Sagrada Familia Basilica Reveals Hidden Treasures and Enigmas Ahead of Papal Mass

Rector Josep Turull of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona gave the Associated Press an exclusive tour of the basilica's lesser-known features ahead of Pope Leo XIV's anticipated Mass at the site. Among the highlights was the Passion Façade's 'magic square,' a numbered grid in which every row, column, and diagonal sums to 33 — the age of Christ at his crucifixion — placed near the scene of Judas's betrayal by sculptor Josep Subirachs. A family of peregrine falcons has nested in the tower dedicated to St. James for over two decades, part of a conservation effort to reintroduce the species to Barcelona. Beneath the bustling main basilica lies a quiet underground crypt where Gaudí himself is buried, drawing worshippers who pray for his intercession as the Vatican continues a canonization process that advanced when Pope Francis named him 'venerable' in 2025. Other treasures include a genuine Philippine seashell mounted in wrought iron as a holy water basin and a sunlit vesting room containing Gaudí-designed oak cabinets holding relics and Pope Benedict XVI's chasuble from the basilica's 2010 consecration. Pope Leo XIV is expected to bless the Tower of Jesus Christ — which became the world's tallest church tower when completed in October — and will don a specially commissioned chasuble whose design remains secret.