Pope Benedict XVI has consecrated Antoni Gaudi’s
unfinished church, the Sagrada Familia, as a basilica in the Spanish city of
Barcelona.
The Pope sprinkled holy water on the altar before a
congregation of more than 6,500 people.
Gaudi’s greatest work has been under construction for
more than a century, and will not be finished before 2026.
The current chief architect said he hoped the Pope’s
visit would provide the boost needed to finish the work.
It is currently funded by private donations and visitors’
fees.
“He will bring a message of spirituality and it’s a
stimulus to finish the work,” Jordi Bonet Armengol told Reuters before the
consecration ceremony.
“The building shows that through art we can achieve
spirituality that people need so much.”
Following the consecration, the main nave is now open for
daily Mass for the first time.
Work began on Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia (Expiatory
Temple of the Holy Family) in 1882, based on a design by Francesc de Paula
Villar, who envisioned a simple church in a traditional neo-Gothic style.
But after he resigned in 1883, Gaudi was appointed the
lead architect and redesigned the church entirely. His imaginative plans
included 18 spires and five naves, rich with decorated organic detailing.
He once said it was an expression of “the divine
history of the salvation of man through Christ incarnate, given to the world by
the Virgin Mary”.
In 1911, the devout Catholic devoted himself entirely to
the project, and spent the next 15 years living and working on site as a virtual
recluse, supervising work. He died in 1926, after being run over by a tram.
Already a Unesco world heritage site visited by millions,
it will become the world’s tallest church when the 170m (560ft) central tower
is erected.
In preparation for the Pope’s visit, workers covered the
central nave and installed stained-glass windows.
Crowds lined the streets to greet the Pope as he drove to
the church.
There was also a protest by about 200 gay activists who
staged a “kiss-in”.
“We are here to demonstrate against the Pope’s visit
and call for a change in the mentality of the Catholic institution which still
opposes our right to different ways of loving,” said one protester, Sergi
Diaz.
In Santiago de Compostela on Saturday, the Pope warned of
an “aggressive anti-clericalism” in Spain which was akin to that
experienced during the 1930s.
The comments were a reference to the civil war era,
during which Republicans killed thousands of priests and nuns, and burned
churches.
Despite opposition from the Roman Catholic Church,
Spain’s Socialist-led government has introduced laws allowing gay marriage,
fast-track divorce and easier access to abortions.
This is Pope Benedict’s second visit to Spain since his
election, and a third visit is planned next year for World Youth Day, a sign of
how important the Vatican considers the health of the Church in the country.
Only 14.4% of Spaniards regularly attend mass, and legal
changes to allow divorce, gay marriage and abortion have caused concern to the
Church. But 73% of Spaniards still define themselves as Catholic.
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