Sagrada Familia, Catholic basilica in Eixample, Barcelona, Spain
The Sagrada Família is a Catholic basilica in Barcelona's Eixample district, built from pale beige-grey stone. Its Nativity façade carries four tapering spires with vertical slots, pointed arches and sculpted figures, while the interior's columns branch like tree trunks and the nave vaulting was completed in 2000. The Glory façade to the south and four towers remain unfinished.
The cornerstone was laid on 19 March 1882 by Bishop Urquinaona, to a neo-Gothic design by diocesan architect Francisco de Paula del Villar. Gaudí took over in 1883 and worked exclusively on the temple from 1914 until his death in 1926, when less than a quarter stood finished. In July 1936 anarchists burned the crypt and smashed the plaster models; building resumed from salvaged material, and Pope Benedict XVI consecrated the basilica on 7 November 2010.
The name refers to the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, and the church was founded as an expiatory temple funded by donations. Sculpted scenes on the Nativity façade teach the Gospel to visitors who could not read, and the Passion façade by Josep Maria Subirachs, finished in 1998, arranges the Last Supper to the Entombment in a reversed S. The temple also serves as a Catalan national symbol; a 2019 independence march of some 500,000 people nearby forced it to close for a day.
The entrance is on Carrer de Provença, 450, in the Eixample. Opening hours vary by season: 9:00–18:00 from November to February, 9:00–20:00 on weekdays from April to September, and Sunday visits start at 10:30. Tower access is a separate option booked with the ticket, and tickets are sold online or via QR codes around the basilica.
The Nativity façade's Saint Barnabas bell tower, finished in 1925, was the only tower Gaudí saw completed. Sculptor Etsuro Sotoo has worked on the temple since 1978 and became head sculptor in 2013. The Nativity façade and crypt were added to the UNESCO list in 2005.
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