In March 2025, I visited Barcelona with friends. We planned the trip last minute, with no fixed schedule. Most famous attractions, including Sagrada Família, were sold out. On our first night, tired from a long day, I was dragged along to see the church from the outside. Even unfinished, it was breathtaking—tall, intricate, and unlike anything I’d seen before.
We admired its different sides—the dark, haunting Passion façade, and the ornate, nature-like Nativity façade. As an atheist, I didn’t know much about the biblical scenes, but the beauty and history struck me. I wanted to see the inside, but the tickets were sold out. Then we discovered that the church holds a free international Mass every Saturday night.
The next day, after wandering the city, we almost skipped it. But at the last minute, we took the metro and made it just in time. Stepping inside felt magical—tall stone columns like trees, glowing stained glass, and ceilings that seemed to grow upwards. The Mass was in several languages, and though I didn’t fully understand, I felt the shared energy of the crowd.
We stayed the whole hour, surrounded by people from around the world. For someone who loves certainty and structure, I was moved by the beauty of something unfinished and open-ended. When Mass ended, the outside was dark, but inside glowed warmly—an unforgettable moment that stayed with me.
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