An intricately designed Lego Vatican is now on display at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia.
The colorful structure was built by Bob Simon, a pastor at St. Catherine of Siena Church in Moscow, Pennsylvania. He 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."
This attempt is his masterpiece.
WOW! A Philadelphia priest built a model of the Vatican entirely out of Legos! http://t.co/LprrV0bIifhttps://t.co/jWDM42DaM8— NBCWashington (@nbcwashington) September 17, 2015
Simon began gathering blocks about two years before he started the construction process. Anticipating Pope Francis's upcoming visit to Philadelphia, he began building in September 2014.
"It took about ten months," he said.
The piece depicts St. Peter's Basilica and the surrounding St. Peter's Square. From the basilica, a tiny pope waves to the crowd -- which includes townspeople, iPhone-wielding nuns and a Lego Elvis Presley. In total, around half a million bricks were used.
Starting on Saturday, the sculpture will be displayed alongside the Franklin Institute's "Vatican Splendors" exhibition, which runs through February. It has already attracted record crowds to the museum.
Simon had a spiritual take on the construction process, likening it to the repetitive motion of praying the rosary.
"While your hands are busy, your heart and mind are elsewhere," he said. "It frees up the mind."