3Cat and RTVE portray Gaudí's dream fulfilled in the visit of Pope Leo XIV: this is how the historic lighting of the Sagrada Familia was

144 years after the start of its construction, the Sagrada Familia has finally been fully illuminated in a historic spectacle of lights and music that has turned Antoni Gaudí's temple into the great protagonist of the Barcelona night.

The visit of Pope Leo XIV to Barcelona culminated this Wednesday with an imposing light, music, and technology show at the Sagrada Familia, which became the grand finale of his stay in the city, along with the Kings of Spain, Felipe VI and Letizia, the President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, the President of the Generalitat de Catalunya, Salvador Illa, and Cardinal Juan José Omella, Archbishop of Barcelona.

The most outstanding moment came after the blessing of the Tower of Jesus Christ by the pontiff, when the progressive lighting of the basilica took place, accompanied by live music performed from inside the temple. The stained-glass windows lit up and the Nativity facade gained luminous intensity until it showed the complete work of Antoni Gaudí.

The event also featured the participation of a children's choir that performed pieces from the temple's facade, while thousands of people in the audience lit luminous objects that progressively illuminated the enclosure. In total, more than 4,000 attendees witnessed the spectacle live. This children's choir was made up of the Escolanía de Montserrat, the Sagrada Familia choir, and various invited choral groups, who participated at different moments of the Eucharist, reinforcing the solemn character of the mass.

One of the most striking moments of the night was the drone show, which drew the image of the architect Antoni Gaudí in the sky of Barcelona along with one of his most famous phrases: "First in love and then technique." The architect's figure appeared over the night sky before slowly fading away, provoking a strong ovation among the attendees.

After the full lighting of the basilica, the event culminated with fireworks and a unanimous applause from the audience. The pontiff, accompanied by religious and civil authorities, witnessed the final scene from the main facade, in an atmosphere of great solemnity. An audiovisual gem that is already part of our country's history and the history of Radio Televisión Española, which, as its president José Pablo López has stated, is a "document for history."

The creative direction of the show was led by Igor Cortadellas, responsible for the artistic design and visual narrative of the lighting and drone show that accompanied the event. In the audiovisual field, the production and television approach were handled by Paulí Subirà, Image Director of TV3, who coordinated the on-screen presentation of the event.

The photography direction was the responsibility of Domènec Gibert (AEC), in charge of building the visual aesthetic of the project, while colorist Eva Parra worked on the final image finish, unifying and enhancing the chromatic result of the entire audiovisual piece.

The day thus concluded a visit marked by religious, institutional, and cultural acts, with the Sagrada Familia becoming the great epicenter of the last major event of the Pope's visit to Barcelona, before his transfer to Canarias. The complete lighting of the basilica, culminated during the visit of Leo XIV, left an image of strong symbolic charge in which architecture, technology, and collective emotion merged in a single instant of historical celebration.