The Pope Will Inaugurate Antoni Gaudí's Finished Sagrada Família

Barcelona's Sagrada Familia is about to reach a milestone that has been more than a century in the making. Later this month, Pope Leo XIV will travel to the city to inaugurate and bless the Tower of Jesus Christ, the last tower of Antoni Gaudi's basilica, which was completed in February after 144 years of construction.

The ceremony is scheduled for June 10, exactly 100 years after Gaudi's death. Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez is expected to attend the mass, underscoring the scale of the occasion for both the church and the city. For Barcelona, the moment marks the completion of a building that has long functioned as both a religious site and a civic emblem.

Gaudi, born in 1852 in the Catalonian city of Reus, became one of the defining figures of Art Nouveau and modernisme, the Catalan version of Modernism. He graduated from Barcelona's School of Architecture in 1878 and rose quickly through commissions that ranged from a display case for the World's Fair in Paris to public lampposts for Barcelona. His most celebrated works include Park Güell, Casa Batlló, and Casa Milà, the apartment building whose undulating facade evokes a wave.

Construction on La Basílica de la Sagrada Familia began in 1882, and when Gaudi died in 1926 after being hit by a tram, only one tower had been completed. He was later buried in the crypt of the basilica. The long continuation of the project has only deepened its aura: the church drew a record 4.87 million visitors in 2025, generating more than $150 million in ticket sales.

The inauguration will also coincide with a broader architectural spotlight on Barcelona. UNESCO has named the city a World Capital of Architecture, and it will host the UIA World Congress of Architects from June 28 to July 2. After 144 years, the Sagrada Familia is no longer a work in progress in the same way. It is now a finished monument whose meaning will continue to evolve in public view.

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