Pope Leo to Bless World's Tallest Church Tower Tonight in Barcelona

Pope Leo is traveling to Barcelona on Wednesday evening to bless the newly completed Tower of Jesus Christ at the Sagrada Família, marking the moment the iconic basilica officially becomes the tallest church in the world.

The tower stands 566 feet tall and is crowned with a 24-ton ceramic cross, completing a skyline landmark that has been under construction for more than a century. NBC's Raf Sanchez reports from Barcelona that while the church is still not fully finished, it already draws millions of visitors every year, including around 700,000 Americans.

For many of those visitors, the experience is hard to put into words. "Breathless. Overwhelmed. Quite like nothing I've ever felt before inside of another building," said Leslie Lambert, a U.S. tourist who visited the church. "There's nothing like this."

Pope Leo will hold mass inside the church tonight, marking exactly 100 years since the death of the man who first imagined it. Legendary Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí, whose distinctive vision shaped every curve and tower of the building, died in 1926 after being struck by a tram. His design has been carried forward by generations of builders ever since.

Chiara Curti, an expert on Gaudí's work, says his appeal crosses every cultural boundary. "He manages to connect with everyone, and we see this, people come from all over the world to see the Sagrada Família," she said.