Why country singer Sheryl Crow built a church at her 50-acre Nashville residence

Country singer Sheryl Crow is proud of her 50-acre Nashville home because it even has a barn, recording studio, saloon, horse stables—and a church.

Crow loves her cosy home because it is a quiet escape from her work. "When I bought this property, I thought it would be nice to have a space that has nothing to do with work – just a quiet and sacred place to gather," the singer tells PEOPLE. "The kids do like to go in and ring the bell!"

Crow even created a separate building to serve as a church. "It's a great gathering place," she says. "We've had a lot of really good fund-raising events here."

The Wall Street Journal earlier reported that Crow purchased a dilapidated church on the Internet, had it shipped to her house, and had it restored for her personal use.

Crow considers herself as a Christian, especially since she was raised in a small town of "churchgoing, hardworking people." However, she has some different beliefs. One time, Crow even suggested that God could be female.

"Since I was 21, I've always had a strong relationship and an everyday, ongoing dialogue with a higher power," she said. "He or She seems to be most evident in nature, which I guess is why I'm so environmentally driven to preserve what we have around here."

Crow spent majority of her life travelling from one place to another. But when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, she developed a different perspective about home.

"When I was diagnosed with breast cancer, it was kind of a soul-searching time for me, and I realised the one thing that I didn't have in my life was roots," she said. "For somebody like me, who has spent much of the last 20 years traveling, home has been a place that has made me feel antsy."

"The things that have been missing from my life have driven me to go out and avoid looking at it. It really made me look at what I was missing," she added. "I guess I've been sort of a vagabond."

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