Sagrada Familia - Attractions in Barcelona

La Sagrada Familia Barcelona

...BEST Gaudi Attractions

Sagrada Familia Barcelona (Holy Family)

The construction of this amazing building began in 1883 and is still unfinished.

Due to the untimely death of Antoni Gaudi in 1926 there were not many plans to continue and finish the work he had devoted so much of his life to.

In 1936, at the time of the Spanish Civil War, a fire in Gaudí's workshop destroyed blueprints and hundreds of plaster models. Many thought the cathedral would never be completed and should be left as it was.

For over a hundred years the surrealist structure has towered over Barcelona as if testament to the work of Gaudí. Although the cathedral is a UNESCO World Heritage site it's completion is funded only by donations - there is no official funding.

Antoni Gaudí was a very religious man and the nacimiento façade is pure Gaudí. It has three doorways representing Faith, Hope and Charity and was completed in 1904. The 18 towers represent the 12 Apostles, the four Evangelists, the Virgin Mary and Jesus. The final part of structure will be a central 170-meter cross.

Sadly, cranes and scaffolding are a permanent fixture which many have come to accept.

Plans to build a high-speed train from Barcelona to Madrid had met with much opposition as the tunnel for the train would be so close to the cathedral. Residents and academics thought it too great a risk to endanger a World Heritage site such as this. Nonetheless, the high-speed train was completed in February 2008 and has cut the journey to Madrid by nearly half.

With the advance of modern technology many are hoping that things will improve and future work on the cathedral will be faster. For the moment the time of completion has been set for 2026.