Pope Francis has approved the first step towards sainthood for Antoni Gaudi, the modernist architect behind Barcelona's "Sagrada Familia" basilica, the Vatican said on Monday.
Gaudi was a pious man who worked for more than 40 years on the Sagrada Familia, the largest unfinished Roman Catholic church in the world, a UNESCO world heritage site, and one Europe's biggest tourist draws.
Francis approved a decree recognising Gaudi's "heroic virtues", the Vatican said in a statement.
For him to be beatified, the next step in the process of becoming a saint, a miracle would have to be attributed to Gaudi. After that, a second miracle would be required for him to be declared a saint.
Construction of the Sagrada Familia began in 1882, but the project, known for its soaring Gothic spires, remains unfinished even after Gaudi devoted the last 12 years of his life exclusively to the project.
It was meant to be completed by 2026, the centenary of the death of Gaudi, whom the Vatican's media outlet, Vatican News, has referred to as "God's architect".
The the target date was postponed indefinitely after the COVID-19 pandemic reduced tourist revenues used to fund construction.
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Türkiye’s low-cost carrier AJet, a branch of Turkish Airlines, will launch its first-ever direct flights from Ankara to Barcelona and Madrid this October.
Storms and rising seas are washing away Barcelona’s man-made beaches, putting tourism and coastal life at risk, according to residents in the area. In Montgat, locals say their summers by the sea are vanishing.
Thousands gathered in Barcelona and other Spanish cities to protest against the impact of mass tourism, accusing it of driving up housing costs and displacing residents.
FC Barcelona received a timely boost ahead of their Champions League semifinal second leg against Inter Milan, with star striker Robert Lewandowski returning to training and expected to be fit for selection.
Video from the USGS (United States Geological Survey) showed on Friday (19 September) the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii erupting and spewing lava.
At least 69 people have died and almost 150 injured following a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Cebu City in the central Visayas region of the Philippines, officials said, making it one of the country’s deadliest disasters this year.
Authorities in California have identified the dismembered body discovered in a Tesla registered to singer D4vd as 15-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, who had been missing from Lake Elsinore since April 2024.
A tsunami threat was issued in Chile after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the Drake Passage on Friday. The epicenter was located 135 miles south of Puerto Williams on the north coast of Navarino Island.
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Diane Keaton, the eccentric American actress who won an Academy Award and stole hearts with her charming portrayal of Woody Allen’s neurotic, self-doubting girlfriend in the 1977 romantic comedy Annie Hall, has died aged 79, People magazine reported on Saturday, citing a family spokesperson.
Azerbaijan’s junior figure skater Arina Kalugina has set a new Olympic record in the Quadruple Salchow jump at the Denis Ten Memorial Challenger 2025 in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Superstar Taylor Swift's latest studio album, 'The Life of a Showgirl,' arrives Friday with a promotional blitz that includes midnight sales at Target stores, a release party at movie theatres around the globe and pop-up experiences in New York and Los Angeles.
Scientist and global activist Jane Goodall, who turned her childhood love of primates into a lifelong quest for protecting the environment, has died at the age of 91, the institute she founded said on Wednesday.
U.S. federal prosecutors urged a judge on Tuesday to sentence Sean "Diddy" Combs to more than 11 years in prison this week following the hip-hop mogul's conviction on prostitution-related charges.
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