Holy sanctuary: nuns convert flats to Airbnbs inside Spanish convent
Anyone sick of Airbnbs afflicted with paper-thin walls, unholy rackets and noisy, nosy neighbours might like to seek sanctuary in one of the new apartments that promise “peace … light and calm” in the heart of the southern Spanish city of Seville.
Given that the flats in question sit within the 16th-century walls of the Convent of Saint Mary of Jesus – which is home to a community of nuns belonging to the cloistered Order of St Clare – the blurb may not be entirely fanciful.
The sisters’ incursion into the rental market began a few months ago after they decided to look into money-making opportunities beyond the homemade sweet treats they sell at their door.
While they had originally planned a longterm let of the flat occupied by their doorman and his family after they left, they concluded that short rents would probably be their best bet.
“We didn’t want to get directly into running the apartments because that’s not our way of life,” Sister María José told El País by phone. “They bring an income that helps us live but we didn’t want it to come at the expense of our vocation, which is why we’ve had someone else take over the management.”
Word of mouth then reached Javier Bernal and his partner Luis Bidón.
“We got in contact with them last summer after someone who buys their sweets told us they were interested in using some of the rooms they had there as tourist flats,” Bernal told the paper. “So we went to ask them about it.”
The two parties soon reached a year-long agreement and the flats can now be rented for between €90 and €180 for a minimum two-night stay, depending on the size of the apartment chosen.
According to Bernal, the first two months of rentals have attracted more foreign visitors than Spanish ones.
“So far, it’s mainly been [foreigners] but it is true that the percentage of Spanish people is higher than you usually get in this kind of property,” he told El País.