PARCUM (Centrum voor Religieuze Kunst en Cultuur)

PARCUM, originally founded in 1997 as the Centrum voor Religieuze Kunst en Cultuur (CRKC), is the Flemish government-recognized museum and expertise center for religious art and culture in Flanders and Brussels. It is located in the Abdij van Park (Park Abbey) in Heverlee, near Leuven, Belgium. The organization was established by the Flemish dioceses, the umbrella organization of religious orders in Flanders, the Association of Flemish Norbertine Abbeys, and KU Leuven. In 2017, the renewed Museum PARCUM opened in the former parsonage of the abbey church, taking its name from the Park Abbey. Since January 2020, CRKC and PARCUM operate under the single name PARCUM. As a museum, PARCUM houses a collection of religious heritage from churches and monasteries across Belgium that have closed due to secularization. The collection includes stucco works by Jan Hansche, who also worked on the stucco in the Castle of Horst, and stained glass windows by Jean de Caumont depicting the life of Saint Norbert, recognized as Flemish Masterpieces. The museum also hosts temporary exhibitions on themes such as religion, pilgrimage, and interfaith dialogue. As an expertise center, PARCUM supports local governments and heritage managers of various recognized religions in Flanders and Brussels. It offers tailored advice, inventories of heritage from monasteries, abbeys, and parish churches, guidance on the care of vulnerable heritage, and develops tools for the future of parish churches, including church policy plans for repurposing. PARCUM is also responsible, together with the VVSG, for the Platform Toekomst Parochiekerken (Platform Future of Parish Churches). Looking ahead, Museum PARCUM is set to expand in 2026 with additional exhibition spaces and a new reception area following the full restoration of the abbey. The organization continues to inspire and inform owners and managers of public and private religious heritage in Flanders through knowledge sharing, good examples, and articles.

PARCUM was founded in 1997 under the name Centrum voor Religieuze Kunst en Cultuur (CRKC) by the Flemish dioceses, the umbrella organization of religious orders in Flanders, the Association of Flemish Norbertine Abbeys, and KU Leuven. The organization was established to care for and manage the religious heritage of Flanders, particularly as churches and monasteries began to close due to secularization. In 2017, the renewed Museum PARCUM opened in the former parsonage of the abbey church in the Abdij van Park in Heverlee, near Leuven. The name PARCUM refers to the Abdij van Park. The museum's collection had been formed since 1997 by pieces entrusted to CRKC and later to the expertise center, mostly heritage from churches and monasteries elsewhere in Belgium that had to close. Since January 2020, CRKC and PARCUM have operated under the single name PARCUM. The organization continues to function both as a museum and as an expertise center recognized by the Flemish government. In 2026, following the full restoration of the abbey, Museum PARCUM will be expanded with additional exhibition spaces and a new reception area. Throughout its history, PARCUM has organized numerous temporary exhibitions on themes such as religious life, pilgrimage, interfaith dialogue, and the meaning of religious heritage. It has also developed tools and platforms, such as the Platform Toekomst Parochiekerken (with VVSG), to support the future of parish churches in Flanders and Brussels.

• 2026

  Museum PARCUM to be expanded with additional exhibition spaces and a new reception area after full restoration of the abbey.

• 2020

  CRKC and PARCUM begin operating under the single name PARCUM.

• 2017

  Renewed Museum PARCUM opens in the former parsonage of the abbey church in the Abdij van Park.

• 1997

  PARCUM founded as Centrum voor Religieuze Kunst en Cultuur (CRKC) by the Flemish dioceses, the umbrella organization of religious orders in Flanders, the Association of Flemish Norbertine Abbeys, and KU Leuven.

Recognized by the Flemish government as the museum and expertise center for religious art and culture, supporting heritage managers and local governments in Flanders and Brussels.

• Museum PARCUM

  Museum in the Abdij van Park with permanent collection and temporary exhibitions on religious art and culture.

• Expertise center services

  Tailored advice, inventories, and support for religious heritage managers and local governments.

• Platform Toekomst Parochiekerken

  Platform for the future of parish churches, run together with VVSG.

1. 1Religieus erfgoedadvies | PARCUMparcum.be
2. 2Centrum voor Religieuze Kunst en Cultuur - Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3PARCUM - Wikipedianl.wikipedia.org