Five Los Angeles nuns are protesting the fact that pop star Katy Perry was allowed to buy a Los Feliz-area Mediterranean villa, on eight acres, for $14.5 million, in 2014. The Catholic sisters claim that they, as the last people to live in the building, had the right to sell it.

The “I Kissed A Girl” hit-maker Katy Perry has become the source of a dispute after she bought a hilltop property from the Archbishop of Los Angeles. The five nuns behind the complaint claim they had the right to sell it and do not want the 30-year-old singer to occupy their former home.

The nuns – aged between 77 and 88 – are believed to have organized their own sale on the Gothic property to local restaurateur Dana Hollister for $1 million more than the “Roar” singer's offer, despite the fact the Archbishop claims the sale was not binding as the nuns are under his authority.

In an email correspondence sent from Sister Catherine Rose Holzman to Archbishop Jose Gomez on May 22, Holzman wrote, "In selling to Katy Perry, we feel we are being forced to violate our canonical vows to the Catholic Church."

In other documents submitted by Sister Catherine Rose (86) and Sister Rita Callanan (77), of the Sisters of the Most Holy and Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, they accuse the Archbishop of acting as if he were "above the rules and immune from the obligations of civil law."

Sister Jean-Marie Dunne, 88, has also accused church officials of "not possessing a modicum of humility" while dealing with the case.

While two of the five nuns are believed to have signed statements supporting the sale to Katy, Sister Rita and Sister Catherine Rose claim one of them was on morphine at the time so was not fit to do so.

Perry, who released her fourth studio album 'Prism' in 2013, had previously tried to win over the nuns by singing to them and showing them a tattoo of the name "Jesus" she has on her wrist, although they insisted they were unimpressed by the meeting.

The nuns and the Archdiocese will return to court on July 30 to learn if the nun’s sale will be killed. They will then return to court in October to discuss who has legal control of the property.

The nuns’ attorney, Bernard Resser, said it was disappointing that Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge James Chalfant wasn’t able to set an earlier court date.

The archdiocese argues it has legal authority over the property and that the nuns’ sale was unauthorized.

On Saturday, Archbishop Gomez released a statement saying, “I would like to reiterate my continued commitment to all of the Immaculate Heart sisters, that the archdiocese will take care of them and ensure their well-being now and in the future.”