Momboisse Family Adventures April 2025: Barcelona, Spain
Sagrada Familia
Wednesday April 9, 2025
Barcelona traffic
We are not in the country anymore. Our bus comes to a complete stand still as we inch our way the last few miles into Barcelona. We will spend the last two nights of our trip at the Sercotel Caspe Hotel, located in the Eixample neighborhood.
Sercotel Caspe Hotel lobby
Hotel lounge
With a late arrival in Barcelona there is only time to check in and have dinner before we retire for the night.
Wednesday April 10, 2025
A bit of rain on our last day of touring. But that doesn't stop us. After our hearty buffet breakfast in the hotel dining room we are ready for a whirlwind tour of the best of Barcelona.
Cava for breakfast!
We board our bus and ride a short distance to the Church of the Sagrat Cor (Sacred Heart) on Casp Street. The church is located inside the Col-legi Casp school, a primary and secondary school run by the Jesuits.
Church of the Sagrat Cor (Wikidata)
We enter through a side entrance for Holy Mass in one of the chapels. The pictures below are of this chapel and Fr. Thom celebrating Mass.
After Mass we toured the main church where the sword that is attributed to St. Ignatius is displayed on a side altar.
St. Ignatius Sword at side altar to right above
Main altar Church of Sagrat Cor
This is the original sword that Ignatius placed at the feet of the Black Madonna in Montserrat in 1522. We saw a copy of this sword when we toured the Sanctuary of Loyola.
Sword of St. Ignatius
I picked up a pamphlet at the church that explained the itinerary of the sword. Here is a brief summary. After being left by St. Ignatius in 1522, it was discovered by the Duchess of Gandia Juana of Velasco and Aragon who testified that when she went to Montserrat the sword was still present in the chapel. In 1640 the sword was brought to Barcelona by Abbot Juan Manuel. In 1674 Belgian Jesuit Ignatius Cant testified that he saw the sword in the church of Bethlehem in Barcelona which was owned by the Jesuits. In 1907 Fr. Ramon Garriga, the parish priest of the church of Bethlehem gave the sword to the Society of Jesus and the Church of Sagrat Cor. And the sword has remained here in this church since that time.
An archeological examination of the sword was also performed. This examination found that the name of the person who made the blade, which is carved on the sword, was Gonzalo Simo of Toledo. The initials of the owner of the sword are also carved. They are YY. It was deduced that this would have been for Ynigo Yanez. St. Ignatius is the youngest son of Don Beltran Yanez de Onez y Loyola. Ignatius was baptized Inigo and used this name until his priesthood when he took the name Ignatius of Loyola. Inigo is also spelled Ynigo. So there you have it.
Our Pilgrim Family in front of the Barcelona Cathedral
From Mass at the Church of Sagrat Cor we take off on foot for a 10 minute walk to our next stop a tour of the Barcelona Cathedral.
Map of the Barcelona Cathedral
Entrance to #1 the Choir
Looking toward #2 the High Altar
#2 the High Altar
Crypt of Saint Eulalia
Side altars with elaborate altarpieces (b)
The Gothic style cloister in the center of the cathedral was built between the 14th and 15th centuries. It is home to 13 white geese. The number signifies the age of Saint Eulalia at the time of her martyrdom.
Saint George Fountain in the cloister
After our tour of the Cathedral we have a short walk to our bus. Along the way we will pass by the Church of Saint Mary of the Sea. Construction of the present church dates from the 1320's.
Church of Saint Mary of the Sea
From the Pla de Palau we are back on the bus for a short driving tour of the city. Along the way we will pass the Barcelona Zoo, Jardins Fontsere i Mestre, Arc de Triomf...
...down La Rambla Street, then past Casa Batllo designed by Antoni Gaudi...
Casa Batllo (Wiki Commons License)
Casa Mila by Gaudi
...Casa Mila also by Gaudi...La Monumental, the last place in Catalonia where bullfights were held.
The Monumental
Construction Sagrada Familia
One final dinner with our pilgrim family at the hotel dining room. And one final blessings from Fr. Thom.
After a most stupendous and grace filled pilgrimage, today we all head out to the Barcelona Airport for our flights home.
Until next time, blessings and peace.
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All photos and videos by L.A. Momboisse unless otherwise noted
All photos and videos by L.A. Momboisse unless otherwise noted
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