7 Converted Churches on Airbnb That Will Stun You With Historic Charm

There’s something particularly gorgeous about a church that has been renovated and transformed into a residence. I’m charmed enough by the aesthetic that I long fantasized of purchasing a church instead of a traditional home and turning it into the spacious, high-ceiling-ed, reverb-heavy house of my dreams. 

When I was house-hunting for the first time about three years ago, I kept this in mind. When a church within my budget finally went on the market, I nearly bought it but was a day or two late with my inquiry—it had already gone under contract. I’ve since become friends with the folks who did buy that church (and turned it into a lovely performance arts space) and wooooooboy. I’ve learned through them that I absolutely did not have the resources to renovate that church. 

My refreshed opinion, for now, is that the ideal way to spend time in a renovated church is to ensure the church belongs to someone else. As gorgeous as this kind of updated space can be, the related hassles of those updates are also real. With that in mind, I’m delighted to discover that there are tons of beautiful churches on Airbnb available to rent—without any of the fixing-up headaches.

Here are some favorites:

This Union Square rental is close to Harvard and boasts elegant windows and ceilings. 

Feast your eyes on this amazing 18th-century structure wherein you can realize all of your Celtic vacation.

This “Chapel on the Hill” was once a quaint Methodist church and is now a luxuriously modern abode. 

If you’re going to stay in NYC, what better place to recharge than a slick Airbnb in Brooklyn that was once a church?

Vaulted ceilings never go out of style, which is part of the reason why we love this Windy City spot.

The architecture throughout New Orleans is decidedly unique and we love the way the details from this yesteryear church come through in this listing.

Stained glass and a colorful palate help set this holy retreat apart from the rest.

There are plenty of other churches that have been turned into accommodations out there! So what are you waiting for? Let’s go to church. (And on that note, although it’s not a residence, here’s a reminder of how gorgeous this video of Sergei Polunin dancing to Hozier’s “Take Me To Church” in a church is…)