February 19, 2023, 2:43 pm | Read time: 6 minutes

As unconventional as it may sound, the most famous landmark in the city of Barcelona is essentially a gigantic construction site. Not just any site, but probably the most famous construction site in the world. Here, at Calle de Mallorca 401, stands the Sagrada Familia, a church of superlatives. And although construction has been ongoing for more than 140 years, this unique house of worship, which could have come straight out of a fantasy film, is still under construction. Its visionary creator once predicted that it could take 200 years to complete. But perhaps now everything will proceed relatively quickly.

In 1866, the wealthy philanthropist Josep María Bocabella y Verdaguer, according to the website of “National Geographic,” had an idea: He wanted to give his city of Barcelona a very special gift, in the form of a church. The Church of the Holy Family, or in Spanish: La Sagrada Familia. He founded the religious organization Asociación de Devotos de San José, which soon united more than 600,000 members. Publishing a “club magazine” eventually brought him enough money to purchase a suitable plot for his dream in 1881. The cost amounted to 172,000 pesetas, which would be about two million euros today.

The Visionary and His Church

According to the official website of the Sagrada Familia, Bocabella initially commissioned architect Francisco de Paula del Villar with the project. He designed a rather classical church in the neo-Gothic style—completely different from the more expressionist sacred building that now attracts millions of people to Barcelona each year. On March 19, 1882, Barcelona’s Bishop José Maria de Urquinaona laid the foundation stone for what is now probably the most famous house of worship in the world. However, from the beginning, there were disputes between the project’s patron and the builder, leading to the latter being replaced after just about a year. A young, then-unknown architect took his place, whose vision would shape the image of the Sagrada Familia as we know it today. His name: Antonio Gaudí.

At this point, Gaudí did not yet know that the Sagrada Familia would become his life’s work, to which he would devote himself with increasing fanaticism until his death. He dreamed of a massive cathedral, even a temple, which according to “Encyclopedia Britannica” could one day accommodate up to 13,000 worshippers simultaneously. From 1910 onward, Gaudí, increasingly obsessed with his church, focused solely on the continued construction of the Sagrada Familia. He no longer took on other projects and even lived on the gigantic construction site. But the work on such a monument of faith does not proceed according to human lifespans. When Gaudí died in 1926, he had witnessed the completion of only one bell tower.

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The End Was Already Near

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After the great visionary’s death in 1926, his student Domènec Sugranyes took over the construction supervision. But just ten years later, it was almost all over: During the Spanish Civil War in 1936, the Sagrada Familia was devastated. Plans, photographs, and models, irreplaceable for the continued construction of the church, were subsequently destroyed forever. It wasn’t until three years later that it became clear that work on the church wonder could continue. Enough plans were salvaged from Gaudí’s workshop, perhaps thankfully, to allow architect Francesc de Paula Quintana to resume the work.

Since then, the bizarre construction has continued to progress, with new milestones to celebrate almost every year. The church features 18 spindle-shaped towers representing important figures from biblical history. Twelve of them stand for the twelve apostles, and four more for the evangelists Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. On November 29, 2021, the tower in honor of the Virgin Mary was completed, standing at 138 meters as the second tallest in the entire church structure. Only the Jesus Christ tower is planned to be taller. It seems almost as if the eternal construction site might finally come to an end in the relatively near future, after more than 140 years.

Almost 140 Years Without a Construction Permit

Originally, according to sources such as “Encyclopedia Britannica,” the work on the Sagrada Familia was supposed to be completed by 2026. Then came COVID-19, which pushed the timelines back again. Whether Gaudí’s eternal project can actually be completed remains uncertain. Since 2005, the church has been a UNESCO World Heritage site, and in 2010, it was consecrated as a basilica by then-Pope Benedict XVI. Since 1961, there has also been a museum on site that informs visitors about the world’s unique church project.

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Those wishing to visit the Sagrada Familia will need to dig deep into their pockets. A regular ticket with an audio guide currently costs 26 euros according to the official website. Joining a guided tour costs 30 euros. If you also want to see the church towers, the price is 36 or 40 euros. For all rates and the highly variable opening hours throughout the year, please consult the website. To visit, you must book a ticket in advance (online), which grants entry only at the booked time. If you can’t afford or don’t want to pay, you can also take a virtual tour on the website.

The quirkiest fun fact about the Sagrada Familia is that, according to “CNN,” the church was built almost illegally until 2019. Until that year, there was no official construction permit from the city of Barcelona for 137 years. It wasn’t until June 7, 2019, that it was finally issued. By then, the church had long become a symbol of the city and one of the biggest tourist attractions in all of Europe. And of course, once the construction is finally completed, they want to end the work with a spectacular record. The tower in honor of Jesus Christ is planned to rise 172 meters high—making it the tallest church tower in the world.