Basilica and Expiatory Church of the Holy Family, Barcelona, Spain Verified listing

Basilica and Expiatory Church of the Holy Family, Barcelona, Spain

The Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família, known simply as the Sagrada Família, is a remarkable church located in Barcelona’s Eixample district, Catalonia, Spain. It holds the distinction of being the largest unfinished Catholic church in the world. Antoni Gaudí, the famous Catalan architect, designed this church. His style blends Gothic and Art Nouveau elements in a unique way. In 2005, UNESCO recognized his work on the church as part of the “Works of Antoni Gaudí” World Heritage Site. Then, in 2010, Pope Benedict XVI consecrated the building and declared it a minor basilica.

Construction started on 19 March 1882 under Francisco de Paula del Villar. After he resigned in 1883, Gaudí took over and transformed the design completely. Gaudí worked on the project until his death in 1926. He is buried in the church’s crypt. At that time, less than a quarter of the church was complete. The project depended solely on private donations, which made progress slow. The Spanish Civil War further delayed construction. In 1936, anarchists damaged the crypt and destroyed many of Gaudí’s original plans.

Work resumed in 1939 under Francesc de Paula Quintana, who used surviving plans and photographs to continue the project. Thanks to advances in computer-aided design and automated construction, progress sped up. By 2010, the church had passed its halfway point. The goal was to finish by 2026, marking 100 years since Gaudí’s death. However, the COVID-19 pandemic caused delays. Despite this, construction is expected to finish by 2026, with detailed decoration continuing until 2034. Critics hail the Sagrada Família as a unique masterpiece that reinterprets Gothic architecture, but it is not Barcelona’s official cathedral—that title belongs to the Cathedral of Saint Eulalia.

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