Posted on 04/19/2011 10:27:06 AM PDT by markomalley
Around 1,700 people were evacuated from one of Spain's most popular tourist attractions on Tuesday, after a suspected arsonist started a small fire inside Barcelona's Sagrada Familia basilica.
Four people were treated for smoke inhalation and the fire caused what appears to be significant damage to the basilica's sacristy where it was ignited, a Catalan regional police official said, speaking on condition of anonymity in keeping with force rules.
Around 1,700 were evacuated, the official added. The towering basilica is one of the top attractions in Spain's second-largest city, receiving more than 2 million visitors a year.
Local police said a 65-year-old Barcelona resident was arrested after a group of tourists raised the alarm when they saw smoke coming out of the basement of architect Antoni Gaudi's unfinished masterpiece and spotted a person running away.
By mid-afternoon the basilica was reopened to the public along with three streets that had been closed to give fire and emergency services access.
Joan Rigol, the president of the basilica's board of trustees, said the suspect allegedly ignited vestments being stored in the sacristy, where priests put them on in preparation for Mass.
The Catalan police official said the suspect was found in possession of a lighter and pieces of fabric that could be used to start a fire. He added that the fire caused significant damage to the sacristy.
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
I saw this basilica while touring Barcelona about 10 years ago. Just magnificent. I hope the damage can be repaired.
I saw it in 1994. Even though it was still under construction, you could tell it was a place designed by someone of deep faith.
This is a real shame. I wonder if it is in some way a response to the recent destruction of the “piss Christ” picture in France by offended Christians.
A little history:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagrada_Fam%C3%ADlia
Did you know that the Catholic Church does not fund the construction? Our guide said that whenever some money is collected, work is done; then when the money runs out, construction stops until more money is raised.
Gadi was known for his elaborate designs. They are so intricate. Boggles my mind how much time was and is spent on all the detail.
The vast majority of churches are constructed in just that fashion. As the result of donations. The Church (as in the individual diocese) might help with financing once a significant percentage of the funds have already been raised, but even then, the money must be repaid.
Take, for example, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, in DC. 100% donated money. The most recent addition, the carillon tower was built with money donated by the Knights of Columbus. (You can see this illustrated in this timeline)
I was there just over two weeks ago. It’s one of the most magnificent things I’ve seen. How terribly sad.
I wonder if the “local resident” was a Mahometan or some Commie.
I was there just over two weeks ago. It’s one of the most magnificent things I’ve seen. How terribly sad.
I wonder if the “local resident” was a Mahometan or some Commie.
Aw, FReep.
Lamh Foistenach Abu!
Lamh Foistenach Abu!
"April 2011: In a broadcasting interview by ELA radio, in Madrid, a group of people who identified themselves as “representatives of different atheist groups”, expressed openly that their goals are to “punish” the Catholic belief, and to “damage” the views of Catholics. They praised the burning of churches in 1936, and they expressed their intention to “welcome” the Pope “as he deserves”, during the announced visit to Madrid in the summer of 2011.
From the very center of the church, looking up.
During the Spanish Civil War, anarchists dynamited the as yet half-constructed church, burned the archtect's workshop, his models, and his plans. In November 2010, which the church was consecrated (by Pope Benedict XVI), howling demonstrators outside pelted pilgrim with condoms. Later a Communist member of the City Council proposed putting a memorial statue in the public square (right outside of Sagrada Familia) honoring Catalonia's gays and lesbians.
The Holy Family. The most beautiful church in Catalonia.
I just took another look at that word "demonstrators." Demons --- hate beautiful things.
Thank you for that photo. The cathedral is indeed beautiful. You can’t really grasp its beauty until you see it in person.
I’m convinced that a good number of people are crackpots. Maybe it’s something in the water. Years ago, no one would think to wreck a church or demand a statue in honor of gays in front of a Catholic Church.
Spain needs Franco back.
I fear we will be seeing many more of such evil attacks around the world. Lord have mercy on us.
My ministry leader (parish Hispanic ministry) is an American who lived in Spain from 1960 to 2000. I try not to let her talk about what Spain is like now, because I’m afraid she’ll have a stroke. She admired Gen. Franco.
I wonder how many of the “anarchists” at the time of the Guerra Civil were also homosexuals.
What unutterable crazitude.
I remember the incident in “One Million Dead,” (by Jose Maria Gironella, on the Spanish Civil War) where the far-Left commander Buenaventura Durruti is leading a column of Anarchist troops to try to take the city of Zaragoza. The effort fails, partly just from anarchists-being-anarchists, and partly from the sexual disorder sweeping the ranks, with venereal diseases having a greater impact on the troops than even mortar injuries.
At one point Durruti separates out all the homosexuals and gonorrhea-infected militiawomen from his forces, puts them in boxcars, takes them off on a railway siding, and mows them down with a machinegun.
Not my recommendation, by the way.
But it does show that the Spanish Left was even in the 1930’s a haven for disordered, promiscuous people (both hetero and homo) and even the Left found that sexual disorder (in any kind of “sexual”) is incompatible with combat-readiness.
Note to the DoD.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.