diff --git a/include/XSLT/impl/handler/xslt_apply_templates_handler.hpp b/include/XSLT/impl/handler/xslt_apply_templates_handler.hpp
index 8a6a4494..3a8d91f0 100644
--- a/include/XSLT/impl/handler/xslt_apply_templates_handler.hpp
+++ b/include/XSLT/impl/handler/xslt_apply_templates_handler.hpp
@@ -10,36 +10,37 @@ namespace Arabica
 namespace XSLT
 {
 
-class ApplyTemplatesHandler : public SAX::DefaultHandler<std::string>
+template<class string_type, class string_adaptor>
+class ApplyTemplatesHandler : public SAX::DefaultHandler<string_type, string_adaptor>
 {
 public:
-  ApplyTemplatesHandler(CompilationContext<std::string>& context) :
+  ApplyTemplatesHandler(CompilationContext<string_type, string_adaptor>& context) :
     context_(context),
     applyTemplates_(0)
   {
   } // ApplyTemplatesHandler
 
-  virtual void startElement(const std::string& namespaceURI,
-                            const std::string& localName,
-                            const std::string& qName,
-                            const SAX::Attributes<std::string>& atts)
+  virtual void startElement(const string_type& namespaceURI,
+                            const string_type& localName,
+                            const string_type& qName,
+                            const SAX::Attributes<string_type, string_adaptor>& atts)
   {
     if(applyTemplates_ == 0)
     {
       static const ValueRule rules[] = { { "select", false, 0, 0 },
                                          { "mode", false, 0, 0 },
                                          { 0, false, 0, 0} };
-      std::map<std::string, std::string> attrs = gatherAttributes(qName, atts, rules);
+      std::map<string_type, string_type> attrs = gatherAttributes(qName, atts, rules);
     
-      const std::string& select = attrs["select"];
-      Arabica::XPath::XPathExpressionPtr<std::string> xpath;
+      const string_type& select = attrs["select"];
+      Arabica::XPath::XPathExpressionPtr<string_type, string_adaptor> xpath;
       if(select != "")
         xpath = context_.xpath_expression(select);
 
-      std::string mode;
+      string_type mode;
       if(attrs["mode"] != "")
         mode = context_.processInternalQName(attrs["mode"]).clarkName();
-      applyTemplates_ = new ApplyTemplates(xpath, mode);
+      applyTemplates_ = new ApplyTemplates<string_type, string_adaptor>(xpath, mode);
 
       return;
     } // if(applyTemplates_ == 0)
@@ -73,22 +74,22 @@ public:
     throw SAX::SAXException("xsl:apply-templates can only contain xsl:sort and xsl:with-param elements.");
   } // startElement
 
-  virtual void endElement(const std::string& /* namespaceURI */,
-                          const std::string& /* localName */,
-                          const std::string& /* qName */)
+  virtual void endElement(const string_type& /* namespaceURI */,
+                          const string_type& /* localName */,
+                          const string_type& /* qName */)
   {
     context_.parentContainer().add_item(applyTemplates_);
     context_.pop();
   } // endElement
 
-  virtual void characters(const std::string& ch)
+  virtual void characters(const string_type& ch)
   {
     verifyNoCharacterData(ch, "xsl:apply-templates");
   } // characters
 
 private:
-  CompilationContext<std::string>& context_;
-  ApplyTemplates* applyTemplates_;
+  CompilationContext<string_type, string_adaptor>& context_;
+  ApplyTemplates<string_type, string_adaptor>* applyTemplates_;
 }; // class ApplyTemplatesHandler
 
 } // namespace XSLT
diff --git a/include/XSLT/impl/handler/xslt_item_container_handler.hpp b/include/XSLT/impl/handler/xslt_item_container_handler.hpp
index 04a231de..81d5d094 100644
--- a/include/XSLT/impl/handler/xslt_item_container_handler.hpp
+++ b/include/XSLT/impl/handler/xslt_item_container_handler.hpp
@@ -139,7 +139,7 @@ const ChildElement* AllowedChildren()
   static const ChildElement allowedChildren[] = 
   {
     { "apply-imports", CreateHandler<ApplyImportsHandler<std::string, Arabica::default_string_adaptor<std::string> > > },
-    { "apply-templates", CreateHandler<ApplyTemplatesHandler> },
+    { "apply-templates", CreateHandler<ApplyTemplatesHandler<std::string, Arabica::default_string_adaptor<std::string> > > },
     { "attribute", CreateHandler<AttributeHandler<std::string, Arabica::default_string_adaptor<std::string> > > },
     { "call-template", CreateHandler<CallTemplateHandler<std::string, Arabica::default_string_adaptor<std::string> > > },
     { "choose", CreateHandler<ChooseHandler<std::string, Arabica::default_string_adaptor<std::string> > > },
diff --git a/include/XSLT/impl/xslt_apply_templates.hpp b/include/XSLT/impl/xslt_apply_templates.hpp
index f627ddb2..50e11540 100644
--- a/include/XSLT/impl/xslt_apply_templates.hpp
+++ b/include/XSLT/impl/xslt_apply_templates.hpp
@@ -10,19 +10,21 @@ namespace Arabica
 namespace XSLT
 {
 
+template<class string_type, class string_adaptor>
 class ApplyTemplates : public Item,
                        public Sortable,
                        public WithParamable
 {
 public:
-  ApplyTemplates(Arabica::XPath::XPathExpressionPtr<std::string> select,
-                 std::string& mode) :
+  ApplyTemplates(Arabica::XPath::XPathExpressionPtr<string_type, string_adaptor> select,
+                 string_type& mode) :
     select_(select),
     mode_(mode)
   {
   } // ApplyTemplates
 
-  virtual void execute(const DOM::Node<std::string>& node, ExecutionContext& context) const
+  virtual void execute(const DOM::Node<string_type, string_adaptor>& node, 
+                       ExecutionContext& context) const
   {
     ParamPasser passer(*this, node, context);
 
@@ -33,13 +35,13 @@ public:
       return;
     }
 
-    Arabica::XPath::NodeSet<std::string> nodes;
+    Arabica::XPath::NodeSet<string_type, string_adaptor> nodes;
     if(select_ == 0)
-      for(DOM::Node<std::string> n = node.getFirstChild(); n != 0; n = n.getNextSibling())
+      for(DOM::Node<string_type, string_adaptor> n = node.getFirstChild(); n != 0; n = n.getNextSibling())
         nodes.push_back(n);
     else
     {
-      Arabica::XPath::XPathValue<std::string> value = select_->evaluate(node, context.xpathContext());
+      Arabica::XPath::XPathValue<string_type, string_adaptor> value = select_->evaluate(node, context.xpathContext());
       if(value.type() != Arabica::XPath::NODE_SET)
         throw std::runtime_error("apply-templates select expression is not a node-set");
       nodes = value.asNodeSet();
@@ -49,8 +51,8 @@ public:
   } // execute
 
 private:
-  Arabica::XPath::XPathExpressionPtr<std::string> select_;
-  std::string mode_;
+  Arabica::XPath::XPathExpressionPtr<string_type, string_adaptor> select_;
+  string_type mode_;
 }; // class ApplyTemplates
 
 } // namespace XSLT