Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass at Sagrada Família and opens the Tower of Jesus Christ

Pope Leo XIV will celebrate Mass at the Sagrada Família envisioned by Antoni Gaudí, the “architect of God”, and open the Tower of Jesus Christ, making the basilica the tallest in the world.

Pope Leo XIV at the Sagrada Família

The highlight of the papal visit to Spain will take place on Wednesday 10 June, when the principal tower of the country’s best-known church is inaugurated and blessed.

Completed in the centenary year of the architect who conceived it, the Tower of Jesus Christ brings Barcelona’s Sagrada Família to a height of 172.5 metres, making it the tallest basilica in the world. Its striking cross alone measures 17 metres.

Antoni Gaudí, a devout Catholic, transformed Barcelona’s skyline through the unfinished Sagrada Família and other outstanding examples of Modernist architecture, including Casa Batlló, La Pedrera and Park Güell. These landmarks draw millions of tourists to the Catalan capital each year. The church alone received almost five million visitors last year, making it Spain’s most visited monument.

Antoni Gaudí’s faith and legacy

Gaudí’s devotion to God led the Vatican to declare him venerable. He was struck by a tram on 10 June 1926 while on his way to a church, and the process for his beatification is under way.

Born in 1852, Gaudí’s faith deepened after the deaths of family members. In 1894, this led him to undertake an extreme fast and adopt an austere life, becoming “a man of God” in complete contrast to his work.

Meanwhile, the Sagrada Família continued to rise. Its foundation stone was laid in 1882 under the original plans by Francisco de Paula; Gaudí took over the project in 1883 and devoted himself to it exclusively from 1914.

Uncomfortable with photographs and fame, Gaudí nevertheless left behind creations that everyone wants to see. “It is the most obvious of miracles,” Gijs van Hensbergen, author of one of his biographies, told AFP.