My guess -- and it is a guess -- is that the likelihood of a church being open for visitors during the day would have been very high. My impression is that the closure of churches (because of fears of theft and vandalism) is a more recent thing, and it still isn't universal.
I'm not a church-goer, so someone else might have something more informed to say. I really don't think you have a problem having a church with an open door policy, though.
Krissie
