Katy Perry's attempt to purchase an old convent being blocked by elderly nuns

Katy Perry.
(Image credit: Ian Gavan/Getty Images)

A strange real estate saga is unfolding in Los Angeles, featuring a restaurateur and nightlife doyenne, six nuns, and Katy Perry.

The Sisters of the Most Holy and Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary purchased an eight-acre property in Los Feliz in 1972, and now that they all live in retirement homes, they want to sell the convent and live off of the proceeds. The nuns closed a deal with restaurant owner Dana Hollister for $15.5 million, but the Archdiocese of Los Angeles said they acted too quickly, and it's not actually their property to sell. Sister Catherine Rose, 86, disagrees. "We have control of our property, it's ours," she told ABC Los Angeles. "The archdiocese is not taking care of us, we've been taking care of ourselves."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.