For most species of bats churches are an important habitat to start a maternity colony. The displeasure of church managers with the presence of bats in churches, especially due to the problem of excrement piling, can lead to persecution of bats and the destruction and obstruction of their roosts. The state of habitat preservation is poor for all species of bats that roost in Slovene churches. Due to the great importance and indispensable role of churches as bat roosts, we observed the relationship between church managers, bats and sacral architecture and set it in Slovene context. We explored what is the opinion of priests on bat roost protection and what would increase the protection of bat roosts in churches. Interviews were conducted with 21 priests and an analysis was made through text coding. The grounded theory was followed by the interpretation, based on four basic content groups: the priests' knowledge of bats and bat roosts, the priests' attitude towards bats, the priests' behaviour and experience with bats and the improvement of the protection of bat roosts in churches. Knowing the biology of bats and the dissipation of myths and superstitions about bats contributes to the improvement of the attitude and behaviour of priests toward bats. The priests' knowledge of the scope of damage on sacral buildings contributes to their attitude towards the protection of bat roosts in churches, which also shows in their behaviour. Considering the realisation of priests that their past actions regarding bat roost protection were unsuitable, their future actions may change. Raising awareness, along with the legislation and financial aid, is a key to improving the knowledge, attitude and behaviour of church managers towards bats and the protection of their roosts in churches.
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