Exterior - Basilica de la Sagrada Familia - Barcelona

February 27, 2014 - In 1882, Francisco de Paula del Villar, the first architect of the church, laid the foundation stone.  One and a half years later, Antoni Gaudi, a 31 year old, promising architect, took over the project for the next 43 years.

On November 7, 2010, with the naves finally enclosed, the church was dedicated and declared a minor basilica (a cathedral must be the seat of a bishop) by the Holy Father Benedict XVI, becoming a place for worship.  Basilica de la Sagrade Familia (Church of the Holy Family) is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Construction by the numbers -

• enclosed nave = 4500 square meters
• construction is well past 50% completed
• the innovative design includes 18 conical towers 
• almost completed:  four towers dedicated to the evangelists, the Virgin Mary and the four bell towers on the Glory Facade 
• 22 types of stone have been used in the construction over the past 132 years, representing the various processes and stages of geological time
• At the time of Gaudi's death in 1926 the project was less than a quarter complete 
• Construction was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War in 1936
• scheduled to be completed in 2026 to commemorate 100 years since Gaudi's death
• Gaudi dedicated 100% of his time to the project from 1914 until his death in 1926
• Gaudi left detailed plans/instructions for the completion of the church
• the Nativity facade was almost complete at the time of  Gaudi's death
• the Passion facade, completed from 1986, is the work of Josep Maria Subirachs
• financed completely by donations

If the Basilica de la Sagrada Familia is finished in 2026 it will have taken 144 years for construction.  The Milan Cathedral's construction lasted almost 600 years, Notre Dame in Paris, 182 years and the present St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, 120 years.

In response to the lengthy construction schedule, Gaudi was quoted as saying "My client is not in a hurry." 

The Passion facade was designed to be severe and simple with bare stone and straight lines to resemble skeletal bones.  Dedicated to the passion of Christ, his suffering and crucifixion, the facade was intended to be dramatic and strike fear into the onlooker.  This facade faces West, into the setting sun, symbolic of death.  Construction began in 1954 following instruction and design left by Gaudi. 

the Passion facade

current construction

Passion facade door

Glory facade - to be the last facade comleted

Nativity facade, facing the rising sun, symbolizes the birth of Christ, celebrates the joy of his birth and is decorated with scenes reminiscent of elements of life.  Gaudi wanted to construct this facade first because it was the most attractive and accessible to the public.  Construction from 1894-1930 was almost complete at the time of Gaudi's death in 1926.  He believed that if the Passion facade had been constructed first people would be turned off.

the three wisemen

At tortoise at the base of one column, represents the sea, a turtle is at the base of another column, represents land.  Both are symbols of time as something set in stone and unchangeable. Two chameleons can be found on either side of the facade, representing change.