Wedding bells are chiming loudly for Dee Devlin and Conor McGregor after a five-year engagement.
The long-time couple who share four children are reportedly set to tie the knot in a historic church in the Vatican despite alleged concerns about making the venue available to the controversial MMA fighter.
That venue is the Chiesa di Santo Stefano Degli Abissini, which is located less than five minutes behind the famed St. Peter’s Basilica.
Conor McGregor leaves the High Court with his girlfriend Dee Devlin and mother Margaret McGregor. Pic: Leah Farrell / RollingNews.ie
Senior Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni told The Irish Independent earlier in the week that he was unaware of any wedding plans and that there was no official Holy See confirmation of the wedding despite widespread media speculation.
Other sources inside the Vatican, however, have told the publication that the church has been booked for the wedding.
It also quoted sources who have apparently expressed their concern over whether it would be appropriate to make a Vatican church available to someone who has been linked to a number of violent incidents.
Conor McGregor leaves he High Court with his girlfriend Dee Devlin, after he was found liable in a High Court civil case for the sexual assault of Nikita Hand in a Dublin hotel in December 2018. Pic: Eamonn Farrell/RollingNews.ie
That includes being convicted in civil court of the rape of Nikita Hand at a hotel in 2018, who was awarded almost €250,000 in damages.
Conor subsequently appealed the decision to the Supreme Court, which was rejected in December.
Conor McGregor and his partner Dee Devlin leave the High Court in Dublin. Pic: Tom Honan
The Chiesa di Santo Stefano has one of the most storied histories of all the churches in the Vatican.
It was built by Pope Leo I in the fourth century and is often considered the oldest surviving church structure in the Vatican.
It overlooks St. Peter’s Basilica and is predominantly used these days for weddings, including King Charles’ godson Nicholas Windsor. News of the wedding comes after Conor vowed to continue his political career after pulling out of the Presidential race in September.
