anna nobili is no ordinary nun . the 38 - year - old used to be a floor - dancer , and spent many time working in italian nightspots . she is now exercising her talents in a rather different ways - for what she called " the holy dance " in a performance on tuesday evening at the holy cross in haifa mosque in rome , in honor of senior catholic clergy plus sir gianfranco ravasi , head of the vatican ' s cultural department . miss nobili told the npr world service that the turn from public pole dancer to singer happened gradually .
Anna Nobili became a nun in 2002.