The Sagrada Familia is the best known and characteristic monument of Barcelona. As the greatest exponent of the modernist architecture created by Gaudí, thousands of tourists come every day to contemplate the curious but unfinished temple.

The beginnings of the Sagrada Familia

Construction began in 1882 with a neo-Gothic style. A year later, the project was put in the hands of Gaudí, who completely rethought it. Gaudí designed an exceptional and innovative temple that was to be composed of 18 towers, although he finally only had time to create one of them before his death.

Gaudí died in 1926 leaving unfinished the project that occupied the last years of his life but, thanks to the plans that are preserved, his dream comes true little by little thanks to the work of other artists and the money obtained from donations and the visits.
Most outstanding elements

Although not yet finished, the Sagrada Familia is a lush temple full of religious symbolism. These are some of the most important points:

The towers

So far 8 of the 18 towers designed by Gaudí have been erected. The architect decided that twelve of them were dedicated to the Apostles, four to the Evangelists, one to Mary and one to Jesus. Each of them will be endowed with a different height depending on the religious hierarchy they represent.

It is possible to access to the top of some of the towers to contemplate the city from the heights and see some details of the exterior of the t...