The unique grandeur of the Sagrada Familia — the stone somehow carved to look lush as flora, the sandcastle-like spires, the color-flooded interior — means that even those who work and worship at Barcelona’s world famous basilica each and every day can still be surprised with some fresh wonder. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Associated Press.
Two peregrine falcon fledglings have flown from their nests at the top of Barcelona’s famed Sagrada Familia, leaving behind crowds with binoculars, and live stream cameras which have been following their every move. Their flight comes just before the visit of Pope Leo XIV on June 10th, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the death of the basilica’s architect Antoni Gaudí. The falcon breeding is part of a program to reintroduce the peregrine falcon in the Catalan capital.
A priest celebrates Mass in the crypt of Antoni Gaudí beneath the Sagrada Familia while crowds of visitors fill the basilica above. Antoni Gaudí’s tomb is also located in this crypt. A detail of the Passion Façade shows the basilica’s famous magic square: unlike a sudoku, every row, column and diagonal adds up to 33, symbolizing the age of Christ at his death. Josep Maria Turull, rector of the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia, holds a cross-shaped relic beside cabinets containing some of the basilica’s most precious relics and liturgical vestments. A changing room where Pope Leo XIV will vest before presiding over Mass is also shown. A small square-shaped labyrinth is photographed at the Passion Façade.