A quick scan of Barcelona’s skyline and you’ll spot it. La Sagrada Família is arguably one of the world’s top architectural wonders, with 4.8 million people visiting in 2024.

But a glance at the camera rolls of all those visitors reveals one recurring motif: A patchwork of scaffolding, cranes and construction equipment.

While La Sagrada Família has been open to the public for many years, it has never actually been finished.

The build began in 1882 before emerging Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí took over in 1883.

Gaudi, who is also known for other Barcelona hotspots such as Park Güell, dedicated his life to the construction of La Sagrada, laying the foundations for a project that would come to define his legacy.

But Gaudí, and many who succeeded him, would never see the final product – a series of compounding factors stretching its construction across more than a century.

Finally, the famous basilica is nearly complete.

Gaudí is the architect behind other Barcelona landmarks like Park Güell. Photo: PXHere

Why has it taken so long?

Initially, La Sagrada Família relied on private donations rather than state funding, so construction progressed only when money allowed.

Then, in 1926, Gaudí’s unexpected death halted everything, not only leaving the project without its guiding force, but also an incomplete design.

He deliberately left its blueprint unfinished, hoping that future generations would use their own creative freedom to complete La Sagrada, as well as potential new technologies and funding opportunities.

The Spanish Civil War only compounded the challenge. Gaudi’s workshop was burned to the ground, destroying the detailed drawings and models he had left behind for La Sagrada’s future architects.

Builders had to reconstruct his ideas from fragments of photos and notes, a painstaking process that took decades. Even then, Gaudí’s innovative design techniques – using never-before-seen geometric forms inspired by nature – were near-impossible to calculate or build without the right technology.

Then came the Covid-19 pandemic, which only added to the delays.

In all, it’s been 144 years since construction began. But in a remarkable twist of fate, La Sagrada Família will officially be completed in 2026 – 100 years after Gaudí’s death.

La Sagrada is characterised by Gaudí’s intricate geometric designs. Photo: Pixabay

What’s left to finish?

La Sagrada Família was designed to comprise three distinct facades (Nativity, Passion and Glory), 18 towers, a huge 12-point star, multiple complex hyperboloids and parabolic arches, vaulted ceilings, and up to 18 sculptures of biblical figures, from the 12 apostles and four evangelists to Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary.

The Nativity facade was mostly completed by Gaudí, followed by post-World War II construction of the Passion facade between 1954 and 1976.

In 2010, much of the church’s interior was completed and officially consecrated by Pope Benedict XVI. The 12-point star was completed in 2021, with the four evangelist towers following in the years since.

Many of these features and facilities are already open to the public. Visitors can explore chapels, attend Sunday mass, visit the onsite museum, marvel at stained-glass windows, meander through tree-like columns and even climb one of the church’s towers.

Yet for all its grandeur, the experience has long been shaped by the reality of an unfinished masterpiece, with scaffolding a constant backdrop. But that’s about to change, with the final phase of construction under way.

The building and fitting of the last tower, representing Jesus Christ, is nearly done. It marks the third and final facade’s completion, fittingly titled Glory.

Reportedly, builders have set a deadline of June 10 for construction to end. However, work on sculptures, decorative details and a controversial stairway leading to the main entrance is expected to continue until 2034.

Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí dedicated his life to building La Sagrada. Photo: Pexels

Forgotten (but fascinating) facts

While the history of La Sagrada Família is enthralling, some fascinating details about the church and its devoted creator often go untold. Here are five of our favourite forgotten facts:

1. La Sagrada Família could’ve looked completely different. Gaudí was not the original architect; it was first under the leadership of diocesan designer Francisco de Paula del Villar, who left after technical disputes in 1882. Gaudí replaced him the following year and took the project in a different direction.
2. Gaudí’s death in 1926 was sudden and tragic. In a cruel coincidence, he was struck by a tram en route to the church and died from his injuries three days later – exactly a century before the project he devoted his life to would reach completion.
3. La Sagrada Família is Gaudí’s final resting place. He was buried in the crypt beneath his church, in the Chapel of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Visitors can see his tomb.
4. In 2016, authorities discovered that construction of La Sagrada Família began illegally. According to church records, Gaudí asked the Sant Martí de Provençals city council for a building permit in 1885 but never received an answer. A construction licence was awarded in 2019, but will expire in 2026.
5. Upon completion, La Sagrada Família will officially become the tallest church in the world. At 172 metres, it surpasses the previous record-holder, Ulm Minster in Germany, by 11 metres.

Republished from International Traveller