BARCELONA, Spain (AP) 鈥� celebrated the Sagrada Familia Basilica as a masterpiece of 鈥渟tones, colors and light,鈥� as he marked the centenary of the death of its architect, Antoni Gaud铆, with a Mass on Wednesday to inaugurate its final soaring sandcastle spire.
Leo called Gaud铆鈥檚 unfinished temple, one of the world鈥檚 most visited monuments, a 鈥渟ign of unity and harmony for all of Spain,鈥� an ongoing building project like the lifelong journey all Christians make to find God.
鈥淲e are all the living stones of this edifice,鈥� Leo said from the altar of the basilica, with Spanish King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia sitting to his side and a hundreds-strong choir filling the basilica with song.
The service marked the highlight of Leo鈥檚 weeklong visit to Spain, the first by a pope in 15 years to the once staunchly Catholic European country that, like many others, has experienced secularizing trends.
The trip, though, has underscored how the country of 50 million people, which experienced a religious crisis after its 20th century dictatorship ended, still has plenty of faithful Catholics who have to welcome the American pope.
An estimated 120,000 people lined the streets around Sagrada Familia for the event, with streets closed to traffic and a heavy police presence, given the attendance of the royal couple and Prime Minister Pedro S谩nchez. The crowds remained after Mass to watch as Leo inaugurated the basilica’s final Tower of Jesus Christ that has made it the
Speaking in Catalan and Spanish, Leo blessed the tower and its illuminated ceramic cross from outside the basilica, surrounded by bishops craning their mitre-capped heads to look up. An angelic boy’s choir sang as a spectacular light show lit up the basilica’s stained glass windows from the inside and fireworks shot off its facade.
Honoring Catalonia’s Christian traditions
Earlier Wednesday, Leo celebrated a more ancient sacred monument, traveling to Montserrat, a mountain complex outside the city that is dear to many Catalans. The complex, which includes an 11th-century Benedictine abbey and a 16th-century basilica, is revered for its Black Madonna statue and is home to a boy’s choir that has existed since the 13th century and is Europe’s oldest.
Thousands of faithful arrived early at the monastery, with groups of nuns and schoolchildren singing and waving signs and photographs of the pope outside the basilica. Bells rang out over the spire-like rock formations that top Montserrat and the valley below as Leo arrived in a golf cart.
In recent years, the Montserrat abbey has faced numerous accusations from survivors of clergy sexual abuse and was included in the Spanish ombudsman鈥檚 800-page report on the crisis in 2023. The report found 15 victims and three alleged perpetrators linked to the abbey.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very painful because there are members of the church who committed errors,鈥� said the Rev. Cesario Escarda, a Toledo priest, as he waited for Leo at the abbey. 鈥淲hat the pope wants to do is shine a light on the truth and ask forgiveness and bring in the victims and listen to them and accompany them.鈥�
The Bible carved in stone
The highlight of Leo鈥檚 visit, though, was his Mass at Sagrada Familia to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the death of its famed Catalan designer, Gaud铆, who died at age 73, three days after he was hit by a tram.
A century after construction began during the pontificate of Leo鈥檚 namesake, Pope Leo XIII, the basilica has become one of the world鈥檚 most visited but unfinished monuments, annually drawing upward of 5 million visitors a year.
Commemorating Gaud铆’s death, Leo said he wanted to give thanks to all the supporters, artists and workers who 鈥渃ooperated in the construction of an architectural masterpiece, which is also an eloquent catechesis made of stones, colors and light.鈥�
Gaud铆, who is on the path to possible sainthood, spent four decades designing and building the temple as the . The most important stories of Jesus鈥� life, the Nativity and Passion, are etched into the basilica鈥檚 east and west facades. A third facade facing south, the Glory, will serve as the basilica鈥檚 main entrance when finished.
The temple is an architectural and geometrical masterpiece inside and out, an art nouveau celebration in form and symbol of Christianity and God鈥檚 creation through stone and light.
鈥淢uch more than a monument, the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia remains a work in progress today, reminding us that the Christian life is always a journey, because it is a project that God is carrying out,鈥� Leo said in his homily.
A total of 18 sandcastle spires rise up from the top and pierce Barcelona鈥檚 skyline: 12 to symbolize Christ鈥檚 12 apostles, four for each of the four Evangelists who recorded Christ鈥檚 life in the Gospels, one topped with a star over the apse honoring the Virgin Mary and, tallest among them, the Tower of Jesus Christ.
When the final Christ tower was finished last year at a height of 172陆 meters (564 feet), it made Sagrada Familia the .
鈥淭he entire structure of the Sagrada Familia is striking,鈥� said Laura Rinc贸n, who was on hand outside along with two friends for the Mass, after she finished work in a nearby shop. She said that she was sure the pope would be impressed by the church she marvels at every time she passes by.
鈥淚f you look at it just for its architecture, it is amazing,鈥� she said. 鈥淚nside, its columns make you feel like you are inside a forest.鈥�
An interior that looks like a forest
The cross-shaped interior, with the altar at the apse, is an homage to light and nature. Treelike columns soar to the sky, colored by constantly changing light filtered through stained glass windows like the sun poking through leaves in a forest.
鈥淣ature is my teacher,鈥� Gaud铆 once said. 鈥淓verything comes from the great book of nature, always open that we must read.鈥�
The colors of the window glass have meaning: The blues and greens of the eastern portal windows, where the facade depicts Christ鈥檚 birth, look more joyful and are most brilliant when the sun rises and light passes through. The coarser shades of red and orange, illuminated by the setting sun on the western portals, color the side of the basilica that depicts Christ鈥檚 Passion. Behind the altar and above the cross are yellows and gold that glimmer in the noonday sun.
Historian M貌nica Sant铆n, who leads tours of the basilica, said that in designing Sagrada Familia, Gaud铆 was guided by two books: the Gospels and nature.
鈥淭he way he lets in the natural light is also an invitation to the Christian mystery,鈥� she said, citing the three facades depicting Christ鈥檚 birth, death and glory.
鈥淎nd when you enter inside, it is all light,鈥� Sant铆n said. 鈥淲hat is that the symbol of? We can鈥檛 see God, but we perceive his light all around us. I think that is how you can read this message, and it is fascinating.鈥�
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