Deconsecration is the act of removing a religious blessing from something that had been previously consecrated

Consecration

Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups...

 by a minister or priest of that religion. The same act when performed by a member of a differing religion may be considered a curse

Curse

A curse is any expressed wish that some form of adversity or misfortune will befall or attach to some other entity—one or more persons, a place, or an object...

 by some religions and not a complete removal of the original blessing. The practice is usually performed on churches to be rendered to public (secular) use or demolished, but in its most generalized practice may be performed on any object, person or place that has been previously blessed in some manner.

Deconsecration of Roman Catholic churches

Deconsecrated Roman Catholic churches include:

• Sant'Andrea degli Scozzesi
  Sant'Andrea degli Scozzesi
  Sant' Andrea degli Scozzesi is a former church in Rome, near Piazza Barberini on Via delle Quattro Fontane. Once a haven for Scottish Catholics in Rome, it was deconsecrated in 1962.- History :...
  
  , Rome.
• St John the Baptist Catholic Church in the Lawrenceville section of Pittsburgh, now a a brew works pub.
• Three churches in Johnstown, Pennsylvania
  Johnstown, Pennsylvania
  Johnstown is a city in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States, west-southwest of Altoona, Pennsylvania and east of Pittsburgh. The population was 20,978 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Cambria County...
  
  .

In May of 2011, the Vatican

Holy See

The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...

 prevented the deconsecration of a church in Syracuse, New York

Syracuse, New York

Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...

.

External links

• Wikia: Roman churches: Category Deconsecrated churches
• Deconsecration of Rocky Mountain Conference of the United Methodist Church office building, accessed June 25, 2011