, Dominican, Carmelite, Franciscan) transformed into a premium hotel after religious deconsecration. Belgium counts around twenty documented hotel conversions since 1980, a direct consequence of declining religious vocations and heritage real estate pressure. Architecture preserves the monastic cells (turned into guest rooms), cloister, refectory (now restaurant), chapel (events space) and walled garden. Conversion permits typically require listed elements to be retained. A notable point: Martin's Patershof in Mechelen occupies a 19th-century neo-Gothic Franciscan convent (Visit Belgium officiel, 2026).

Hospitality context
Botanic Sanctuary Antwerp occupies a 1545 Augustinian convent, Martin's Patershof in Mechelen converts a Franciscan convent into 79 rooms around the cloister, and Sandton Grand Hotel Reylof in Ghent integrates an aisle of a former mansion next to a religious site.