Priest’s Elaborately Designed Lego Vatican On Display In Philadelphia Ahead of Pope Francis’ Visit
An elaborate Lego Vatican is now on display at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, ahead of the much-anticipated visit of Pope Francis next week.
Designed by Bob Simon, a pastor at St. Catherine of Siena Church in Moscow, Pennsylvania, the replica was made with more than 500,000 lego pieces.
Simon told USA Today that he’d wanted to build a Lego Vatican model since the seventh grade, but his previous attempts hadn’t looked “anything like the real thing.”
Simon says he began gathering blocks about two years before he started the construction process. With anticipation growing over Pope Francis’ upcoming visit to Philadelphia, Simon began his masterpiece in September 2014 and took 10 months to complete his Lego marvel.
WOW! A Philadelphia priest built a model of the Vatican entirely out of Legos! http://t.co/LprrV0bIif https://t.co/jWDM42DaM8
— NBCWashington (@nbcwashington) September 17, 2015
According to Mashable, the piece showcases St. Peter’s Basilica and the surrounding St. Peter’s Square. Included are tiny townspeople, iPhone-carrying nuns, and a Lego Elvis Presley. Needless to say there is also a tiny pope waving at the crowd from the basilica.
Everything is awesome about Lego #Vatican on view in Philly http://t.co/Er9OuGQ2w0 pic.twitter.com/q9kucGuA9C
— KSNT News (@KSNTNews) September 17, 2015
“I wanted to show a lot of diversity. St. Peters Square is one of those places where people from all over the world come together.”
In advance of the pope’s visit, a Philly museum has a Vatican that a priest built from Legos http://t.co/9WwO2eUcQA pic.twitter.com/FXCol2lNNL
— Yahoo News (@YahooNews) September 17, 2015
The display coincides with other pieces at the Franklin Institute’s Vatican Splendors exhibition, which runs through February and showcases 2,000 years of Vatican history with more than 200 works of art and historically significant objects. Together, the pieces form a great mosaic of the history of the Church and its impact on art, history and culture.
Philly priest spends year building Lego Vatican – but Pope Francis won’t get to see it http://t.co/dS67Het1ro pic.twitter.com/hBSxViOTFi
— Independent US (@IndyUSA) September 17, 2015
Simon said the creative process in constructing the Lego Vatican was a spiritual experience, much like the repetitive motion of praying the rosary.
“While your hands are busy, your heart and mind are elsewhere. It frees up the mind.”
Awesome: The Franklin Institute Has A Giant LEGO Version Of The Vatican On View: http://t.co/FWBCT9Mbk6 pic.twitter.com/5v6QzwBtG5
— Uwishunu Philly (@uwishunu) September 8, 2015
The Vatican replica and other Lego creations have brought “record crowds” this summer, according to Larry Dubinski, president & CEO of The Franklin Institute.
[Image via Twitter/Philly Mag]
