Temple Expiatori del Sagrat Cor

Historia

The Temple Expiatori del Sagrat Cor is a Roman Catholic church and minor basilica located on the summit of Mount Tibidabo in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The building is the work of the Spanish architect Enric Sagnier and was completed by his son Josep Maria Sagnier i Vidal. The construction of the church, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, lasted from 1902 to 1961.HistoryThe idea of building a Catholic church on the summit of the Mount Tibidabo emerged in the late 19th century amidst rumors about the construction of a Protestant church and a hotel-casino at that location. This motivated a "Board of Catholic Knights" to acquire the ownership of the field and give it to Saint John Bosco in 1886, when he was visiting Barcelona at the invitation of Dorotea de Chopitea, a great patron and promoter of the project. From this arose the idea of a building dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a dedication very popular at that time thanks to the impetus given by Pope Leo XIII, and following in line with the church built in Rome by Bosco himself (Sacro Cuore di Gesù a Castro Pretorio) and the famous Sacré-Cœur in Paris.

"La idea de construir un templo en lo alto de la montaña del Tibidabo surgió a finales del siglo xix ante los rumores sobre la construcción de un templo protestante y un hotel-casino, ante lo que una «Junta de Caballeros Católicos» adquirió la propiedad del terreno, que cedió en 1886 al sacerdote italiano Juan Bosco canonizado en 1934. Bosco estaba entonces de visita en Barcelona invitado por Dorotea de Chopitea, gran mecenas y promotora del proyecto. Surgió entonces la idea de hacer un templo dedicado al Sagrado Corazón de Jesús, una advocación de moda en aquel entonces gracias al impulso del papa León XIII, siguiendo la línea del templo construido en Roma por el propio Bosco Sacro Cuore di Gesù, así como del famoso Sacré-Cœur de París"