Sagrada Familia (Barcelona)

Construction started on 19 March 1882 under Francisco de Paula del Villar. Villar drew a neo-Gothic crypt and resigned in 1883 after disagreements with the project's promoter Josep Maria Bocabella. Antoni Gaudí took over on 3 November 1883 and redrafted the design around ruled geometry. He ran the works until 7 June 1926, when tram number 30 struck him on Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes. He died three days later; his tomb sits in the Crypt's Chapel of Our Lady of Carmel. 

The Spanish Civil War halted construction in 1936. Anarchists burned the workshop and destroyed Gaudí's plaster models and drawings. Successors rebuilt the models from surviving fragments. Architects resumed the works in the 1950s. After 1990, 3D modelling and rising ticket revenue accelerated construction. The pinnacle cross of the Passion Facade and the topped-out Jesus tower mark the two most recent structural milestones. Permits, engineering approvals, and fundraising set the pace of the remaining works. Separate pages cover why the basilica remains unfinished and the current finish-date projection.

Gaudí, the architect of Sagrada Familia, and his successors

Antoni Gaudí assumed leadership in 1883 at age 31. He transformed the original plans into a vision inspired by nature and Christian symbolism. From 1891, he focused on the Nativity façade, and by 1914 he dedicated his career exclusively to the basilica. Gaudí spent 43 years shaping the structure and lived in the onsite workshop during his final years. At the time of his death in 1926, construction had only completed the crypt, the apse, and one tower.

Gaudí understood the basilica would require centuries to complete and intentionally left space for future architects to contribute. His assistant, Domènec Sugrañes, finished the remaining Nativity towers. Later, Francesc de Paula Quintana resumed work after the Spanish Civil War, recovering fragments of Gaudí’s original models. During the 1950s, Gaudí’s disciples Isidre Puig Boada and Lluís Bonet i Garí advanced the project, completing the Passion façade towers in 1976. In 1985, Jordi Bonet i Armengol introduced computer-aided design, a transition that allowed for the precise execution of Gaudí’s complex geometries. Since 2012, Jordi Faulí has led the final stage, overseeing the completion of the Tower of the Virgin Mary in 2021 and the Evangelists’ towers in 2023.

How long has Sagrada Familia been under construction?

The Sagrada Familia has remained under construction for over 140 years due to several factors. The scale of the design includes 18 towers, detailed façades, and a vast interior. Unlike medieval cathedrals supported by state or church funds, the Sagrada Familia functions as a temple financed solely by private donations and ticket sales. Consequently, economic fluctuations have historically influenced the pace of construction.

The destruction of Gaudí’s original models and drawings in a 1936 fire during the Spanish Civil War also delayed progress. Architects spent decades reconstructing his concepts from fragments, photographs, and notes. Furthermore, the structural complexity required modern technology, such as 3D modeling and CNC stone-cutting, which became available only in recent decades.

With the completion of the Tower of Jesus Christ, the Sagrada Familia officially becomes the tallest basilica in the world. Reaching its final height of 172.5 meters, the central tower's structural completion marks the 2026 centenary of Antoni Gaudí’s death. While the primary towers are now complete, work on the Glory façade and its monumental staircase continues, with final project completion estimated for the 2030s.

The basilica has three facades. Each one narrates a phase of the life of Christ. Gaudí completed one of them in his lifetime: the eastern Nativity Facade. Plant, animal, and human figures crowd its panels around scenes of the Birth and early years of Jesus. Josep Maria Subirachs sculpted the western Passion Facade from 1987 until his death in 2014. He rendered the Crucifixion, the Betrayal, and Peter's Denial in austere angular figures that contrast with the Nativity's baroque density. The southern Glory Facade will be the main entrance once finished. Sculptures of the Final Judgement and Resurrection will fill its portal. The three facades of the Sagrada Familia form a coherent iconographic programme, with each tower and portal mapping to a specific narrative moment.

This infographic details the orientation, history and key elements that define Gaudí’s spiritual narrative on the Nativity, Passion and Glory façades:

Inside, the central nave rises to 45 m and the transept to 60 m, with the crossing vault at 75 m below the central Jesus tower. The tree-like columns split into tilted branches and meet hyperboloid vaults overhead, without the pointed arches of Gothic interiors. Coloured light from the side aisles shifts through the day. Warm tones enter through the Passion side in the afternoon, while cooler tones fill the Nativity side in the morning. 

