Selexyz Dominicanen, Maastricht

Selexyz Dominicanen, an 800-year-old church-turned-bookshop in the Netherlands city of Maastricht, was constructed in 1294 and, according to bookshop manager Ton Harmes, derelict since 1796 when the French revolutionary army dispersed the clergy to stable their horses.

Another revolutionary conversion took place in 2002 when the Amsterdam-based bookshop chain Selexyz – with a tradition of bookshops in historical buildings – commissioned architects Merkx+Girod to transform the church into a bibliophile’s paradise.

Three gallery levels with 25,000 titles now soar heavenward. Browsers can view newly uncovered mediaeval frescoes on the gothic ceiling and, at the crucifix-shaped cafe tables on the former altar, today’s biblio-idolaters now sip, chat, laugh, flirt and read.

Bedside reading Build-On: Converted Architecture and Transformed Buildings by Lukas Feireiss , includes the conversion of Selexyz Dominicanen.

Brian Turner for The Sydney Morning Herald

Manon Dallee

Manon is a true food enthusiast who literally has never met an ingredient she didn’t like. Even thought her inability to take orders mixed with her stubborn nature made working as a pastry chef almost impossible, she has immense respect for the trade and still loves nothing more than to bake, in her own domain. Find out more about Manon here.

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