Basílica de la Sagrada Familia
Stepping out of the metro station and catching my first glimpse of La Sagrada Familia, I felt like I’d wandered into a dream sculpted from stone. The basilica’s towering spires pierced the Barcelona sky like fingers reaching for heaven, each one adorned with intricate carvings and symbols that seemed to whisper stories of faith, nature, and time.
Antoni Gaudí’s masterpiece isn’t just a building—it’s a living canvas, still under construction after more than 140 years, and every inch of it pulses with his visionary spirit.
Inside, the atmosphere shifted from awe to reverence. Sunlight streamed through stained glass windows in a kaleidoscope of blues, greens, and fiery reds, casting ethereal patterns across the soaring columns that mimic trees in a forest. I wandered slowly, neck craned, heart full, absorbing the quiet grandeur of the space. The Nativity façade, with its joyful carvings of animals and biblical scenes, contrasted starkly with the more austere Passion façade, a reminder of the dualities Gaudí embraced.
Construction progressed somewhat in the 1950s. Advancements in technologies such as computer aided design have since enabled faster progress, construction was at the midpoint in 2010.But some of the project’s greatest challenges remain, including the construction of ten more spires, each symbolising an important Biblical figures.
Climbing one of the towers offered a panoramic view of Barcelona, a city that felt both ancient and alive beneath my feet. I left with a sense of wonder—and a quiet hope to return when the final tower is crowned in 2026.
Designed by the Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926), his work on Sagrada Família is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This cathedral is currently the largest unfinished Catholic church in the world.
Construction of the Sagrada Família began under Francisco de Paula del Villar on 19 March 1882. A year later, after architect Villar resigned, Gaudí took over as chief architect, transforming the project with his architectural and engineering style. He combining Gothic and curvilinear Art Nouveau forms
The Sagrada Família’s construction progressed very slow, relying solely on private donations. It was also slowed down by the Spanish Civil War. Gaudí devoted the remainder of his life to the project. After he died in 1926, he was buried in the Cathedral’s crypt. By that time only less than a quarter of the project was complete.
In 1936, anarchists set fire to the crypt and partially destroying Gaudí’s original plans, drawings and plaster models, which delayed the work for 16 years to piece together the fragments of the master model.
After viewing the other Gaudi buildings, including Casa Milá, and Casa Batlló, and the Park Güell driving by with the Hop-on-off bus, we concluded our 3 day whirlwind stay in Barcelona. We definitely need to come back.
While there, I was anxious to venture out and admire all the Gaudi’s architecture, including the famous Basílica de la Sagrada Familia, the Casa Milá, and Casa Batlló
