The main entrance doors to Barcelona's Sagrada Família, part of the unfinished Glory Façade, may reopen on 10 June for a solemn mass led by Pope Leo XIV, according to reports. These doors were previously opened by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010 for the temple's dedication ceremony.
Designed by Josep Maria Subirachs, who also created the Passion Façade, the bronze doors feature the Lord's Prayer in Catalan, with one phrase repeated in 50 different languages. Subirachs completed them while in poor health, after finishing his globally recognised sculptural work on the Passion Façade.
Subirachs' Artistic Legacy
Judit Subirachs, the sculptor's daughter and an art historian, explained on the programme 'Objectiu Sagrada Família' that her father initially resisted the commission. "He was very ill, and Jordi Bonet, the architect then directing the Sagrada Família works, often visited him," she said. "One day, Bonet told him: 'Josep Maria, the bronze doors you made for the Passion Façade are very popular, and I would like you to make the ones for the Glory Façade too.'"
Subirachs initially replied, "Jordi, don't get me involved, I've already done my façade, let's not create confusion." However, Bonet's persistence eventually convinced him, Judit Subirachs added. The doors were crafted using the lost-wax casting technique, an ancient method used by civilisations like the Incas and Sumerians, which involves creating wax replicas, encasing them in a fireproof mould, and replacing the melted wax with bronze.
During their installation in 2008, Josep Maria Subirachs noticed an unexpected detail. "He saw that once the doors were closed, at the height where you would place your hands, the 'A' and 'G' coincided," Judit Subirachs noted. Her father decided to polish these letters, creating a subtle tribute to Antoni Gaudí.
Exploring the Sagrada Família
The 'Objectiu Sagrada Família' programme, produced by betevé, has already aired and is available on the betevé website and YouTube. This eight-episode series, which includes a round table discussion, looks at the past, present, and future of Spain's most visited monument, surpassing the Alhambra and the Prado Museum.
The programme offers a full view of the Sagrada Família, featuring spectacular images and nearly 40 interviews with leading experts in architecture, theology, and history. It also includes insights from the sculptors and artisans who helped realise Antoni Gaudí's magnum opus.
Details regarding the solemn mass and the Pope's itinerary are still emerging. The potential reopening of these significant doors would mark another historic moment for the iconic basilica, drawing global attention to its ongoing construction and artistic details.
