The interest in church buildings as religious heritage attractions has been increasing over the past years and awareness is being raised on its great potential and impact on the tourism field. Despite the wide recognition as sites and objects of particular cultural and artistic value, the academic research on interpretation of religious and sacred heritage for visitors has been limited. Interpretation as a field of research has been largely investigating other types of heritage sites; similarly, the majority of academic literature has been focusing on the tourist experience. Therefore, this study aims at investigating interpretation at church building sites from the perspective of those responsible for producing it. In order to do so, qualitative research methods have been employed, gathering a rich amount of data through interviews, field observation, and content analysis of the interpretation material present on site in selected church buildings in the county of Lincolnshire (England, UK). The analysis of this data allowed the recognition of relevant themes. No unique approach to interpretation was identified, mainly due to the insufficiency of official guidance; however, managers (mainly religious leaders) are, to a greater or lesser extent, aware of interpretation. They tend to develop their own narratives, which are influenced by external and internal factors, such as the lack of human and economic resources, the knowledge of visitors’ expectations, and the location of the site. In light of this findings, final reflections were discussed, and limitations to the study were recognised. Finally, further research in the field is highly encouraged to gain a deeper understanding on the topic, as well as to develop focused interpretation guidance and standards tailored around the particular needs of religious heritage sites.
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