Basilica of the Sagrada Família

The Expiatory Temple of the Holy Family was begun in 1882 as a neo-Gothic parish church, paid for entirely by the offerings of the faithful. The next year the young architect Antoni Gaudí took over, and he transformed it into something the world had never seen. He devoted the rest of his life to it, living in his workshop on the site in his last years. When he was struck by a tram in 1926, only one façade was nearly finished. “My client is not in a hurry,” he said of God.

Its three façades tell the story of Christ: the Nativity, the Passion and the Glory. Eighteen towers represent the twelve Apostles, the four Evangelists, the Virgin Mary and, tallest of all, Jesus Christ. Inside, columns branch like trees into a forest of stone, lit by stained glass in every colour.

Pope Benedict XVI consecrated the church and made it a minor basilica in 2010. Building continues, funded by its millions of visitors. Gaudí himself, whose cause for beatification is open, is buried in its crypt.

Built

1882 – present

Style

Catalan Modernism (Gaudí)

Where

Barcelona, Spain

Map

Find it on OpenStreetMap