Photos of Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia as Gaudí basilica rises before Pope Leo XIV’s visit

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — The motto for Pope Leo XIV’s upcoming visit to Spain is “Lift up your eyes.” And that’s exactly what millions of visitors to Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia already do as the unfinished basilica continues rising skyward a century after Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí’s death.

On June 10, Leo will bless the recently completed central tower of Gaudí’s masterpiece which, topped by a white cross, has made it the world’s tallest church.

A dozen other cream-colored towers and spires stretch into the blue sky, rivaled only by the mountains surrounding the Mediterranean city.

Inside, sunlight filtered through towering stained-glass windows bathes tourists and worshippers in shifting colors.

Gaudí’s Catholic faith infused every detail with sacred meaning, but the experience transcends religion and culture. Nearly 5 million people visited in 2025 alone, with Americans, Spaniards and Chinese making up the three largest groups, according to the church.

Some visitors peer into the crypt, where regular services are held, or attend multilingual weekend Masses in the main nave.

But most, entering the vast interior for the first time, simply stand transfixed, necks craned upward, eyes fixed on the light, absorbing the otherworldliness created by “God’s architect.”

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This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.