Photos of Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia as Gaudí basilica rises before Pope Leo XIV’s visit
The blessing will mark the completed tower as the basilica draws nearly 5 million visitors a year and remains Spain’s most visited paid monument.
- On June 10, Pope Leo XIV will celebrate mass and bless the central tower of Barcelona's Sagrada Familia, marking the 100th anniversary of architect Antoni Gaudi's death.
- Standing at 172.5 meters , the recently completed central tower brings the basilica to its maximum height, establishing it as the world's tallest church.
- Admirers call Gaudi "God's architect" and the Vatican declared him "venerable" last year, a significant step toward sainthood for the architect.
- Nearly 5 million people visited the basilica in 2025, making it Spain's most visited paid monument, with visitors from around the world witnessing the modernist masterpiece.
- Full completion of the basilica is expected in about a decade as the structure continues rising skyward, extending the architectural vision of the fervent Catholic into the future.
16 Articles
16 Articles
Sagrada Familia’s papal connection comes full circle with Pope Leo XIV
(OSV News) — Pope Leo XIV‘s visit to the Basilica of the Holy Family in Barcelona highlights the relationship between the papacy and the sacred edifice, whose history has spanned more than a century. Most notably, the pope’s visit offers a unique historical symmetry: The basilica’s cornerstone was laid in 1882 during the pontificate of Pope Leo XIII. Now, 144 years later, his namesake will inaugurate the 564-foot-tall Tower of Jesus Christ. Th…
Pope Leo XIV Is Traveling to Barcelona to Inaugurate the Sagrada Família’s Final Tower
Pope Leo XIV will travel to Barcelona on June 10 to bless the Sagrada Família's completed Tower of Jesus Christ, marking the symbolic completion of the basilica on the centennial of architect Antoni Gaudí's death after 144 years of construction.
The Pope's visit to Barcelona mobilizes an unprecedented security mechanism. Two days of celebrations will culminate in the Sagrada Família, where Leo XIV will bless the tower of Jesus, now the highest church in the world.
Pope to mark centenary of death of 'God's architect' Antoni Gaudi
Pope Leo XIV will celebrate mass next week at Barcelona's Sagrada Familia, the unfinished basilica designed by famed architect Antoni Gaudi, a fervent Catholic whose cause for sainthood is advancing in the Vatican. Last year, nearly five million people visited the Sagrada Familia -- known for its soaring towers and symbolism-rich modernist architecture -- making it Spain's most visited paid monument. Other Gaudi landmarks, including the brightly…
Daily Journal
Photos of Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia as Gaudí basilica rises before Pope Leo XIV’s visit
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — The motto for Pope Leo XIV’s upcoming visit to Spain is “Lift up your eyes.” And that’s exactly what millions of visitors to Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia already do as the unfinished basilica continues rising skyward a…
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