Sagrada Família

The 'stone forest' under construction for 140 years

This church was started in 1882 and is still being built — more than 140 years! The architect Antoni Gaudí took inspiration from nature: the columns branch like trees, the ceiling looks like leaves, the towers are like a sandcastle. Inside, light falls through coloured windows like a rainbow. Gaudí said: 'My client is not in a hurry' (meaning God). The main tower will be finished in 2026 — 100 years after Gaudí's death.

The Sagrada Família (Basilica of the Holy Family) is the masterpiece of Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926), begun in 1882; Gaudí devoted 43 years to it, and at his death it was 25% complete. Its style fuses Catalan modernism and Gothic with natural forms: tree-like branching columns (a self-supporting structure with no external buttresses), hyperboloid and paraboloid surfaces — Gaudí calculated them with hanging-chain models (100 years before computers). 18 towers are planned: 12 apostles, 4 evangelists, Mary and Jesus (172.5 m — 1 m lower than Barcelona's Montjuïc hill, 'not higher than God's creation'). In 1936, during the civil war, the plans were burned and later reconstructed from photos and models; today 3D printing and CNC machines are used. UNESCO (2005, works of Gaudí). 4.7 million tourists a year — visitors fund the construction. The Jesus tower is due for completion in 2026.

Fun facts

• The Sagrada Família has been under construction since 1882 — only a quarter was done in Gaudí's lifetime.
• Gaudí designed it by hanging chains and viewing them in a mirror — 100 years before computers.
• The main tower is deliberately 1 m lower than Barcelona's hill — 'not higher than God's creation'.