The Crypt beneath the apse holds Gaudí's tomb inside the Chapel of Our Lady of Carmel. A baldachin hangs above the main altar from thin cables. Its frame carries a ring of candles and a carved Christ. The interior of the basilica brings ruled geometry, stained glass, and liturgical furniture together under a single vault.

• The World's Tallest Basilica: with the completion of the Tower of Jesus Christ in 2026, the Sagrada Familia officially became the tallest basilica and religious structure in the world.
• The tallest building in Barcelona: since August 2025, it has surpassed the Mapfre Tower and the Arts Hotel, reaching over 155 meters in height.
• Gaudí and his respect for nature: the central tower will not exceed 172.5 meters so as not to surpass Montjuïc mountain.
• 18 symbolic towers: representing the twelve apostles, four evangelists, Mary, and Jesus. Each tower carries its own meaning.
• The magic square: a unique square where rows, columns, and diagonals always add up to 33, the age of Christ.
• Chromatic interior: stained glass windows designed by Joan Vila-Grau filter natural light to create a specific color atmosphere that shifts according to the sun's position.
• Construction without a permit: Although work began in 1882, the project operated without an official building permit for over 130 years until the City Council finally issued one in 2019.
• The Star of Mary: A twelve-pointed glass and steel star has crowned the Tower of the Virgin Mary since December 2021, serving as a permanent luminous landmark in the Barcelona skyline.
• Gaudí rests in his masterpiece: the architect is buried inside his great work, in the crypt beneath the main altar.
• Built with tickets and donations: it receives no public funding. Its construction relies on private donations and, above all, ticket sales, with millions of visitors every year.
• Interconnected legacy: Beyond the basilica, Gaudí’s influence on Barcelona includes the design of Park Güell, which shares similar organic architectural principles.

The Sagrada Familia will culminate in 18 towers ordered by spiritual rank: 12 for the Apostles, 4 for the Evangelists, 1 for the Virgin Mary, and 1 central tower for Jesus Christ. This hierarchy is also expressed through height: approx. 98–112 m (Apostles), 135 m (Evangelists), 138 m (Mary), and 172.5 m (Jesus), the symbolic apex of the ensemble.

• Tower of Jesus Christ (172.5 m). Establishing the Sagrada Familia as the tallest basilica in the world. This height remains one meter lower than Montjuïc mountain, adhering to Gaudí’s principle that human architecture should not surpass the works of nature. A large four-armed cross crowns the peak, serving as a prominent landmark visible from most points across the city.
• Towers of the Evangelists (135 m). They encircle the tower of Jesus and are identified by the Tetramorph: eagle (John), angel/winged man (Matthew), lion (Mark), and winged ox (Luke), with the Gospels and inscriptions such as “Alleluia” and “Amen.” Their spires include nighttime illumination.
• Tower of the Virgin Mary (138 m). It stands out for the Morning Star: a 12-pointed star with a 7.5 m diameter that sparkles by day thanks to textured glass and lights up at night; it was inaugurated in December 2021.
• The 12 towers of the Apostles (≈98–112 m). They are arranged four per façade: Nativity (east), Passion (west), and Glory (south). They function as bell towers with polychrome pinnacles and bear each apostle’s name; Gaudí also associated each apostle with a constellation in line with medieval tradition.

The towers on the Nativity and Passion façades are accessible via a specific ticket type, allowing entry to the elevators and the subsequent descent through helical staircases of approximately 400 steps. This route provides panoramic views of Barcelona and a detailed perspective of the upper sculptural elements. Due to the narrow nature of the stairways, this experience is not recommended for those with vertigo or reduced mobility.

The upward progression of these structures expresses the celestial hierarchy of the basilica. The four-armed cross atop the Tower of Jesus Christ, the twelve-pointed star of the Virgin Mary, and the symbols of the Evangelists transform the skyline into an open-air catechetical program. Access to these heights offers one of the most significant vantage points in the city.