![]() ![]() ![]() Built as a landmark cathedral in the Byzantine era, turned into a mosque by the conquering Ottoman Empire in the 1400s, and open as a museum for the last century, it was converted back into a functioning mosque in 2020 by Turkey’s Islamic-oriented government. Co-existence between worshipers and tourists has been controversial at Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia. Without some strategy, however, they can become so. Leisure and rest, and time with God, are not incompatible,” Ariño said. Waiting for Mass to start, pilgrim Miguel Angel Ariño said the church did well to allow only the faithful during worship times, while leaving the cathedral open long hours for cultural visits. “It keeps getting harder,” said Juan Sexto, who in 10 years working security at the cathedral has noticed a change in how many visitors behave.Īs crowds surged before the always-packed noon pilgrims’ Mass, he kept stepping to the main microphone asking for silence - which lasted a minute or so before enthusiastic visitors resumed chatting. James statue, some still in tight cycling shorts or sweat-stained hiking shirts.īut visits aren’t allowed during the four daily Masses celebrated at the main altar, and priests as well as security guards constantly ask visitors to lower their voices to allow others to pray. On a hot early summer morning, a steady stream of pilgrims ducked each other’s selfie sticks in front of the jewel-encrusted St. To preserve its role as a revered pilgrims’ church, Lago said, the cathedral doesn’t charge entry fees, cap visitor numbers or require a dress code. It’s a situation that’s developing in nations that were majority Christian, and now faith is cooling off,” said José Fernández Lago, rector of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.įilled with masterpieces from Romanesque sculpture to lavish Baroque decorations, Santiago’s cathedral attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists and pilgrims who since the Middle Ages have traveled along the Camino routes to venerate St. “Some people go to the cathedral, and they don’t realize they’re in a church. Lay and religious leaders say the histories of the sacred sites should be presented to visitors, who are increasingly unfamiliar with faith traditions in rapidly secularizing countries where lesser-known churches are emptying out or being repurposed. There’s such demand for the 800 free tickets, however, that several hundred people queueing routinely don’t get in, Turull said. He praised the move in recent years to celebrate one multilingual Sunday Mass at the main altar in the soaring, color-filled basilica. “The temple needs to be a place for services and not a theme park,” said Joan Albaiges after Mass in the Sagrada Familia crypt, which he’s attended regularly for six decades. Worshippers, who often come because celebrated churches tend to have more services than regular parishes, need free access even as tourists often pay fees that are crucial to maintaining the sites. ![]()
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