Joyful Witness / Kimberly Pohovey

Europe’s great cathedrals now seen as tourist attractions

I spent a good deal of my recent vacation in church … well … churches, actually.

While vacationing, we attended Sunday Mass at the Catedral-Basilica de Santa Maria de Mallorca located in Palma, Mallorca, an island off the coast of Spain.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a huge and unbelievably ornate church. It rivals the churches I toured while in the Holy Land a few years ago. It took nearly 400 years to construct, from 1229 to 1601. It has one of the tallest naves in the world, surpassing Notre Dame in Paris. It boasts 61 vibrant stained-glass windows, giving it the nickname “Cathedral of Light.” The Mass was in Spanish, and the priest spoke so fast that I didn’t catch everything, but the beauty of the universal Church is that I always knew where we were in the liturgy.

We sat in one of the front rows, so it wasn’t until Communion that I realized there were probably only 50 or so people in attendance in a cathedral that holds 18,000 people. It’s considered a national treasure in Mallorca, which is predominantly Catholic, and yet so few attend Mass there.

We also visited Basilique du Sacré Coeur de Montmartre (Basilica of the Sacred Heart), located in Paris, France. It was an impressive feat of architecture, and the statues, art, mosaics and vaulted ceilings with angel carvings were gorgeous. Construction was completed in 1924. It also features 14 side chapels, each dedicated to a different saint, and perpetual adoration has been taking place there since 1885! Located on the second-highest point in Paris, one must climb 270 steps to reach the top. But it was worth every step.

We had to wait in a long line to enter the basilica. In the plaza right in front of the church were street vendors selling souvenirs. Despite signs calling for silence in the basilica, it seemed less than prayerful with loud chatter and folks taking selfies in front of sacred spaces. Many visitors were not dressed appropriately to be in the presence of this holy site.

Although I felt blessed for the opportunity to visit this amazing church, it also left me sad for the irreverence I observed. In a country that has long been regarded as predominantly Catholic, only 25% of French citizens now identify as Catholic, according to a 2023 survey by Aleteia.org. I think it shows. Many of the famous churches in France are viewed more as tourist attractions now, as opposed to worship spaces.

I would never want to bar non-Catholics from experiencing these churches, as I know it may be an opportunity for evangelization and education. I also realize historians and artists, whether Catholic or not, value the opportunities for learning and inspiration.

While standing in front of the beautiful, solid silver statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, I couldn’t help but wonder what he thought of some of the disrespectful behavior.

Would he just be glad that crowds of people visit there every day? Or does his sacred heart break just a little?
 

(Kimberly Pohovey is a member of Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ Parish in Indianapolis. She is the director of major and planned gifts for the archdiocese.) †