LOS ANGELES (AP) – The hills around Hollywood have always been coveted real estate, but a fight over the sale of a hilltop convent has pitted an order of elderly nuns against the Catholic archbishop of Los Angeles, who wants to sell the property to pop singer Katy Perry.
The Sisters of the Most Holy and Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary opposes selling their former home to Perry. The order has owned the property for more than 40 years and have already made a deal with a local entrepreneur with plans to turn it into a boutique hotel and restaurant, including a bar.
For weeks, lawyers for Archbishop Jose H. Gomez, the nuns and businesswoman Dana Hollister have lobbed accusations of dirty dealings over the convent that sits atop a hill in the Los Feliz neighborhood near Hollywood. A judge on Thursday will consider whether to block Hollister’s access to the property, which she has already begun cleaning up after purchasing it from the nuns in June.
A ruling in the archbishop’s favor could eventually lead to Perry finalizing her purchase of the convent and an adjoining House of Prayer, although her bid still requires the Vatican’s approval. At least two of the nuns want the judge to block the sale to Perry and rule that they have the right to control the sale.
“It’s a great Los Angeles story and totally unprecedented in terms of all the players,” said Adrian Glick Kudler, senior editor of the real estate blog Curbed LA.