Pope Benedict to Consecrate Gaudi Church

We learn from The New Liturgical Movement that Pope Benedict is to consecrate the Sagrada Familia Church in Barcelona on 7th November. While there, last September, I was able to enjoy the view seen here from my hotel window. It is an extraordinary building- unique and original. Antoni Gaudi, the architect, spent the last years of his life entirely devoted to the project. He lived on site, dying in 1926 after having been knocked down in a street accident on his way, as was his custom, to daily mass. In spite of interuptions, the church has been under construction since 1882 and now appears largely complete- although there was still lots of scaffolding to be seen when I was there.
There was much that I found attractive about the building. Gaudi's is a far from facile modernist style being rooted in a peculiar appreciation of medieval architecture. An interesting feature of the crypt was the presence of many of the architect's experimental models (see below). A word of advice to the holy father: watch your wallet in Barcelona!