Pope Leo XIV Visits Montserrat Monastery and Blesses Sagrada Familia Tower

On 9 June 2026, Pope Leo XIV made a pilgrimage to the Montserrat Abbey, a medieval Benedictine complex on the sacred mountain that draws about two million pilgrims each year. The monastery, famed for its Black Madonna statue, was visited by the pope before he carried out a mass at the Sagrada Familia Basilica in Barcelona. The idea of bridging a millennium of church history was evident in the pope’s itinerary. From the mountaintop, where the Black Madonna’s stone form has been revered for centuries, the papal guest was guided to the city’s iconic cathedral, a work of Antoni Gaudí. The Sagrada Familia has stood since 1882, when the first cornerstone was laid under the papacy of the namesake of Leo XIV, Pope Leo XIII. The basilica’s final tower, the Tower of Jesus Christ, has recently reached a height of 172.5 metres, making the Sagrada Familia the world’s tallest church. Leo XIV’s blessing of the tower marked the centenary of Gaudí’s death and the first time a pope has formally consecrated the monument’s highest spire. His speech, delivered in Spanish and interspersed with brief remarks in Catalan, stressed the importance of faith transforming contemporary life. He called on the faithful to “lift up your eyes” toward the soaring spires, echoing the sentiments of the region’s many pilgrims. The visit reflects the enduring influence of Catholic heritage in Catalonia, a region that retains some of Spain’s most significant religious sites while embracing a modern secular world. The simultaneous blessing of Montserrat and the Sagrada Familia underscores the synergy between spiritual tradition and contemporary cultural identity, a motif the pope has emphasised throughout his brief trip to Spain. Authors: Ethan Caldwell, Sophia Bennett, Marcus Holloway, Natalie Pierce, Julian Mercer.