The Largest Unfinished Catholic Church in the World

 Sagrada Familia was one of the Barcelona landmarks on OFD's must see list. It wasn't until I started doing some research for the blog and eventually my photo book, that I understand the significance of this magnificent and unique structure.

It was started in 1882 by a Barcelona bookseller with a dream after visiting the Vatican in Rome.

It has a completion date of 2026. Here is a timeline of the Sagrada Familia. Construction has been interrupted twice: once during the Spanish Civil War in 1936 and again in 2020 due to Covid.

When it is completed it will have 18 spires. (12 for the Apostles, 4 for the Evangelists, 1 for Virgin Mary and one for Jesus Christ) The Saint Mark spire is on the left, a winged lion. The Jesus Christ spire at 570' will be the tallest church spire in the world, when completed in 2026. (The base for the Jesus Christ spire is in the background of the photo.)

The Virgin Mary's spire is one the left, completed in December 2021. It is a 12 pointed lighted crystal star on a base. The upper and lower part of the shaft base are covered with artistic ceramic stoneware trencadís mosaic in colors ranging from blue to white with a few scattered pieces of golden Venetian mosaic. The other spires are those representing the 12 disciples/apostles.

The Saint Matthew Spire is on the right, a winged man. Plans call for tubular bells to be placed within the spires, driven by the force of the wind, and driving sound down into the interior of the church. ~ Wikipedia At this time, only one bell is in place.

The lower spires are surmounted by communion hosts with sheaves of wheat and chalices with bunches of grapes, representing the Eucharist. ~ Wikipedia

One of the three entrances, two of which are completed. This is the Passion Facade, across the street from a park. The Passion Façade is supported by six large and inclined columns, designed to resemble strained muscles. It is austere, plain and simple, with ample bare stone, and is carved with harsh straight lines to resemble the bones of a skeleton. ~ Wikipedia.

another angle of the Passion Facade and its supporting columns

one of the details of the Passion Facade

another carving at the pinnacle of the Passion Facade 

placed in 2018

We entered through the much more ornate and detailed Navitiy Facade. It is dedicated to the birth of Jesus.  This facade was started in 1893 and completed in 1936. Antoni Gaudi was the Catalan architect and designer of the Sagrada Familia.

So if the outside of the minor Basilica is a magnificent work of art and architecture, the inside was even more amazing.

I believe this is the inside view over the Passion Facade, as it is the first photo I took upon entering and the Passion Facade was opposite the Nativity Facade, where we entered. (Not all the stained glass windows were painted or completed. The inside of the oval window at the top is an example of incompleteness.)

The colors of the stained glass reflected everywhere, pillars, columns, floors and walls, giving it the name Temple of Light.

Gaudi designed the columns to branch at the top to help support their load. Each tree column is different. There are no flat surfaces in Gaudi's design, which is based on complex geometric patterns.

There is some controversy over the third and final entrance, the Glory Facade to the Basilica. It has been started but as yet, is not complete or open to the public.

one of the staircases

another staircase

Private donations and ticket money from the 3 million visitors each year fund the construction of the Sagrada Familia.

I am standing in the central aisle of the nave looking to the front, the apse with the altar. The apse is the highest point of the interior at 246'.

ceiling of the nave reaches 148'

in the apse, above the altar

A cathedral is the seat of a bishop and a center of Christian worship. A basilica is a church that is designated by the Vatican for its historical, spiritual, or architectural significance. 

Interesting to note, originally the stone for the Sagrada Familia came from the Monserrat mountain, but as the quality of the stone became more fragile the deeper it was dug. Since 2018 the stone needed to finish the Basilica now comes from a quarry in England. 

We were looking at a mass service in the crypt, below the apse.

colors reflecting on the ceiling of the nave

blues and greens from the windows on the other side of the nave

The doors to the Basilica: top right and middle left were on the Nativity Facade. The four detailed bugs were part of those doors detailed design. The door on the upper left was on the side of the Nativity Facade. The door on the middle right is from the Passion Facade. The Passion façade reproduce excerpts of the Passion of Jesus from the New Testament in various languages, mainly Catalan. ~ Wikipedia

We saw very few beggars or homeless people in Barcelona or other areas we traveled in Spain. This person was lying on the sidewalk near the Basilica. We saw more homeless and many beggars in Sardinia and other Italian places we visited.