Ornate chapels difficult to adapt to alternative use

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Archiseek / Ireland / News / 2000 / April 27 2000: Ornate chapels difficult to adapt to alternative use

The problem of declining numbers in religious orders in recent years and the resultant closure of monasteries and convents has in turn created another difficulty: what should be done with these buildings? While the main blocks can be converted with relative ease into apartments, and the grounds used for housing, it is much less easy to find a new purpose for the structure which has stood at the heart, both literally and metaphorically, of a religious community - the chapel.

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