When is a church a sacred space, and when is it a nightclub?

Robert Brennan describes the experience of visiting historic religious sites in London, such as Westminster Abbey and St. Paul’s Cathedral, noting the tension between their roles as tourist destinations and their history as sacred spaces.

Brennan observes that while these buildings are now major cultural and architectural landmarks, they were once sites where the Mass was celebrated for hundreds of years. He notes that the historical significance of Westminster Abbey includes the burial sites of figures like St. Edward the Confessor, Charles Dickens, and Isaac Newton.