Pope Leo XIV will visit Barcelona on June 10 to inaugurate and bless the Tower of Jesus Christ, the final tower of Antoni Gaudí’s Sagrada Família, completing 144 years of construction. The tower was finished in February, and the ceremony falls exactly one hundred years after Gaudí’s death in 1926. The event will be attended by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and coincides with Barcelona’s UNESCO designation as a World Capital of Architecture.
The completion of Gaudí’s masterpiece marks a historic milestone for one of Europe’s most visited landmarks, which drew a record 4.87 million visitors in 2025 and generated over $150 million in ticket revenue. The inauguration not only resolves a century-long architectural saga but also reinforces Barcelona’s cultural and touristic significance, highlighting the enduring legacy of Catalan Modernism and Gaudí’s visionary design.