Barcelona's World-Famous Sagrada Familia Closes Doors To Public Amid Mass Protests

The Basilica de la Sagrada Familia, the world-famous Roman Catholic church and major tourist attraction in central Barcelona, closed its doors to the public on Friday due to ongoing protests in the capital of Spain's semi-autonomous region of Catalonia, a Sputnik correspondent reported

BARCELONA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th October, 2019) The Basilica de la Sagrada Familia, the world-famous Roman Catholic church and major tourist attraction in central Barcelona, closed its doors to the public on Friday due to ongoing protests in the capital of Spain's semi-autonomous region of Catalonia, a Sputnik correspondent reported.

Protests erupted throughout Spain and particularly in Catalonia on Monday, following a controversial ruling by the Supreme Court to sentence several of the region's independence leaders to lengthy prison terms. Earlier in the day, the church tweeted that it could not guarantee access to the landmark due to a group of protesters blocking its entrance.

"The Sagrada Familia is closed due to the protests. There are people inside," an employee of the church said, without specifying exactly how many people were inside.

About two hours later, the tourists finally exited the church.

Protesters have surrounded the church and are chanting "independence" and "freedom for the political prisoners," referring to the nine Catalan independence leaders who received prison terms ranging from nine to 13 years for their involvement in the 2017 unsanctioned independence referendum.

"Today is a general strike and we want to block all of Catalonia. We have come specifically to the [Sagrada Familia] to attract global attention to what is taking place. This is one of the most famous places in Barcelona," one of the protesters told Sputnik.

The Sagrada Familia is one of the most visited landmarks in Barcelona with over 2.8 million visitors annually.

The ongoing protests have drawn international attention as they have quickly turned violent. Hundreds of people, including protesters and law enforcement agents have been injured in clashes. On Thursday, Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said that a total of 97 protesters had been detained in the demonstrations in Catalonia since Monday.