The famous Sagrada Familia Curch

May 9, 2012 | In: Art facts

The famous Church is situated in north-eastern Spain, in the beautiful city of Barcelona, and one of the most visited places in Europe.

It is the opera of a famous Spanish architect, Antonio Gaudi, even though the original construction plan belonged to Francisco del Villar. Villar was overwhelmed by the complexity and dimensions of the cathedral and decided to pass the project to Antonio Gaudi.
The idea of building a church began to an organization mainly interested in changing the mentality of the majority, who started to lose its belief in God, and even mocked Him. The organization bought a little spot of land in Barcelona in 1877, and by 1882, Francisco del Villar started constructing the neo-gothic building.

Just a year later, Antonio Gaudi took over the project, at the age of 31. He gave his entire life at the construction site, and almost changed the entire shape of the cathedral. He died in 1926, at the age of 74, leaving the construction site unfinished. In fact, the cathedral isn’t at its final form not even today.

Gaudi planned for there to be 18 spires, symbolising the 12 apostles, 4 evangelists, the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ. So far 8 have been built. In effect the building is a living sculpture of the New Testament.

Nowadays the architects work on the main chamber’s interior and struggle to finish the outside walls. The main tower, which houses the church bell, once finished, will be the biggest ever built, measuring 170 m(560 ft).

Construction passed its mid point last year and some of the projects most challenging elements are still yet to be tackled. The buildings anticipated completion date is 2026, a century after Gaudi’s death. In November 2010, Pope Benedict XVI proclaimed the building as a minor basilica.