Sanctuary of Saint Mary Magdalene

What is the happiest day for a mother of a student living in another city?

...

The one when the student comes home for the weekend.

Yes, it could hardly be a happier circumstance because the mere presence of the young man gives us joy and fulfilment; we don't need anything else.

Maybe if we combine it with a small family excursion together, then it can add to the happiness...? Yes, it is truly wonderful then. Our weekend is now going like this: son plus excursion equals perfection. That's me up there, you see my joy.

The day couldn't have been more beautiful! Sunny, with pleasant temperatures on this last day of November. We decided to make a short visit to a place that is not so far from us. It is the first time we have visited it, although I see it from afar every time I pass by on the highway. Well, I saw some towers and realized it would be a church or a castle, I wasn't sure. The map helped us resolve our doubts and find the place easily; it was a pleasant surprise.

The towers I saw from afar were the towers of the Sanctuary of Saint Mary Magdalene placed on the mountain La Mola.

You can get here by car and park in the car park, or by motorbike, bicycle or on foot. The latter can be a bit tricky, as the path leading up to this point is quite steep, but if you are fit, nothing is impossible.

When you leave the parking lot you can meet this guy with a trumpet and a board with info about the spring "Three Friends". We went down to the spring and met some friendly cats. So cuddly they were! After some moments spent there, we continued toward the sanctuary.

As I mentioned, one of the vehicles that can help you arrive here is the bicycle. Young or not so young, it doesn't matter. Kudos to these people!

Once we found ourselves in front of this huge church, we realized that it had some resemblance to the works of Antonio Gaudi. The truth is that the engineer José Sala Sala, who designed this sanctuary, got some inspiration from the modernist style of Gaudi.

Maybe you see that it is much more modest than for example Gaudi's Sagrada Família in Barcelona, however, this sanctuary is unique in the world in its shape.

It is shaped like a jar, symbolizing the jar of balm that Saint Mary Magdalene brought to Jesus.

Trying to get the whole building into a photo, so the attempt made me take several pictures from different angles. Now I can't choose just one photo, sorry for too many photos. 😅

Details from the facade:

The interior of the church is not too heavy in decoration, which is nice actually. One important detail - I saw the stone pillars that gave me good vibes however, the more interesting feature of this church is the work around the organ. It is still under construction and once finished, it will also be unique in the world - an organ made entirely of marble!!

I am pretty sure I will come back here to investigate more about this future marble organ and how it will sound. The poster I saw in the church called it "The sound of the stone" - that will be interesting to hear, and maybe even try to play the marble organ.

Apart from this church, on the top of this mountain La Mola, there is an old fortress, better said, the remains of it. That will come in a separate post, but today I would also like to mention the place where was the old church. It is marked with a cross and inscription about it.

The new one, that we visited today, and you too through this post, was completed just in 1946. A relatively young building that gives the vibes of an old stone construction and, as we saw, is unique in some features. Really hope to see the marble organ working one day!