Don Bosco Prophecy

The idea of building a temple on the summit of Mount Tibidabo arose at the end of the 19th century, following rumors about the possible construction of a Protestant church and a hotel-casino. In response, a “Board of Catholic Gentlemen” acquired the property and, in 1886, donated it to the Italian priest John Bosco (canonized in 1934).

At that time, Bosco was visiting Barcelona at the invitation of Dorotea de Chopitea, a great benefactress and promoter of the project. It was then that the idea emerged to build a temple dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a devotion that was very popular at the time thanks to Pope Leo XIII’s encouragement. The concept followed the model of the church Bosco himself had built in Rome (Sacro Cuore di Gesù), as well as the famous Sacré-Cœur in Paris and other churches of the same name in France, such as those in Lyon and Marseille.

In 1886, a Neo-Gothic hermitage was built and inaugurated on July 3, promoted by the Salesians, the congregation founded by Bosco. Two years later, on the occasion of Queen Maria Christina’s visit to the mountain during the celebrations of the Universal Exposition, the Vallvidrera road was developed, and a pavilion of Mudejar inspiration was built next to the hermitage to serve as a viewpoint. This pavilion was later demolished.

The temple’s construction project experienced a significant delay, mainly due to the emergence of a new plan to build an astronomical observatory on the summit of Tibidabo. This observatory was eventually built on a nearby hill instead — the Fabra Observatory.

Finally, on December 28, 1902, the first stone was laid in a ceremony presided over by the Bishop of Barcelona, Salvador Casañas i Pagès, who, in his address, asked for alms for the “new Montmartre of Barcelona” —a reference to the famous Parisian hill where the Sacré-Cœur stands. The construction work continued until 1961 and was completed by Josep Maria Sagnier, the son of the project’s original architect, Enric Sagnier.

Enric Sagnier was a prolific architect, possibly the one with the greatest number of constructions in Barcelona, with nearly 300 documented buildings. Of eclectic style, with a certain classical tendency, he was influenced by the modernist movement popular at the time in the Catalan capital, but interpreted it in a sober and functional way. His main source of inspiration was medieval architecture, especially Romanesque and Gothic.

At the 22nd International Eucharistic Congress held in Madrid in 1911, the Sacred Heart of Tibidabo was designated as the National Expiatory Temple of Spain.

On October 29, 1961, the temple was granted the title of Minor Basilica by Pope John XXIII.