The blessing of the Tower of Jesus Christ at the Sagrada Família during the visit of Pope Leo XIV, exactly 100 years after the death of Antoni Gaudí, is one of the highlights of His Holiness's visit to Spain and a historic day for Barcelona.
June 10 , 2026, Barcelona awoke with its heart beating stronger than usual. Pope Leo XIV is in our city, and this afternoon, at 7:30 p.m., we will experience one of those moments that are recounted to children and grandchildren: the blessing and inauguration of the Tower of Jesus Christ at the Sagrada Família, the tallest tower ever built on a church in the world, standing at an impressive 172.5 meters.
If you're in Barcelona today, or if you're planning a visit soon, keep reading. Because there are few things in the world as exciting as seeing this masterpiece up close, especially now that it has reached its maximum height.
A temple that took more than 140 years to get here
The story of the Sagrada Família is, in itself, an architectural adventure novel. It all began in 1866, when the devout Barcelonan Josep Maria Bocabella founded the Spiritual Association of Devotees of Saint Joseph, which promoted the construction of a temple dedicated to the Holy Family. Work began in 1882 under the direction of the architect Francisco de Paula del Villar, who designed a Neo-Gothic building. But Villar soon abandoned the project, and it fell into the hands of a 31-year-old architect named Antoni Gaudí.
What came next changed the history of architecture forever.
Gaudí didn't just build a church. He designed a symbolic universe in stone, almost entirely avoiding straight lines: the columns branch out like tree trunks in a forest, the forms are organic, and the entire space feels like it's in motion. Entering the Sagrada Família is, quite literally, stepping into a forest of light and sacred geometry.
Interesting facts you may not know
Did you know that on the Passion façade there is a magic square whose sixteen numbers, added together in any direction, always equal 33, the age of Christ at his death? Small details like this make every visit to the temple a game of discovery.
But the most human and moving story is that of Gaudí himself. From 1914 onward, the architect abandoned all his other commissions to dedicate himself entirely to the Sagrada Família, practically living on the construction site. In 1926, he was hit by a tram in the middle of a Barcelona street. He was dressed so humbly and carried no identification that no one recognized him, and he was taken to a hospital for the poor. He died three days later and was buried in the crypt of the basilica itself, where he still rests today.
The man who dedicated his entire life to this temple rests beneath its foundations. Few stories are so beautiful and so sad at the same time.
Today, Pope Leo XIV puts the finishing touch on a century of dreams.
Exactly one hundred years after Gaudí's death, Pope Leo XIV came to Barcelona to bless the Tower of Jesus Christ, the crowning achievement of the Catalan genius's architectural project. While John Paul II saw the Sagrada Família still under construction, and Benedict XVI consecrated it as a basilica in 2010, Leo XIV now inaugurated its central tower, culminating one of the most important stages in the temple's history.
The ceremony, scheduled for 7:30 p.m., will consist of a solemn mass inside the church, followed by the blessing of the tower outside, with approximately 8,000 people in attendance. From tonight, the Barcelona skyline will never be the same.
Barcelona awaits you: experience it calmly and with soul
A day like today reminds us that Barcelona is much more than sun and sand. It's a city with layers of history, art, and emotion that reveal themselves little by little, around every corner.
If you're planning to bring your family to experiment all This is for you, at Bonavista Apartments we offer apartments in the heart of Barcelona: comfortable, well located and designed for families and couples to enjoy the city like locals. Because Barcelona isn’t a city you visit; it’s a city you live in.
