La Sagrada Familia Cathedral

The Sagrada Familia (The Holy Family) is a huge church in the capital of Catalonia, Barcelona in north-eastern Spain. The huge building is still unfinished, although its construction started in 1882. The project was done by architect Antonio Gaudi, who worked on it for over 40 years, devoting his last 15 years of his life exclusively to this cathedral. Sagrada Familia did not belong to Antonio Gaudi from the start as the project was initially assigned to architect Francisco Del Villar who got simply overwhelmed by the size and the complexity of the building. The original neo gothic style was replaced with the modern style of all Antonio Gaudi buildings, which was based on forms found in nature.

The initial estimated time of construction, based on the techniques used in the early 20th century, predicted a period of several hundred years for completion. Architect Gaudi commented: “My client has no rush”. The current estimation is 2026. After Gaudí's death in 1926, the construction continued under the direction of Domenech Sugranyes until 1936, when it was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War. On 7 November 2010, Pope Benedict XVI blessed the church and set it up to the rank of 'minor basilica'.

The church has 18 towers, ordered by their height representing the twelve apostles, the four evangelists, the Virgin Mary and the highest tower is represented by Jesus Christ. The central tower of Jesus will be mounted on a huge cross. The cathedral’s total height of 170 meters is just one meter below a hill near Barcelona, as Gaudi thought his work should not be greater than God’s. La Sagrada Familia cathedral has three facades that represent: the Nativity or the eastern façade, the façade of Glory that shows south and the Passion façade towards west. When Gaudi died in 1926, only the Birth façade was ready, a tower, the apse and the crypt This is because Gaudi was constantly changing the project and his plans disappeared during the civil war in 1936. Although unfinished, Sagrada Familia still remains the masterpiece of Antonio Gaudi.