Sagrada Familia - Barcelona - Catalonia - Spain

by Albert Videt Jensen

The Sagrada Família (full Catalan name: Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família) is a basilica in Barcelona whose construction began in 1882. The unfinished work of architect Antoni Gaudí, it is one of the best-known examples of Catalan Modernism, an emblematic monument of the city and the most visited monument in Spain (almost 4.9 million visitors in 2025). The crypt and the Nativity façade, built during Gaudí's lifetime, have been listed as UNESCO World Heritage since 2005. An expiatory temple financed solely by alms and donations, the building was consecrated by Pope Benedict XVI on 7 November 2010.
In 1883, Gaudí, then aged 31, replaced Francisco de Paula del Villar with an ambitious design: five naves, three façades (Nativity, Passion, Glory) and eighteen towers, the tallest of which, dedicated to Jesus Christ, will reach 172.5 metres. He introduced the catenary arch and hyperboloid vaults, devoted the last fifteen years of his life to the site, and died on 10 June 1926, knocked down by a tram; he lies buried in the crypt.
After Gaudí's workshop was destroyed by fire in 1936, work resumed in 1944. The Passion façade was completed in 1976 (with Subirachs's controversial contemporary sculptures), the temple's roof in 2010, and the Glory façade was begun in 2002. In October 2025, at 162.91 metres, the basilica became the tallest Christian building in the world; its exterior is due to be completed in 2026, the centenary of Gaudí's death.
The plan is a Latin cross with five naves, its dimensions multiples of 7.5 metres; the nave is lit by windows and stained glass dedicated to founding saints, and the crossing symbolises the celestial Jerusalem.